Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1999/06/24/lights_go_out_at_btinternet/

Lights go out at BTInternet as whole network crashes

Best course of action - go and put the kettle on

By Sean Fleming

Posted in On-Prem, 24th June 1999 13:55 GMT

BTInternet customers were left twiddling their thumbs this afternoon as one by one the ISPs servers all crashed. First the mail servers fell over, prompting a stream of calls to BTInternet’s technical support line. Soon after the news servers toppled and then the Web servers came tumbling after. One BTInternet customer told The Register that he called the helpline after experiencing problems downloading emails. He said that his call to the ISP’s support line was effectively abandoned, as half way through the call it became apparent that this was not a run-of-the-mill glitch. “Initially it was suggested that I change the settings on my email client to access a different mail server, or I was told I could wait an hour and see if things improve. The helpline analyst said he didn’t know what the problem was, he just knew there was a server down.” The picture soon worsened as the call progressed. “Then he said: Wait a minute, it’s all gone down. If I were you I’d log off, make myself some tea and watch TV for a while.” At press time, no one from BTInternet was available to comment, and the company’s servers will still missing, presumed dead. ®