It looks like the NovaBBS Usenet server, specifically the Rocksolid
Light instance, is experiencing ongoing technical issues. The repeated
502 Bad Gateway (nginx) errors and "Connection to the Message Server
failed" messages suggest that the backend Usenet server is either down,
misconfigured, or overloaded.

Here’s what you can do to troubleshoot and possibly get it back in
order:
1. Check If the Server Is Actually Down

Try the following steps:

Ping the server: Open a terminal or command prompt and type:

ping www.novabbs.com

If there’s no response, the server itself might be offline.

Try accessing the server from a different network (e.g., mobile data
instead of Wi-Fi).

Use a web proxy or VPN to check if the issue is specific to your IP
address.

2. Check Server Logs (if you have access)

If you have any administrative access to the Usenet server, you should
check logs for:

nginx error logs: /var/log/nginx/error.log

Usenet server logs (depends on the software in use, e.g., INN or
Cyclone)

3. Possible Causes & Fixes
a) Server Overload (Denial of Service - DoS)

If Retro Guy mentioned a DoS attack, the server could be
rate-limiting or blacklisting IPs.

If too many users are trying to connect at once, it may crash the
Usenet process or exceed server limits.

Fix: Restart the Usenet service and check for any rate-limiting
settings (e.g., in iptables or fail2ban).

b) Usenet Daemon Failure

If the backend message server is failing, nginx will return 502
errors.

Fix: Restart the Usenet server software (e.g., INN, Cyclone, or
whatever NovaBBS uses).

c) DNS or Network Issues

If message fetching fails, check if the DNS settings for the Usenet
backend are correct.

Use nslookup or dig to test:

nslookup www.novabbs.com

If there’s no response, DNS might be misconfigured.

d) Authentication or Database Corruption

If messages are not being accepted, it’s possible that the Usenet
article database is corrupted or authentication is failing.

Fix: Check logs for database errors and try repairing the Usenet
spool.

4. Contact Retro Guy Again (Alternative Methods)

If the admin stopped responding, try:

Sending a direct email (if you have his contact).

Posting in a different group (if possible).

Checking if there’s a NovaBBS Discord, Telegram, or other support
channel.

5. Alternative: Switch to Another Usenet Server

If the Rocksolid Usenet server is permanently down or abandoned, you
might consider using another public or paid Usenet service. Some
alternatives:

Eternal September (free Usenet access) →
https://www.eternal-september.org/

AIOE (another free Usenet server) → https://www.aioe.org/

Paid services (Newshosting, Giganews, etc.)

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On Fri, 28 Mar 2025 00:55:57 +0000, darius wrote:

> It looks like the NovaBBS Usenet server, specifically the Rocksolid
> Light instance, is experiencing ongoing technical issues. The repeated
> 502 Bad Gateway (nginx) errors and "Connection to the Message Server
> failed" messages suggest that the backend Usenet server is either down,
> misconfigured, or overloaded.
>
> Here’s what you can do to troubleshoot and possibly get it back in
> order:
> 1. Check If the Server Is Actually Down

That's if sending the same message over and over again saying the same
thing over and over again doesn't work.
>
> Try the following steps:
>
> If you have any administrative access to the Usenet server, you should
> check logs for:
>
> nginx error logs: /var/log/nginx/error.log
>
> Usenet server logs (depends on the software in use, e.g., INN or
> Cyclone)

Why check INN or Cyclone logs (what's Cyclone?)? Rocksolid Light is not
dependent on INN or some other Usenet server to operate.
>
> 3. Possible Causes & Fixes a) Server Overload (Denial of Service - DoS)
>
> If Retro Guy mentioned a DoS attack, the server could be
> rate-limiting or blacklisting IPs.

As has already been mentioned elsewhere.

> If too many users are trying to connect at once, it may crash the
> Usenet process or exceed server limits.
>
> Fix: Restart the Usenet service and check for any rate-limiting
> settings (e.g., in iptables or fail2ban).

Oh look, lots! I wonder who put those jails there?
>
> b) Usenet Daemon Failure
>
> If the backend message server is failing, nginx will return 502
> errors.
>
> Fix: Restart the Usenet server software (e.g., INN, Cyclone, or
> whatever NovaBBS uses).

RocksolidLight uses, get this... RocksolidLight as a nntp backend.
>
> c) DNS or Network Issues
>
> If message fetching fails, check if the DNS settings for the Usenet
> backend are correct.
>
> Use nslookup or dig to test:
>
> nslookup www.novabbs.com
>
> If there’s no response, DNS might be misconfigured.
>
> d) Authentication or Database Corruption
>
> If messages are not being accepted, it’s possible that the Usenet
> article database is corrupted or authentication is failing.
>
> Fix: Check logs for database errors and try repairing the Usenet
> spool.

All standard troubleshooting without knowing anything about the software
in question.
>
> 4. Contact Retro Guy Again (Alternative Methods)
>
> If the admin stopped responding, try:
>
> Sending a direct email (if you have his contact).

Did you try you're suggestion above?
>
> Posting in a different group (if possible).
>
> Checking if there’s a NovaBBS Discord, Telegram, or other support
> channel.

Lol.
>
> 5. Alternative: Switch to Another Usenet Server

Good choice!
>
> If the Rocksolid Usenet server is permanently down or abandoned, you
> might consider using another public or paid Usenet service. Some
> alternatives:
>
> Eternal September (free Usenet access) →
> https://www.eternal-september.org/
Not a web interface, but you really shouldn't be using a web service for
Usenet anyway.
>
> AIOE (another free Usenet server) → https://www.aioe.org/
Not doing so well.
>
> Paid services (Newshosting, Giganews, etc.)
Not free.

How about https://newsgrouper.org/
You'd think someone would have mentioned that one before. Oh wait, I did.
The response was a big "thank you".

Error: The connection to the Message Server failed.

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Total messages: 2,770,184

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