Firewall nightmare

[www.toao.net]

Ever since I've had my VPS, I haven't been able to use the GUI in Power Panel to manage the firewall. Nothing I do seems to have any effect. I had a ticket open since yesterday afternoon and was getting nowhere. I decided to try Live Chat. I chatted for over an hour with no resolution. The tech finally said that the issue was outside the scope of support.

I asked if he could create some rule using the GUI as a test so that we could be sure the GUI was working. He stated he blocked my IP address, but I was not blocked. He came back 25 minutes later and told me to try again. This time, I was blocked...and so was everyone else.

(3:40:11 PM) Larry Le: Everyone is blocked
(3:40:12 PM) Larry Le:
(3:40:17 PM) Larry Le: I blocked port 80
(3:40:19 PM) Larry Le: for everyone
(3:40:28 PM) Me: Heh, ok.
(3:40:37 PM) Me: So I disabled the rule...and I'm still blocked.

Now my sites have been down for over 45 minutes and the tech can't seem to get them back up. The server is up, but not responding to HTTP. He says:

(4:21:33 PM) Larry Le: I believe that once a rule is either enabled, or disabled in the firewall, that it takes some time before it to actually take affect like a propagation period. It took awhile before the rule worked after it was put into place. Now the rule is gone. What I'm trying to do is speed up the process for you.

I've never had a firewall that had a propagation period before. Is it really true that it should take >45 minutes to enable or disable a rule in the firewall?

What can I do to (a) get HTTP up as we're in the middle of a work day and (b) make the firewall GUI work?

[www.toao.net]

Larry has escalated the issue. I am waiting for an admin to reply to the ticket.

[GatorJacob]

Hi!

Can you let me know your ticket number? I'd like to look at this. There isn't any propagation for firewall rules, as they use iptables and changes are immediate.

Thanks!

[GatorJacob]

Hi!

I've replied to your ticket, I restarted your firewall and all is well now.

[www.toao.net]

Sites are back up. Thank you VERY much Jacob for fixing it. I will follow up with the ticket.