The Blogger / Google CDN, And Logout Problems

Recently, we've been seeing queries from some anxious blog owners

Why should I have to sign out a total of three, four, or more times?

With blogs that use a template that shows the navbar, the owner may logout, using the "Sign out" link - but the navbar may continue to suggest that they remain loggedin.

This problem may start with how we connect to Blogger, as part of the mysterious Internet cloud.

Blogger provides multiple connection points ("nodes") to their databases, through the Blogger / Google Content Distribution Network ("CDN"), in many different cities worldwide.

Generally, a blog owner will connect to Blogger, using the closest CDN node. Thanks to Internet Protocol networking with Multipath Routing, the "closest" node won't always be the node with the shortest distance, "as the crow flies", from the owner.

Determining logical distance between 2 computers involves more detail than simple geographical distance. Some blog owners will be equally "close" to multiple nodes - and this is where the problem starts.

All Blogger databases, in all CDN nodes, won't update immediately.

If a blog owner logs out from Blogger, when connected to one node, the Blogger database in other nodes won't always be updated immediately, to reflect the log out status. The CDN nodes update each other periodically - and there is always going to be some delay between updates.

The logical distance between a blog owner and a nearby node can change - and a different node may become "closer", at any time. With multiple nodes equally "close", the slightest change in the network between the blog owner and any "close" nodes can make the blog owner connect to a different node. The blog owner can fluctuate between 2, 3, or more "close" nodes, within seconds.

If the blog owner logs out while connected to one node, then re connects to a second node - before the first node updates with the second - the owner will appear to be still logged in.

Different CDN nodes may show a blog owner as logged in, until updated.

In some cases, the owner can continue to appear as "logged in", when connected to a different node. After logout (log out, signout, sign out) using the "Sign out" link, and the display refreshes, the navbar status will continue to display the account name and "Sign out" link.

Some blog owners will be equally "close" to multiple nodes. They may go through 2, 3, or more sign outs - until all nearby nodes are properly updated, or updated by repeated "Sign out".

Long ago, update delay led to a different mysterious problem.

Long ago, blog owners reported the mysterious advice

You have logged out from another location. Do you want to log in again?

Now, they continue to see the navbar "Sign out" link.

This monolithic error used to make many scream, in anguish.


Previous advice, to workaround the mysterious "You have logged out from another location. Do you want to log in again?", may work for the logout problem.

1. Check cookie and script filters.
2. Clear cache, cookies, and sessions (yes, all 3).
3. Restart the browser.
4. Click on the link below, to login to Blogger.
   

   https://www.blogger.com

A similar example of CDN node update delay involves post editor / template editor.

I see this problem currently, when updating posts. I update my posts, frequently - and see this error message, almost daily.

An error occurred while trying to save or publish your post. Please try again.

Post Editor, showing another monolithic error, after clicking "Update" - just as I updated this post.


There's nothing to do now, but hope for the best. The above procedure may or may not fix this problem.

Template editor will be subject to the same frustration. Any Blogger dashboard change that involves significant delay between opening and saving changes (such as editing) will have a similar problem potential. And here may be one more detail that affects stability of long term draft mode post editor sessions.

If you connect to multiple CDN nodes, while you update a post or edit a template, you end up with "conflicting edits". How should we expect the different database nodes to update each other, consistently, with different edits made to the different nodes?

Some blog owners connect through nodes in different countries.

With "nearby" nodes in different countries, it's possible that country local domains, affected by intrusive cookie or script filters, can complicate this problem. A cookie or script filter can prevent the "Sign out", until the blog owner is connected to a node in a different country.

A cookie or script filter can be a part of many network, performance, or security accessories, on the computer or network. Some filters are updated without knowledge of the blog or computer owner.

Network connections may change in milliseconds.

Multipath routing can cause network connection changes within milliseconds. CDN node updates won't be that frequent. Impatient blog owners may observe the lack of update from "Sign out", and report the problem.

