Update on DU's ongoing technical problems [View all]

[EarlG]

DU is currently online for Star Members only. Here's the message which is currently posted on our home page if you are not signed in as a Star Member:

Our apologies. We are currently experiencing an interruption in service. We have tracked the issue to our database but we are still working to determine the cause. At this time we have no reason to believe that the site has been hacked or is under attack.

The issue has left us with two options: We can either take DU offline for everyone, or we can keep it online by severely restricting connections to our database. Keeping DU open is our priority, even if it means restricting it to a smaller number of people. So at this time only Star Members can access the site. Since we have been forced to limit the number of visitors to DU, we think it is only fair that it should at least be open to the people who help to keep DU online the rest of the year round with their financial support.

If you were hoping to read DU right now and cannot access the site, we know this is a disappointment. With the election just around the corner, this is the worst time for something like this to happen. Unfortunately -- due to factors such as increases in traffic, additional server/software stress, the possibility of bad actors, etc. -- this is also the most likely time that something like this is going to happen. We are working to resolve the issue as soon as we possibly can.

Unfortunately, every four years when the presidential election rolls around, DU is tested in ways that are hard to anticipate. The database problem that's going on right now is not something we've seen before, and it happened without warning. At the moment, we cannot open DU to all visitors without crashing. In addition, the problem is causing multiple posts, which you've no doubt seen.

At this time we have no reason to believe that this has been caused deliberately, by malicious actors. We suspect the cause will turn out to be something far more mundane.

We are going to keep the site online for Star Members only tonight and then discuss the issue with our service provider in the morning. Although we're still not completely sure of the cause, we think we will be able to narrow it down quickly and come up with a solution.