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-- Finally, the ongoing server issues have been resolved.
Published: 2006-09-24T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

It has been almost an entire year since Coop7's main server started to have random/intermittent problems, usually manifesting as system freezes and lost services. The problem came to a head just a few weeks ago when new hardware arrived that was meant to fix the problem. Although the new hardware wasn't actually needed in the end, it helped to pinpoint the real underlying issue. After a lot of research and examination, the IDE subsystem was intially suspected as problematic but there was no firm evidence due to absence of log entries or any other signs. As I began to reconfigure the server with the new hardware, it became clear that there were bigger problems. To cut a long story short, the offending hardware turned out to be the power supply. I am still not sure whether the power supply was underpowered or if the power rails were faulty and shorting. After having literally purchased replacement parts for the entire server, it turned out to be the least expected component. The upside to all of this is that I am 100% confident that Coop7 now has a stable system and Coop7 now has an identical backup server.

-- Coop7 has tightened the noose a bit tighter on spam.
Published: 2006-06-03T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

As if spam wasn't annoying enough, senders of spam have increased output dramatically in recent months. The cause is most likely due to the increased pressure from lawmakers and anti-spam technologies. Further, if you take time to read some of the spam messages, you'll notice that the tactics used to sneak spam past the anti-spam technologies are also rendering the messages almost unreadable. Coop7 has recently added additional spam black lists which deny messages from known spam locations. These additions have increased the effective denial rate of bogus emails from the 50% range to close to 70% now which is a notable improvement. Yes, that is correct, 70% of all incoming and outgoing email on the Coop7 mail servers are denied delivery or blocked because of being flagged as spam. With all that, Coop7 has been extremely sensitive to legitimate email and has had no incidents of false positives.

-- Portfolio and About areas finally given content.
Published: 2006-02-19T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

Finally, after more than a few months, the Portfolio and About areas of the site have received content. Please feel free to check out the projects Coop7 has been involved with over the years by viewing the Portfolio area. And, find out more history on Coop7 and what it is all about by viewing the About area.

-- Webmail services upgraded.
Published: 2005-11-13T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

Webmail services have been upgraded over the weekend providing several enhancements. The webmail interface has a new look and previous bugs have been fixed. In addition, a new administration interface provides users and domain owners a way to add/edit/delete related email settings including changing passwords and domain administration.

-- FTP access has changed to provide better security.
Published: 2005-10-30T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

The method of accessing web folders via FTP has changed. Users can now access their web folders via the public_html folder within their home folder. Access is limited to the user's home folder for security purposes. Users with additional questions can contact the administrator directly.

-- Server OS updated.
Published: 2005-10-29T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

Bad sectors on the system hard drive forced a premature OS update. Areas of the hard drive suddenly became read-only because of errors detected in those areas. New high duty cycle drives replaced the old disk array. Service was not interrupted but certain data updates were not possible for several days.

-- Advisory: It is time for a new server OS update. Details are forthcoming.
Published: 2005-04-23T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

It is once again time to update the server OS which means a scheduled outage will occur within the next few months. Coop7 will notify it's customers of the exact details when they are available. The update, although disruptive, is a necessary step to protect and safeguard the data of Coop7's customers and maintain consistent up-time. Planned outages of this nature will never last more than 24 hours and are executed during non-peak weekend hours.

-- Brand spanking new site - redesigned and improved.
Published: 2005-04-10T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

Introducing the newly redesigned web site - rewritten, improved and snazzy. Although there are a few kinks to work out yet, coop7.com has been reworked to be completely standards-compliant and viewable from practically any browser around. There are a few new features to check out like the addition of the portfolio section showcasing Coop7's work-to-date, the online order form which streamlines the order process for wireless and hosting services and the login feature enabling members to take advantage of member services. More content is forthcoming in the portfolio, about, support and network sections. Take a few minutes and give Coop7 your feedback regarding the newest changes in the contact section.

-- Try out the new automated payment system.
Published: 2005-04-08T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

The payment system has been upgraded with a new automated payment system. As of the first of the year, Coop7 has introduced an automated payment system utilizing a credit card payment gateway. Customers can now avoid the hassle of mailing payments or otherwise dealing with the monthly bill. Coop7 advises all customers to take advantage of this process. For those who still are not comfortable with this idea, Coop7 still accepts cash or check. It is Coop7's hope that this new feature will streamline all of our lives just a bit.