Why would I have to sign out a total of three or more times?

No matter where Google locates their many nodes, some blog owners will be equally "close" to multiple nodes - and their connections can change frequently. The more equally "close" nodes, the more random path changes, and the more this problem will be seen, by different blog owners. Other blog owners won't care, because they may never see this happen.

The new "Responsive" templates may serve as a solution.

The new, "Responsive" class templates lack the navbar, and "Sign out". Blog owners, who publish their blogs to the new templates, won't use the "Sign out" link in the navbar - and they will not observe the delay in CDN node updates.

---

Some blog owners report that after logging out from #Blogger, the navbar continues to show that they remain logged in.

Thanks to the Blogger / Google Content Distribution Network, where an owner can connect to any of many different nearby CDN Nodes, this will probably always be with us.

What Is "403 Forbidden"?

In terms of Blogger problems, which occur seemingly randomly and have no obvious user solution, I can't think of too many that bring more dread into peoples hearts than

403 Forbidden

That message is actually where I started this blog - many, many years ago. It's come up, in discussion, several times.

The message "403 Forbidden" is literally a response by a computer somewhere, saying that you are not permitted to access this computer. For Blogger / Google customers, it generally has a slightly different origin.

The "403 Forbidden" message, for Blogger blog owners, is frequently the result of a networking technique, used by Google and owners of other large networks, for blocking suspicious network traffic.

"403 Forbidden" refers to suspicious network traffic, maybe from a bot cluster.

It generally means that some group of computers, in your ISPs address space, are controlled by somebody besides their legal owners - and are generating excessive network traffic which the Google networks are detecting as suspicious. The "suspicious activity" may involve brute force password guessing, or botnet driven new blog setup activity, or maybe excessive relaying of referer spam.

Some other Blogger account owner(s), somewhere else in the world, may be seeing a "Disabled account" notice, referring to "suspicious activity on your account", or maybe odd links to pornographic websites, from the Stats logs.

Google initially blocks the general address space, to examine the problem.

In order to continue service to the world in general, Google will block the problem computers, from access to their networks. If the Internet address used by your computer is similar to the addresses used by the problem computers, Google will block your computer, along with the other computers (your neighbours computers).

You may have to wait this problem out, as Google researches it.

If this happens to you, there's probably nothing that you can do but wait this out. One or more things will happen, eventually.

1. Other Google users will report the symptom - or validate their identity - and Google will research the problem.
2. Google will research the problem, reduce the range of addresses blocked, and remove the block on your specific address space.
3. The computers involved will go offline, or otherwise cease their attacks, and Google will remove the network block.

If you know how to, and if your Internet service allows you to do this, you may be able to change your Internet address. This solution won't be universally effective, though.

• Your Internet service ("Fixed IP") may not allow this.
• You may not know how to do this.
• Your Internet service may detect this change, by you, as suspicious activity.
• Your new address may also be blocked by Google, because of activity by another set of problem computers.
• Your new address may be blocked by another Internet service, and you'll have to start over with them.

So right now, I'll not go into the details of changing your address - though you may try doing this, if you wish. It's your computer, after all.

I Can't See My Blog - What Should I Do?

This is a very difficult question to answer, because of its almost infinite complexity.

• There are several different causes.
• There are more symptoms than the number of causes.
• There are still more ways that bloggers might report the symptoms that they see.
• The reports, and the symptoms, will vary in both accuracy, detail, and relevance.
• Different problems can be fixed only by people with different roles, relevant to the blog.
  • Some problems can be fixed only by the blogger (blog owner).
  • Others can be fixed by the owners of the client computers or their network service providers.
  • Still others can only be fixed by Blogger Support or third party server owners.
• The epidemiology of the problems will produce different observations.
  • A few problems are occasionally observed by Blogger / Google staff.
  • Some problems will be observed by the blogger.
  • Others may be observed by the bloggers friends / blog readers.
  • A very few problems will be observed by everybody.

