Blog

July 21, 2020 – We’ll be conducting some planned maintenance on a couple of servers tonight starting at about 10:30pm CDT.  The maintenance will include an upgrade to server operating systems which will also include an upgrade to certain software packages including PHP.

We utilize LTS (Long Term Support) versions of our operating systems so that we can upgrade less often resulting in more stability for users.  Currently, the PHP version being used by an older LTS release is showing in some software (including WordPress) as insecure and out of date.  Since this version of PHP is supported by the operating system producer and is part of the distribution, it is patched and security is maintained.  However, there are some improvements that have come with the newer versions.   Since we are receiving an increased volume of support requests due to the notices being shown in WordPress, we’ve decided to go ahead and move to the new LTS version of the OS.

During the maintenance time, some web sites will be unavailable as the servers upgrade.  Our technicians will do some testing of sites after the update, but are unable to test every page on every site.  We do not expect any compatibility issues as the versions we are upgrading from and to are very similar.  However, it would be prudent for customers to check over their sites to make sure all functionality is intact.    We will be posting updates here as the maintenance is performed.

Update 9:45pm – Beginning the process on a Virtual Private Server which affects fewer users than the next server we are doing.  We expect the shared server to start about 10:30pm.

Update 11:45pm – VPS is updated and we are now starting on shared server.  The VPS took a bit longer than anticipated, but we hope that the shared server goes more quickly.

Update July 22 1:15am – Shared server is complete.  We are doing some random testing.

If you have any questions or concerns about this maintenance, please contact us via email at support@internetpro.net, chat using the window to your right, or by phone at 256-547-6817.

June 23, 2020 – 6:30am –  Our virtual server infrastructure has been impacted due to an automatic update of a critical security issue.   A critical vulnerability in NFS was patched and an upgrade sent out by the OS vendor.  This was unplanned and unattended.  Unfortunately, the update took VPS systems offline.   We are in the process of restoring all functionality.  Updates will be posted here.

Update 7:15am – We’ve been able to restore service to many of the machines.  We do have a VPS host machine which is giving us some issues and we have an engineer physically working on it now.  Email has not been impacted and neither has shared hosting services.  The vast majority of our customers are either no longer impacted or were not impacted at all by this event.

Update 7:45am – We’ve identified a major hardware issue that did not present itself until the host was rebooted.  Work is underway to replace the affected hardware.  Unfortunately, one of the affected services is our phone system, but we do have backups in place.

Update 8:30am – Repairs have been completed.  VPS machines are being powered up.  Services should all be restored within minutes.  Our phone services have also been fully restored.

If you have any questions about this issue, please email us at support@internetpro.net.

Monday June 1, 2020 – Since everything else in the world is blowing up recently, we thought we’d get in on the fun and cause some issues with our mail server.   Every couple of years, we have to redo the secure certificates used on all connections.  We’re in the process of doing that, and normally, it goes unnoticed.  This time, however, some issues have arisen.  We’re implementing some “best practices” with regards to the type of security protocols used, and they have caused some clients to get error messages and/or not be able to connect.  We are working through these problems and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  No emails will be lost…but you may get an error when sending and perhaps have to resend an email.

We’ll be posting updates here as we complete the maintenance.

Update 3:45pm – Apparently, we’re running the best security we can for the version of the software currently being used.  We’ll be working on upgrading that software in the near future.

Update 4:09pm – We’re seeing reports of some old Apple devices which are not trusting the certificate.  It is OK to trust the certificate because it is legitimate.  It should be valid until June 2022.  Some older devices don’t “know about” the new certificates, so they have to be told to trust them.

Update 4:20pm-  The webmail is having issues related to the certificate problem.  We are investigating it.

Update 4:40pm – The webmail issue was related to IMAP not authenticating.  All issues relating to authentication should be resolved.  Trust issues with older devices will not change as that is inherent to the devices.

Update 5:40pm – Apple devices have a history of not liking certificate changes.  We’re finding that for most Apple devices, it is necessary to delete the account and set it up again to get the new certificate.  If you need our email settings for setting up again, please see our page here:  https://www.netsolinc.com/email-settings-2

This issue is now closed.  If you have any questions not answered here, please contact us at 256-547-6817, email support@internetpro.net, or chat with us using the window to the lower right of your screen.  Please note that the phone numbers listed on our site go to a corporate phone system and do not receive text messages.  If you like to text, please use the chat window below which also works on mobile.

May 17, 2020 – 1:30pm – We started experiencing some intermittent connectivity issues at around 12:49pm today.  We are investigating and currently all network services are up.   We believe it is an upstream issue, but will post updates here as we have them.

Update 1:50pm – The issues are upstream routing problems which are out of our hands.  The upstream carriers are aware of their problems and are working on it.   Connectivity is fairly stable at the moment with only short interruptions.  We expect the problems will be completely worked out shortly.

Update 8:20pm – After being fairly stable since the last update, we’ve begun to see packet loss again.  It is very intermittent and seems to be upstream BGP routing changes.   Hopefully, the root issue has been fixed and routing is updating to follow primary routes again.   Internally, our systems are responding, and again, this is on the digital highway outside of our domain.