-- Apology for major outages during the month of December.
Published: 2005-01-11T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

Coop7 profusely apologizes for the inaccessibility of it's services during the month of December. The upstream internet provider went out of business without warning and left Coop7 completely unconnected. Qwest is now Coop7's upstream provider and should be much more reliable. To add insult upon injury, Coop7's main server experienced a hard drive crash in the days following Christmas and required a complete reinstallation of the OS. All data has been recovered successfully from the backup sources and things are back to normal. Coop7 has implemented additional precautions to prevent this from happening again.

-- Coop7's server is back online.
Published: 2004-07-05T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

Coop7's server is again operational after a kernel update permanently downed the system. The latest Linux kernel was apparently not tested thoroughly enough and was released with major bugs. Coop7 was unfortunate enough to have the exact hardware configuration which proved to be incompatible with the newest kernel. Apologies to all customers!

-- DoS attacks *ALERT*.
Published: 2004-04-03T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

According to Qwest support representatives, there appears to be various DoS (Denial of Service) attacks occurring within the broadband network. Coop7 has been sporadically and anonymously targeted resulting in lost or diminished network service. These attacks affect both the wireless and hosting customers. If connection issues arise, please contact Coop7's support.

-- Wireless is enabled and better than before.
Published: 2004-03-23T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

The new antenna cable has been installed and the wireless network is ready to go - even better and stronger than before. Precipitation inside the antenna cable had started to corrode the conductors and wireless connections had become sporadic at best. The new cable has made it through the last rain without any leakage due to better waterproofing measures.

-- Coop7 is official.
Published: 2004-01-16T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

It's now official. Coop7 is a bonafide, registered business with the state of Utah and the city of Springville. The registration was held up by the need for the state to research the name 'Coop7' and to make sure that it was a unique business name. If you have ever wondered about the origin of the name 'Coop7,' ask me some time and I will tell you.

-- Winter is here with a vengeance.
Published: 2004-01-03T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

The long-awaited moisture that Utah has been asking for has arrived. Multiple heavy snow storms have blanketed the wasatch front with an ample residue. Forecasters suggest that Utah will probably break out of the drought that has plagued it for the last several years. The heavy snows have caused power outages and other inconveniences throughout northern Utah.

-- Heavy, wet snow disables Coop7's wireless antenna.
Published: 2003-12-29T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

Precipitation has crept into the antenna cable through the coupling on the roof, introducing water into the cable, reducing the wireless range to about half. A new cable has been ordered. All wireless connections have been disabled until the new cable arrives and measures are put in place to prevent this problem in the future.

-- A strong storm leaves damaged homes and sleepy people in it's wake.
Published: 2003-11-13T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

An uncommonly strong wind storm blew through Springville last night leaving damaged homes and a lot of weary people. The storm brought winds of up to 86 mph and lasted for several hours Wednesday night. Coop7's hardware infrastructure was not damaged.

-- The alpacasofutah.com domain has just been added to the Coop7 family and will be going live by the end of the year.
Published: 2003-11-06T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

We welcome the new addition of the alpacasofutah.com domain to the Coop7 hosting facilities. Dave Bennion is designing the new pages for alpacasofutah.com as a basic web presence.

-- Discovered myriad wireless networks during a benign wardrive around the neighborhood.
Published: 2003-10-19T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

Went driving because our 2 girls were having a hard time getting to sleep. A drive in the car usually puts them both to sleep pretty soundly. My wife drove as I held the laptop and analyzed the wireless access point signals with a free utility called "NetStumbler." I use NetStumbler to troubleshoot my own networks. There are quite a few wireless access points around Springville. I hope one day we can all get together and pool our collective resources together and create a true distributed internet.

-- Coop7 begins it's own web site design and development.
Published: 2003-10-18T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

Yes, it's true, Coop7 is finally starting to take time to develop it's own site. After almost 7 years of internet development as a webmaster and employed as a web specialist at a medium-sized corporation, I am resolved to actually create something for myself. The goal is simple, standards-compliant and stable.

-- The wireless hardware is installed and functioning.
Published: 2003-10-17T00:00:00Z
Author: Steve Hall

Coop7 is wired. The base wireless station, originating at the home office, is configured and employing a high-gain antenna which provides a signal bubble of approximately 5 houses in each direction. High-gain, directional antennas will give an acceptable signal quality within this range. Users residing outside of this bubble will gain access if a member within the bubble chooses to be a node (receiving free monthly access).