2021-10-11T06:13:00Z

How has the Facebook outage (October 2021) happened? Could it have been prevented?

EB
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1 Answer

AC
Real User
2023-10-08T23:47:46Z
Oct 8, 2023

The Facebook outage on October 4, 2021, was reportedly caused by a configuration change to the backbone routers coordinating network traffic between Facebook's data centers. This change unintentionally disconnected all of Facebook's data centers from the internet, making these services unavailable to users worldwide for over six hours:




  • Facebook

  • Instagram

  • WhatsApp

  • Messenger



The outage could have been prevented if:




  • Facebook had more robust testing and auditing procedures in place for configuration changes.

  • Facebook used a phased rollout approach for configuration changes, which would have minimized the impact of any unforeseen problems.



Facebook has taken steps to address the issues that led to the outage, including improving its testing and auditing procedures for configuration changes. However, it is essential to note that every system is flawed, and there is always a risk of outages.

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What is a router? A router is a network device that communicates between the internet and the devices in your office or home which connect to the internet. A router controls all the information going to and from each device and the modem. The router also ensures that the information ends up in the right spot. A router connects to the modem and then to a device (be it a laptop, printer, smartphone or smart TV) either through an ethernet cable or a wireless signal (Wi-Fi). A router creates...
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