Folks,

Everytime that Gerry goes "tango uniform" there is a host of messages
posted to Gerry asking if the list is down.  If the listserv *is* down,
these messages just get queued until the listserv is up. Hence, the
posters are no wiser than if they had posted nothing at all.

There are two foolproof methods to determine if Gerry (the listserv) is
healthy and responding.  Neither of these involve posting "Is the list
down or is it just me?" to the list.

The first is amazingly simple.  Just send a message to:
<mailto:listserv@gerry.vanagon.com> with the words "thank you" in the
body.  If the listserv is up and functional, you will get a response
within a minute or two saying "you're welcome".  If you receive the
message, the list is up. If you do not receive the message, the list is
down. Simple! Try it now!

The second method requires devulging a bit of info about yourself.
Since the Vanagon list is such a valued resource, and it has
occasionally been known to take a vacation, a "spare" list has been set
up to get us through those times.  The "spare" list is also where you
*will* receive confirmation that there is, in fact, a problem with the
main list.

This "spare" list is hosted on Yahoogroups.  To subscribe, just send a
message to <mailto:vanagon-subscribe@yahoogroups.com> and then follow
the directions that will be mailed to you.  This will assure that you
are kept abreast of Gerry's status and if and when the primary list will
be back up. It will also allow you access to a 'back-up' forum for those
times when it takes longer that a few hours to repair the main list.

Remember, sending posts to the server while it is down will garner you
no information about what is *really* going on.  The above two methods
will get you the straight scoop within the hour. (and usually within seconds.)

Jim Arnott
List Admin
Spare Vanagon.