Mobipocket Issues affecting our customers - NOW RESOLVED

[KurtJohnson]

ALERT: Amazon eBook Servers Down affecting our Mobipocket PX format downloads

Amazon's Mobipocket Server(s) (our Mobipocket PX source) are not working today, Saturday, October 25, 2008. This means that customers of Mobipocket eBooks sourced through Amazon (Mobipocket PX) will be unable to download their eBooks.

There was no advanced notice of this downtime and we do not know how long it will last. It may be a few more hours or it may be weeks as was the case last September. We recommend that customers of BooksOnBoard who require Mobipocket format choose the Mobipocket OD source, a reliable with whom we and our customers have experienced no unplanned downtime.

We apologize for the inconvenience. We have tried unsuccessfully to reach Amazon and Mobipocket today so we and our customers remain in the dark. We hope this is only a brief hiccup in supply from our Seattle partner (Amazon), and not a very prolonged one as we and Mobipocket PX customers experienced one year ago. (4:10 CDT, October 25, 2008).

We will update this post when we learn more -hopefully bringing news that the servers are back up. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by thus. Our other BooksOnBoard formats continue to function normally. This problem has backed up our support lines and response may be delayed.

Thank you for your patience:

Kurt Johnson
BooksOnBoard

[bbusybookworm]

Thanks for posting this information.

I've been trying to access Mobipocket's Site today and was wondering whether the problem was on my end.

However problems like this do raise my concerns on standising on Mobipocket as my eBook standard, at least for purchasing.

eReader is looking much more inviting, as at least it doesn't require you to connect to a server to authorise / Enter PID.

Thoughts People?

[pdurrant]

If you're going to leave the DRM on, eReader is probably the better choice.

Originally Posted by bbusybookworm

Thanks for posting this information.

I've been trying to access Mobipocket's Site today and was wondering whether the problem was on my end.

However problems like this do raise my concerns on standising on Mobipocket as my eBook standard, at least for purchasing.

eReader is looking much more inviting, as at least it doesn't require you to connect to a server to authorise / Enter PID.

Thoughts People?

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by bbusybookworm

However problems like this do raise my concerns on standising on Mobipocket as my eBook standard, at least for purchasing.

eReader is looking much more inviting, as at least it doesn't require you to connect to a server to authorise / Enter PID.

Whether mobi or ereader if the encryption server goes down you won't be able to d/l ebooks files. However, any ebooks that you have already downloaded will work perfectly fine with both mobi and ereader.

There is no need to connect to a moib server to authorise anything.

BOb

[JSWolf]

Unless you have the type of Mobipocket eBook that requires a login before you can get it to work. This is just a guess. Library eBooks seem to be working though. Library Mobipocket files are using Overdrive (OD).

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Unless you have the type of Mobipocket eBook that requires a login before you can get it to work.

What type is that? I've never heard of that.

BOb

[Dave Berk]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

What type is that? I've never heard of that.

BOb

Yep. I know there are two types of mobi files : PX and OD. What's the difference between them??

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Dave Berk

Yep. I know there are two types of mobi files : PX and OD. What's the difference between them??

They are just the servers that provide the encryption. PX is the Mobipocket's server and OD is the Overdrive (a company separate from mobipocket used by many online libraries) servers.

BOb

[Dave Berk]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

They are just the servers that provide the encryption. PX is the Mobipocket's server and OD is the Overdrive (a company separate from mobipocket used by many online libraries) servers.

BOb

Oh. I didn't know this. Why BoB keeps different PID list for each?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Dave Berk

Oh. I didn't know this. Why BoB keeps different PID list for each?

They don't. It's just the servers these books are using to encode the PID into he Mobipocket file.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Whether mobi or ereader if the encryption server goes down you won't be able to d/l ebooks files. However, any ebooks that you have already downloaded will work perfectly fine with both mobi and ereader.

There is no need to connect to a moib server to authorise anything.

BOb

No mobi server means no new devices.

Scenario: books are backed up and moved to a new device. You no longer have any previously authorized devices. If the servers are down you can't authorize a new device for your existing and already downloaded files. With ereader as long as you keep a record of the original CC number and name you can still read them on any device.

Having the mobi encryption servers go down can lock you out of files you have already downloaded if you need a new device. With ereader you can still read those files.

[elsussman]

Originally Posted by bbusybookworm

Thanks for posting this information.

I've been trying to access Mobipocket's Site today and was wondering whether the problem was on my end.

However problems like this do raise my concerns on standising on Mobipocket as my eBook standard, at least for purchasing.

eReader is looking much more inviting, as at least it doesn't require you to connect to a server to authorise / Enter PID.

Thoughts People?

there is a website that can check whether it is the website that is down or just you

the url is


http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/

also I just found a website that supposedly will monitor a website that is down and then will email you when it is back up... haven't tried it yet we will see if it works with the current mobipocket down time

the url for that one is

http://l8tr.org/

Elihu

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

No mobi server means no new devices.

I see what you are saying. Would be quite a coincidence if you just happen to want to add a new device to your account when the server was down.

BOb

[JSWolf]

Easiest solution is to just remove the DRM and be done with the problem.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I see what you are saying. Would be quite a coincidence if you just happen to want to add a new device to your account when the server was down.

BOb

It's not about coincidence. The issue comes from the fact that many companies which have used server-based DRM authentication systems have later found that their business needs required that they take those servers down permanently.

Should that happen with mobi, everyone is hooped for new devices.

With ereader DRM they aren't.