Update May 18, 6:45am – The issue seems to have been related to one or more core routers in Georgia having problems.  Much of the traffic for the southeast runs through that area, so the routing problems were far reaching.  We are pretty sure we were correct in our assessment of the short interruption around 8:15pm last night.  Everything has been stable since the routes were adjusted at that time.

If you have any questions, please call 256-547-6817, email support@internetpro.net, or chat using the window at the lower right of your screen.  Please be aware that if services are currently impacted, email and chat may will be affected.

May 13, 2020 – We’ve received reports of phishing emails reaching our customers.  We actually received a few ourselves.   These messages are attempting to get our customers to use their email username / password to “resolved issue on account”.    Persons who log in using the link on the email will have their email credentials stolen and then spammers will use the account to send spam messages.   Please delete these message immediately.  These messages say they are from “Internetpro” and they include a picture of one of our work vans, so they may fool some customers.

If you have already clicked the link and  have given the spammers your credentials, please contact us about changing your password(s).   You can also do this on our webmail at https://webmail.internetpro.net.   If you have used the same password for other accounts, please change those as well.

Here is an example of what the email looks like:

If you have any further questions about this issue, please contact us at support@internetpro.net, use the chat window at the lower right of your screen, or call us at 256-547-6817.

Monday April 13, 2020 7:00am – Happy Monday the 13th as it seems that Comcast is down for the entire Gadsden/Attalla area. The outage begain at approximately 12:35am. According to their automated systems, they hope to have the issues resolved by tomorrow at 8:00am!  We do hope that estimate is incorrect, and will do our best to find more updated information as quickly as we can.

Update  7:52am – Most of town has come back up.  Looks like it came back up at 7:47am and is remaining stable at this time.

If you have questions, please email support@internetpro.net, contact us via chat using the window at the lower right of your screen, or give us a call at 256-547-6817.

March 16,2020 – As the world braces for Covid-19, we here at Network Solutions, Inc. wanted to provide updates on our activities regarding the situation.  Many non-essential jobs and activities are shutting down, but those essential to public health, safety, and even small business who can’t afford to take off for weeks are still up and running.  We understand that those businesses rely on their computer systems for essential functions.   Therefore, we are continuing to work to keep everyone up and running!

Hackers taking advantage: We’ve seen reports of hackers using “news updates” about the virus to establish control of computers.  Similar to phishing attacks, they are sending out emails which seemingly have news articles or important information about the pandemic and the links and/or attachments in the emails contain malware allowing the hackers to gain control.  For more information, please see these articles for examples:
Hackers taking advantage of COVID-19 to spread malware
Malicious coronavirus map hides AZORult info-stealing malware

Some things that are changing: We are working with many companies to enable their staff to better function using VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) allowing people to access their work systems from home.  We also offer phone systems which allow work from anywhere.  We can get your service established very quickly and even utilize cell phones as extensions.  Let us know if this is something your company needs.  We feel that many people who make the transition to working from home may tend to remain there permanently, so this event may trigger a shift in the workforce.

The good news:  On a lighter note, “social separation” is a life goal for many computer people, so some of us welcome our new Covid-19 reality. 🙂   Gas prices are going down.  Traffic is improved.  The environment is getting better in hard hit areas.  China is already returning to normal.  I finally got a really good excuse to use that virus icon.  So, it is not all bad news.  Keep calm and hang in there.  We’ll be posting updates on this page as warranted.

Update: March 24 – As employees start to quarantine, either by choice or by law decree, they are having to have VPNs setup to be able to work from home.  We understand that this is very important, but our resources don’t increase with this kind of crisis.  If anything, they decrease because children are kept at home and families worry about exposure.  We are working through our service calls, but please understand, that these things can’t be done with instant gratification.  We must put you on the schedule and plan out the setup.  This may take a few days from the time you call in until your issue is resolved.

March 8, 2020 – We’ve done some updating of the email system.  Many of the updates are in the “back end”, but there are also some changes that you will see:

• Webmail interface updates
• New Landing Page (now login.php)
• New generation Tuxedo interface (Beta preview – shown as “New Tuxedo Preview” icon)
• Multi-group support for webmail address book contacts
• Tuxedo calendar invitation improved for greater compatibility with Outlook recipients

We’ll be cleaning up the colors and look over the next few days, but we wanted to go ahead and get the new features rolled out as soon as we could.  If you have any questions, please contact us via chat using the window in the lower right of your screen, or by email at support@internetpro.net.

February 7, 2020 – We’ve gotten reports that Sparklight (formerly CableOne) is almost completely down.  Apparently a drunk driver crashed into a pole very close to their head end and damaged/destroyed the fiber connection.  This happened at approximately 12:15am on 2/7/2020.  As of 7:00am, the pole has been replaced and Alabama Power has released the pole to Sparklight personnel for repairs.  There is currently no estimated time to repair (ETR).   We will continue to post updates here as we get them.

Update 8:15am – We have received reports of some customers of Sparklight coming back online, but have not gotten a confirmation of the repair status yet.

Update 12:00pm – Most of the customers we monitor seem to be up now.  We have a few outliers but think that they may just need to reboot equipment.

Update 1:15pm – We’ve been told that there are still a few customers who are out. However, there is still no estimated time to repair.

Update 3:00pm – The remaining customers are back online.  We believe all issues have been resolved.

If you have any questions/concerns please email us at support@internetpro.net or utilize the chat window at the lower right of this page.