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Facebook Apologizes for Outages, Says It Has Resolved 'Server Configuration' Error That Led To Access Problems (variety.com)

Facebook is sorry: The social media giant apologized for the technical errors that left many users globally unable to access apps for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp starting Wednesday and stretching into Thursday, and said it's fixed the glitch. From a report: About 24 hours after users began reporting problems with Facebook, Instagram and other apps, Facebook announced Thursday -- on Twitter -- that it had resolved them and that its systems are "recovering." "Yesterday, as a result of a server configuration change, many people had trouble accessing our apps and services. We've now resolved the issues and our systems are recovering," the company said in a tweet. "We're very sorry for the inconvenience and appreciate everyone's patience."

32 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. Why? by servo335 · · Score: 2

    Why dd they use their own competition to say they fixed the issues.

    1. Re:Why? by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      I guess that's where people go when FB is down?

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    2. Re:Why? by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      Facebook is going to go down? Do you know when - I think I need to unroll the body bags I store in the basement and get ready for the people who die of it's lack.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  2. Let me guess... by Crash+Dummy+Redux · · Score: 1

    A misplaced colon or semicolon in a CLI command to a Cisco switch or router?

    1. Re:Let me guess... by jythie · · Score: 1

      I suspect it started with something like that and then cascaded from there.

  3. LifeLog Cover Up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Server Configuration Error?
    More like dumping all traces of the DARPA LifeLog program from their databases in an effort to cover their tracks ...

    1. Re:LifeLog Cover Up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Everyone knows LifeLog was killed off years ago.

      Oh, wait, looks like LifeLog was stopped the very same day that Facebook was created ...

      https://www.wired.com/2004/02/pentagon-kills-lifelog-project/

    2. Re:LifeLog Cover Up by mschuyler · · Score: 2

      If you ran a system as big as Facebook and designed it so a "configuration error" would bring down thousands of servers, you ought to be fired--now.

      --
      How about a moderation of -1 pedantic.
  4. Facebook and Zuck are always sorry for something by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 2

    yet nothing ever changes.

    Also: /. is FB's availability page now? What gives?

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  5. If they were ethical.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    If they had any ethics, they'd apologize for the service coming back up again.

    This thing is a cancer on the internet.

  6. Re:huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Facebook who?

    Would you also like to brag to us about not owning a TV?

  7. Re:Facebook and Zuck are always sorry for somethin by alvinrod · · Score: 2

    Also: /. is FB's availability page now? What gives?

    The editors probably just piss away time on Facebook all day, which explains why the story was so timely. Typically I'm used to stuff taking a day or two to show up here, which isn't necessarily bad, but they had that story up right away. I think there was a previous time within the last year when the reported that Facebook was down. They might have been aware of it before someone managed to get the message to Zuck.

    After the spaghetti link in an article summary the other day, it's pretty obvious that there isn't a lot of editing being done, not that this site was every really know for it. This really is stuff that matters, only to myopic nitwits.

  8. Fragility of the the servers by xack · · Score: 2

    If a single "misconfiguration" can take down a system with thousands of redundant servers then you must see the total incompetence of the Facebook system. Is this who you want to give your data to? Want a "misconfiguration" to leak your data and passwords?

    1. Re:Fragility of the the servers by eaglesrule · · Score: 1

      It probably was a 'misconfiguration' that leaked data and passwords, and it took the duration of the outage to update and deploy the code worldwide.

    2. Re:Fragility of the the servers by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      No profit in redundant servers funded by ads.
      The ads pay for servers and allow for profits.
      The ads won't pay for global redundant servers and the needed profits.
      The servers are for selling ads not giving users redundant services.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  9. "Server config error..." by Amigori · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A "server configuration error" that prevents login and access issues happen to a small business with A rack of servers. NOT to one of the largest IT companies in the world. That would be an incredibly fast replication across how many globe-wide datacenters?

    What happened? Who knows? The QAnon crowd has a DARPA / Lifelog / Building8 theory. Give that what credence you need to. Seems plausible to me (without too much tin-foil).

    --
    "The quality of life is determined by its activites."--Aristotle
    1. Re:"Server config error..." by azadrozny · · Score: 1

      I genuinely hope that we will get a detailed account of what happened. Something this big was likely more than an intern checking in a bad config file. While embarrassing for those involved, there is likely a good lesson to be learned. It would go a long way in improving my opinion of the company if they shared those lessons.

    2. Re:"Server config error..." by Trogre · · Score: 1

      I believe this is how it went down:

      "Look, Mr Zuckerberg. Either you co-operate with our demands or we'll take you down."

      "Oh yeah? What do you think you can do?"

      (Fed takes a phone out of his pocket, hits Send)

      (Zuck pulls out his phone, refreshes a couple of status pages, puts down phone)
      (quietly) "Would you like that data dump scheduled hourly or daily, sir?"

      --
      "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  10. Re:Facebook and Zuck are always sorry for somethin by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 2

    The "editors", and I use the term loosely, have always been lazy fucks.

    With the sheer number of dupes I've seen over ~20 years it is obvious they don't actually read the site let alone know how to do a basic search to see if a story has been already been posted before. But I guess that keeps the memes alive. /. has editors? LOL, yeah, right.

  11. New internet, who dis? by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    Hadn't even noticed until someone mentioned it yesterday in passing.

    Maybe this is something old people care about?

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    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
    1. Re:New internet, who dis? by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

      I was on ARPA before it was open

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      -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  12. Re:Facebook and Zuck are always sorry for somethin by sjames · · Score: 2

    Facebook announces new C level position, the CS(NS)O, the Chief Sorry (Not Sorry) Officer.

  13. Re: Facebook and Zuck are always sorry for somethi by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 2

    Came for the stories, stayed for the user comments -- there have been some amazing gems over the years.

    Why throw the baby out with the bathwater?

  14. Facebook was down? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    I couldn't care less.

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    #DeleteFacebook
  15. Re:Productivity Goes up! by Bryansix · · Score: 2

    Ahem, Facebook was down, not Slashdot.

  16. DO NOT Apologize! by DickBreath · · Score: 1

    Facebook: DO NOT apologize for the outage.

    Apologize for getting Facebook back online.

    Now that Zuckerberg got it up again, the only question is how long he can keep it up.

    --

    I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
  17. Poor guy ... by nichogenius · · Score: 1

    ... here's a good case of whether or not to fire the system admin that just learned a multi-million dollar lesson at your expense.

  18. ... and what about Google? by mrobinso · · Score: 1

    Can we maybe get Google to fix Google Home integration with Android TV?
    Broken for weeks and not a peep from Google. Nor /. for that matter.

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    -- Karma whore? You betcha. --
  19. Finally configured by gabrieltss · · Score: 1

    They finally configured mod_evasive on their servers to protect against those pesky DDOS attacks! LOL!!!!

    --
    The Truth is a Virus!!!
  20. 24 hours by jmccue · · Score: 1

    And for 24 hours, peace descended upon the internet, but atlas it did not last

  21. Re: A question by astrofurter · · Score: 2

    I believe the term is "Agile(tm) Continuous Delivery".

  22. And nothing of value was lost by dkman · · Score: 1

    I came here looking for the comment I stuck in the subject. I'm surprised that I haven't seen it.

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    I refuse to sign