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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Web host 123-reg deletes sites in clean-up error | Web host 123-reg deletes sites in clean-up error |
| (1 day later) | |
| Web hosting firm 123-reg has accidentally deleted an unspecified number of its customers' websites. | Web hosting firm 123-reg has accidentally deleted an unspecified number of its customers' websites. |
| The company, which hosts 1.7m sites in the UK, said an error made during maintenance "effectively deleted" what was on some of its servers. | The company, which hosts 1.7m sites in the UK, said an error made during maintenance "effectively deleted" what was on some of its servers. |
| "We can conclude that the issues faced have resulted in some data loss for some customers," the firm admitted. | "We can conclude that the issues faced have resulted in some data loss for some customers," the firm admitted. |
| It started a "recovery process", but advised customers with their own data backup to rebuild their own websites. | It started a "recovery process", but advised customers with their own data backup to rebuild their own websites. |
| The web host, which has 800,000 customers in the UK, would not say how many websites had been deleted but said it was a "small proportion". | The web host, which has 800,000 customers in the UK, would not say how many websites had been deleted but said it was a "small proportion". |
| What went wrong? | What went wrong? |
| Websites are hosted on computers called servers that can dish up pages to thousands or millions of people at the same time. | Websites are hosted on computers called servers that can dish up pages to thousands or millions of people at the same time. |
| Some people pay for a private server - a dedicated computer that hosts only their website - but this can be expensive. | Some people pay for a private server - a dedicated computer that hosts only their website - but this can be expensive. |
| A cheaper option is a virtual private server (VPS) - a machine that can host hundreds of websites, but mimics the functionality of a private server. | A cheaper option is a virtual private server (VPS) - a machine that can host hundreds of websites, but mimics the functionality of a private server. |
| The company said it was performing a "clean-up" operation on its VPS systems when a coding error in its software "effectively deleted" customer websites. | |
| Since the maintenance mistake was made on a virtual private server it was able to wipe out many websites in one go. | Since the maintenance mistake was made on a virtual private server it was able to wipe out many websites in one go. |
| 123-reg told the BBC it did not have a backup copy of all its customers' data, but was working with a data recovery specialist to "manage the process of restoration". | 123-reg told the BBC it did not have a backup copy of all its customers' data, but was working with a data recovery specialist to "manage the process of restoration". |
| "Our VPS product is an unmanaged service and we always recommend that customers implement backups to safeguard against unexpected issues," the company said. | "Our VPS product is an unmanaged service and we always recommend that customers implement backups to safeguard against unexpected issues," the company said. |
| "Customers who had purchased 123-reg backups can be online now." | "Customers who had purchased 123-reg backups can be online now." |
| "Many of our customers keep their own backups." | "Many of our customers keep their own backups." |
| The data loss has left the affected online businesses without a website to trade from and 123-reg has been flooded with messages on social media criticising its limited communication. | The data loss has left the affected online businesses without a website to trade from and 123-reg has been flooded with messages on social media criticising its limited communication. |
| One customer noted: "Fault still described as 'VPS connectivity issues' when in fact it seems they lost everything." | One customer noted: "Fault still described as 'VPS connectivity issues' when in fact it seems they lost everything." |
| "There must be some information available right? What exactly are they working on?" asked another. "We need details as we need to start planning on how to salvage anything." | "There must be some information available right? What exactly are they working on?" asked another. "We need details as we need to start planning on how to salvage anything." |
| "This will wreck my business and plenty of others," said another affected company. | "This will wreck my business and plenty of others," said another affected company. |
| In an email sent to customers on Sunday, 123-reg said it had "begun copying recovered VPS images to new hosts" and expected some websites to be restored overnight. | In an email sent to customers on Sunday, 123-reg said it had "begun copying recovered VPS images to new hosts" and expected some websites to be restored overnight. |
| It said it would audit all its automated scripts and prevent customer websites from being deleted without human approval in the future. | It said it would audit all its automated scripts and prevent customer websites from being deleted without human approval in the future. |
| "The fault was limited to 67 servers out of 115,000 across Europe," the company said. | "The fault was limited to 67 servers out of 115,000 across Europe," the company said. |
| "We are investigating the restoration of each VPS on a case-by-case basis and are working individually with customers to keep them informed of the website recovery process." | "We are investigating the restoration of each VPS on a case-by-case basis and are working individually with customers to keep them informed of the website recovery process." |