The term "blogger" can itself cause confusion - some bloggers might be the owners of the blogs, and others might be the viewers - and this, too, needs to be clarified.

And let's also note the difference between "Blogger" and "BlogSpot".

• The former is where you maintain your Blogger blog.
• The latter is the native domain where you, by default, publish your Blogger blog.
• If you're not publishing externally - either to a custom domain (on a Google server) or by FTP (to a third party server of your choice) - you'll be publishing to BlogSpot.
• Many times, your specific problem might affect your access to one domain, but not the other.

I'm going to describe the complexity of this problem, enumerating by problem cause, to start.

1. Blocked By ISP
2. Blocked By Network, or Local, Problem
3. Custom Domain Problem
4. Corrupted Content
5. Deleted Blog
6. Hijacked Blog
7. Login Problem
8. Lost Position In Search Engine Result Pages
9. Temporary / Transient Problems
10. Last Resorts

Blocked By ISP

Some ISPs, possibly motivated by political pressure, are blocking blog traffic, from time to time. You may see a variant of the well known

404 Server Not Found

or just as likely, a completely white screen, with no error.

You can frequently get around this problem, by using a proxy server. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that other readers of the blog will know to do that. If your blog has significant reader population in the geographic regions affected, you're going to lose readership.

http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help/web/use-a-proxy-server

This problem can only be fixed (worked around) by the blog readers, or the owners of the networks used by the blog readers.


Blocked By Network, or Local, Setting or Security Problem

There are settings and programs on your computer, and on your network, that will affect your ability (or your readers abilities) to access your blog, and other blogs. Any of these individual items, or combinations of these items, can be relevant.

* The DNS setting
http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help/web/how-to-identify-a-dns-problem-on-your-computer
* The MTU setting
http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help/web/how-to-check-the-mtu-setting-on-your-computer
* Local network or security problems
http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2006/12/securing-your-browser-and-painting.html

Any of the above can cause the white screen as well. Both DNS and MTU are settings on your computer, or on your network. If there is a problem, the problem starts at the blogger computer, or with the Internet Service Provider. As in the above scenario, you may be able to use a proxy server.

http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help/web/use-a-proxy-server


Sometimes, Blogger Support will take responsibility for resolving the problem, but individual bloggers have to let them know that there is a problem. If you are having a problem, and you don't report it, then it's partially your fault if the problem isn't fixed.


This problem can likely be fixed by the blog readers, or the owners of the networks used by the blog readers, although occasionally Blogger Support will become involved to advise the network owners.


Custom Domain Problem

Setting up a blog, published to a Google Custom Domain, demands precise attention to detail and procedure. Sometimes, corruption in the Google server database will result in a well known error (which comes in several interesting flavours).

404 Not Found

This problem you won't get around by using a proxy server, or by making any local or ISP changes. You (the blog owner), or Blogger Support, will have to fix the problem. Frequently, this will involve multiple procedures.

* Post a question here.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/ask?hl=en
* Republishing the blog back to BlogSpot, then repeating back to the custom domain.
http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2007/11/custom-domain-publishing-and-404-error.html
* Recycling the domain settings using Google Apps.
http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2007/06/another-blog-is-already-hosted-at-this.html


Corrupted Content

Part of the blog is gone. Maybe the header is there, but no post. Or the posts are there, but the sidebar is blank. Oh no! What do I do now? Well, in this scenario, you may be looking at another case of the old dropped post / sidebar. If it's not a simple case of the posts or the sidebar having dropped down the page, you may have a corrupt template, and reloading the template may resolve the problem.

Here, too, you may see the well known error

404 Not Found

This problem must be fixed by the blog owner. Nobody else - neither Blogger Support, nor the blog readers - can fix corrupted content.


Deleted Blog

You made a mistake, and deleted your own blog, or maybe you or another administrator removed you from the permissions list. DOHH. Mistakes happen. Or the blog may have been removed by Blogger - for just cause - whether falsely or genuinely. Or, did you delete the blog intentionally, without considering the possible consequences?


