WHAT TO DO IF YOUR WEBSITE IS DOWN (PRINT THIS OUT)
Step #1. Expired domain name:
Ensure that your domain name has NOT expired, and has the correct DNS name servers set for our network, as we do get a lot people complaining that their web site is down only to find that their domain name has expired, or that their name servers are set incorrectly.
Step #2. Bandwidth limit reached?
Is your site down due to reaching its bandwidth limit? You will find that once your website has reached its bandwidth limit, it will be taken off-line to minimise its bandwidth usage any further. You can either upgrade your hosting plan to increase your monthly limit, or you can wait until the end of the month when the limit will reset itself.
Step #3. Check network issues page:
If your domain name is current and using the correct name servers, and you have not used up all your bandwidth for the month, then do check our Network Issues page to see if we are carrying out specific planned maintenance for your server, which is typically done at night between midnight and 6am but if exceptionally urgent, then things like kernel updates or security patching *might* be done during the day, although very rare. If your server is listed and we are currently working on it then all you need to do is wait, and things should come back on-line again shortly.
Step #4. Check for announcements:
Check our announcements page to see if its something unplanned, that has been going on for a while, or is something that could be affecting our entire network (Hence not listed as a network issue) because any issues lasting more than 15 minutes, will typically have an announcement posted to keep customers informed. If the problem is listed then the only thing you need to do is check back for updates any-time you need to. Chances are, you will know hen things are working again before you get a chance to check back for updates, but the worst thing you can do is to start opening support tickets asking us how long, when will it be fixed, is anybody doing anything etc as this will simply slow things down, as our priority is to fix it first, answer questions later.
Step #5. Check who is affected:
If there are no current open network issues or announcements, test everything, check your cPanel, email, and web pages and establish exactly what doesn't work. If nothing at all is working then go to http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com to see if its only yourself that's affected.
Down only for me:
If it is only down for you, then there is a chance that you may have picked up an IP address from your internet provider that is currently blocked or blacklisted for malicious reasons, so disconnecting from the internet for 15 minutes then reconnecting could get you a new IP to try with. If it is down only for you then it could be a problem with either your internet provider, or your IP address may have been locked out. Try your website from another internet connection such as a phone or ask a friend to check your website and if working, raise a support ticket to let us know that your website is down only for you but works elsewhere.
Down for everyone:
If your site is showing as down for everyone, and has been for more than 15 minutes and has no announcements or network issues logged about it, then login to your client area, raise a support ticket and let us know.
Alternatively:
If you are repeatedly getting a "Invalid login" message, then its most likely that you have locked yourself out of cPanel/FTP/Emails, either by just using the wrong password too many times, or you may have a virus on your computer that is trying to gain access to any connection it can find on your computer. You MUST log-off for 31 minutes. Brute force lock-outs last 30 minutes exactly, so do not try to access anything that requires a login such as email or cPanel/ftp during this 30 minute period so that it can reset.
Don't forget any smart phones or blackberry devices that may keep trying to login during this 30 minute period.
Breaks in service of less than 15 minutes may not always be announced but will ALWAYS be rectified immediately.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT FOR SECURITY REASONS WE DO NOT
PROVIDE 100% UPTIME AS SERVERS REGULARLY NEED UDATING.
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If your website is still down between the hours of Midnight and 8am then please call our emergency number twice within 3 minutes AFTER opening your ticket on: 07793 955 370
