Node4 Status » Network Status

Internet Access disruption within DC1 Hall-1 27th August 7am

Chris Pagel — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:06:12 +0000

Background:

Earlier this morning we experienced a spanning tree recalculation in DC-1 (Derby) Hall-1 – specifically the VLAN supporting 83.166.160.0/24, 83.166.161.0/24, 83.166.162.0/24 networks.

Impact:

Colocation customers on those affected networks, including DSL customers, may have experienced some transitory connectivity issues during spanning tree convergence which occurred between 06.55 & 07.10 on Friday 27^th August.

Additional Information

Initial investigations of this incident have identified that it occurred as a result of planned maintenance on our MPLS Layer-2 Edge Ethernet Switches at Derby and Wakefield Data Centres. We are continuing our investigations. Following this we will likely implement configuration changes to prevent any re-occurrence of this issue. Any changes required will be performed during a planned maintenance window.

While it is important for Node4 to perform maintenance such as this to ensure the quality of our network, we do everything possible to minimize any inconvenience to our customers. We appreciate your patience and welcome any feedback.

Regards,

Node4 Support

Planned Maintenance Friday 27th August Affecting DC-2 (Derby) and DC-3 (Wakefield) MPLS Interconnects

Chris Pagel — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:56:33 +0000

Update 27/08/10 07.20 - Maintenance has been completed

Background:

Node4 engineers plan to perform maintenance on our “MPLS Access” Layer-2 Edge Ethernet Switches at DC-2 Derby and DC-3 Wakefield Data Centres. This planned maintenance will require a software upgrade and configuration changes on the switches in order to bring them in-line with standardised software versions and configurations we have deployed elsewhere in our network.

Impact:

Layer-2 MPLS Ethernet Interconnects, between our DC’s or DC to a POP, terminating on a “MPLS Access” Switch at Derby and/or Wakefield Data Centres will be impacted during this maintenance work. We expect three service outages, with each being up to 5 minutes. However these services will be deemed “at risk” until the maintenance work is completed. Colocation customers directly affected by this work have been notified via email (13/08/10).

Maintenance Window

Friday 27^th August 06.50 – 07.50

The time of the planned maintenance has been chosen as historically this is when network traffic to the switches is at its lowest.

Our network operations engineers closely monitor the work and will do everything possible to minimize any inconvenience to you. If you have any problems with your connection after this time, or if you have any questions regarding the maintenance at any point, please call Technical Support at 0845 1232229 or visit www.node4.co.uk/support

Regards,

Node4 Support

ICANN DNSSEC Upgrade

Andy Betts — Tue, 04 May 2010 09:00:51 +0000

On May 5th 2010, ICANN will complete the upgrade of the last DNS Root server to support DNSSEC. This upgrade will attach a digital signature to every response from the root servers where the DNS resolver is configured to request a signed response. More information on DNSSEC can be found at http://www.dnssec.net/

Twelve of the thirteen root servers have already been upgraded and ICANN have not identified any harmful effects of the DNSSEC upgrade.

Node4 have carried out tests on their DNS servers and are confident that customers should not experience any problems using this service. Node4 are encouraging all their customers to perform their own checks on equipment that DNS traffic will flow through on the way to and from their equipment to ensure the larger packet sizes do not cause any problems. Particular attention should be paid to any devices that perform traffic inspection such as firewalls or security enabled routers.

An easy to use tool to check for any issues that might arise as part of the DNSSEC upgrades can be found at http://labs.ripe.net/content/testing-your-resolver-dns-reply-size-issues

If you experience any problems with regard to the DNSSEC upgrade please contact the helpdesk via email at support@node4.co.uk

21CN Network Upgrades Affecting BT IP Stream DSL Customers

Chris Pagel — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:19:36 +0000

We would like to advise you of the upcoming 21CN (21st Century Network) upgrade works which will be affecting customers BT IP Stream DSL connections over the coming weeks and months.

The work is required to allow DSL customers to benefit from developments in next generation technologies including higher bandwidth speeds.

Whilst we will aim to make the change-over as smooth as possible, there will be some disruption to the Broadband service on the day of the upgrade. This will typically mean that end users may be unable to connect to their Broadband service for between 15 to 30 minutes. Unfortunately we are unable to specify any specific timings of when exactly this will be happening on the day itself.

From the time the customers broadband automatically reconnects to the service, the new 21CN line will be rigorously tested to ensure it will deliver services of the highest quality both now and in the future. During this period customers may experience drops in connection or a slower line speed for the first 4 to 10 days. Once the stabilisation period has been completed the Broadband service will continue to work as normal.

Regards,

Node4 Support