Dear HarmonySite administrator,
As you may know, the HarmonySite server is constantly battling hackers. Every day we automatically block/ban about 200 IP addresses (computers) from accessing our server, as they're engaging in hacking activity. Sometimes, the IP addresses we block are ones used by legitimate HarmonySite users. If that happens, the HarmonySite user can no longer access their HarmonySite. When they attempt to visit the site, the system will "think" for about 20 seconds before returning an error message saying the site can't be reached.
Up until now, if that happened, the user needed to contact their HarmonySite webmaster, who then contacted HarmonySite support and asked to have the user's IP address unblocked. We (HarmonySite) usually needed to explain to the webmaster how to obtain the user's IP address, so that it can be unblocked, and the webmaster then needed to ask the user to do that. Then the IP address was then passed back up the chain, so that we can manually unblock it. Time-consuming for everyone!
So we have a new "self-service" tool, whereby ANYONE (users and administrators alike) can unblock an IP address. You can find that tool here:
https://www.virtualcreations.com.au/unblockhs
(Virtual Creations is actually our company name, and HarmonySite is our product name. We can't put this unblocking tool on the HarmonySite server, because if your IP address is blocked on the HarmonySite server, you would then not be able to access the unblocking tool. So the unblocking tool is on a different server - the Virtual Creations server.)
So, if any of your users ever experience the above behaviour (visiting the site, the system thinks for 20 seconds before returning an error message saying the site can't be reached), they should immediately visit the above webpage, and follow the simple instructions therein. If they're experiencing some OTHER type of error visiting the HarmonySite, then this new tool will not be able to help them, and the webmaster should contact support@harmonysite.com as usual.
Note also that it's completely unnecessary to "unblock" an IP address if the person with that IP address can access their HarmonySite no problem. So don't bother doing this unless there's actually an issue.
In harmony,
Mark Virtue
HarmonySite
Australia
+61 2 8005 4277 (Australian number)
In North America, call: 1-415-651-7009 (San Francisco number)
Skype name: mvirtue
