Error 503

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Is anybody else getting a "Error 503 Service Unavailable" message? I haven't really tracked it but it seems to happen around this time (1 AM CDT) when it does happen. As far as I can tell it goes away fairly quickly

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Same here

Around 06:00 BST. My guess is that the DB is taken offline to do a backup.
From memory HTTP Error 503 means application error.

Have had it happen a few

Have had it happen a few times the last few days but always clears up after refreshing the webpage... it's annoying but not as bad as the annoying refusals that plagued us during the winter.

I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime

According to: pcsupport.about.com

Patricia Marie Allen's picture

The 503 Service Unavailable error is an HTTP status code that means the web site's server is simply not available right now.

Hugs
Patricia

Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt

Not quite

A 404 means that you can't get an HTTP response from the server. The Web page that you want to access does not exist. This is the most common 400 series error that you see.
A 500 series error means that you got to the web page but sometihng went wrong in the execution of the code in the HTML document. In my experience a 503 means that the HTTP Server did not get a response or a correct response from something that the code in the web page calls. This is ususlly a Database.
I can get the same response from my blog by shutting down the mySql server that the blog uses.

Samantha

Usual reason for a 503 on BC

erin's picture

We are actually running two front ends for BC to increase throughput. This means that we need to re-sync the four servers (two front, one back, one caching) now and then. If you are loading a page when the re-sync starts, you may get switched from one server to the other one in mid-page. This will often cause a 503. If you are uploading to the site, a failsafe is supposed to delay the re-sync until you are finished in order to avoid corrupting the database. So far, the worst corruptions we have seen are partial "ghost" entries from an interrupted upload but those happened occasionally even before the switch to two front ends since there are lots of situations that can cause such a glitch.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

This could be any number of things

Teresa L.'s picture

In host facilities (basically a big server "farm") there is maintenance they perform, as well as the server itself. it could be backups on the server side, a reboot (most windows based systems need them to keep "fresh" (not sure what this server is running), it could be updates that require a reboot, it could the ip router "refreshing" (in some places that have a group of ip's but change daily, so while the site doesnt lose connectivity normally, while it is being "reassigned" it is not available for a short period), and so on. in most cases its a short period that is not noticeable, as they try to do it at the slowest use period for in their activity cycle (not necessarily YOURS but the activity on the network at the facility) so there is the least amount of disruption as possible.

Teresa L.