Hijacked Blog

The bad guys may have hijacked another blog. What you're looking at may or may not contain your content. You may or may not be able to access the dashboard, or the post editor, to correct the problem.


Login Problem

You're logged in with the wrong account, or not properly logged in. Or maybe you tried to change the account name, and simply setup a new account without realising it. Check and make sure that you don't have another account, that the blog is registered to. Find out what Blogger accounts are associated with your email address.

* Blogger Help: My blog disappeared from my account! What do I do?.
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=41973
* Blogger Help: I can't log in. What should I do?.
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=41971
* Blogger Help Group: Welcome to Login Issues!.
http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help-loginissues/tree/browse_frm/thread/b188e22f091f0c62/18df9b57c7ccab41?rnum=1&_done=%2Fgroup%2Fblogger-help-loginissues%2Fbrowse_frm%2Fthread%2Fb188e22f091f0c62%2F%3F#doc_18df9b57c7ccab41
* Google Accounts: Google Accounts Help
https://www.google.com/support/accounts/
* The Real Blogger Status: Schizophrenia When Logging In To Blogger
http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2007/02/schizophrenia-when-logging-in-to.html

If you're certain that you made the right choice, but you got the wrong results, clear cache and cookies, and try again.

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2006/08/bypass-or-clear-your-local-cache.html


Remember that part of the Blogger security strategy involves keeping the identity of the owner, of any blog, confidential. You don't want Blogger telling anybody who you are, so don't expect to email Blogger

I forgot the account (I changed my email address). What's my account?

and get a useful reply. You will have to do some work, and authenticate yourself, somehow.

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2006/12/your-blog-is-forever.html


Lost Position In Search Engine Result Pages

There are many reasons why you won't be able to find your blog listed, in Google Search. Some start with your needing to publicise the blog properly.

http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help/web/how-to-get-traffic-and-repeated-readers-for-your-blog

But even when you do spend days publicising your blog, maybe somebody else spent more days, and his blog replaced yours in your desired search list position. Now, you're just going to have to work harder.

http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help/web/blogging-is-all-about-patience


Temporary / Transient Problems

Right now, bloggers are reporting problems with their blogs, with the well known

Operation Aborted

Blogger Support has to fix the problems causing this symptom. While we await action by Blogger Support, we may have to help ourselves, using various workarounds.

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2009/05/internet-explorer-and-operation-aborted.html

Other problems, too many (and too transient) to explicitly enumerate here, will come up from time to time.

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/search/label/Current%20Problems?max-results=100


Last Resorts

If none of the above problem descriptions helps you decide how to attack your problem, and the blog really isn't accessible, act immediately.

* Put a stub blog in place, if you can do so.
http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2006/06/stub-post.html
* Report the problem.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/ask?hl=en
* And join the crowd, at Google Blogger Help.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger?hl=en

403 Forbidden Woes Continue

During the weekend of May 10 - 11, 2008, many Blogger readers were having trouble viewing our blogs. Instead of seeing The Real Blogger Status (and various other blogs of greater and lesser importance), some unhappy folks were seeing a well known problem

403 Forbidden.

Pete Hopkins, the Google Man In The Know, described the cause of the problem - the side effect of a massive Denial Of Service attack against Google, as

Blogger is currently experiencing a high level of automated requests. In order to keep Blogger running smoothly for as many people as possible, we are blocking some IPs.

and continued with

Just because your IP is blocked does not mean that you or your network is making automated requests, you've just gotten caught up in the block.

We are working to remove the incorrect blocks as soon as possible.

Yet as of this evening, it appears that not everybody is back to normal.

It's possible that you, or your readers, who are affected by this problem will be able to get around it by using a proxy server. Though you won't be reading this, if you're affected by the problem. Sorry.

For additional insight into this problem, see Robertos Report: The 403 Block.

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