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There is a bit old question moved from Server Fault, with an answer commented unfavourable by moderators.

I'm not native English speaker and maybe I don't understand something sufficiently well...

As IMVHO this answer is perfectly valid* and don't seems to be edited, so when I saw this comments:

  • I have up-voted this answer.
  • I have written a comment** which I unfortunately started from (I hope) joke followed by (I hope quite well) confirmation of answer correctness.
  • There are comments*** following arguing about reasons of answer critique.

As I have learned this - ironically simple - solution really hard way and I kindly asking about explanation of this situation and a little clue about what can be done to solve this.

(*) If somebody is interested I will try confirm it meritoriously.

(**) I can't quote it because all my comments are deleted.

(***) That comments might be unnecessary but have been written only to show moderators**** possibility of this answer correctness.

(****) Yes I know that better not to mess with mods ;)


Update

The Issue

Form time to time Shrew Soft VPN Client stops connecting to VPNs reporting "session terminated by gateway" error.

Resolution

  • VPN reconnections don't change anything.
  • Client restarts don't change anything.
  • Virtual network adapter* disabling followed by enabling don't change anything.
  • OS restart works **.

(*) Shrew Soft VPN Client adding a virtual adapter to network adapters. All Windows VPN clients that I know messing up - sometimes badly - in network adapters area and Shrew Soft VPN Client behave quite well.

(**) I'm aware that system restart isn't elegant and true cause of this problem is still unknown but it's definitively a problem solution. Or it isn't?!?

Explanation

I'm long time Shrew Soft VPN Client user and just in the moment I have saw

Shrew Soft VPN - “session terminated by gateway”

question header, I have a hunch what will follows. As I have suspected I have saw The Issue. I also have saw - with a little regret - that jumar have responded already. Next I have noticed "moderation" comments and... enter image description here I hope that Journeyman Geek wont be mad that I have linked his screenshot

In my first comment I have trying:

  • Suggest that Brent Waggoner haven’t formally ask any question.
  • Suggest that answer is valid.
  • Confirm that issue is characteristic and repeatable.

Unfortunately its ends like its ends...

Claim

As I lost a lot of time because of this issue* I kindly asking for:

  • Reconsidering of occupied standpoints.
  • Eventual rehabilitation of jumar answer.

(*) To be perfectly clear here - by this issue I mean VPN client issue, not a SU issue.


Update #2

Final

So in disagreements between:

  • VPN client users, who dare to claim that reboot helps them.
  • People with moderation rights, who claim that reboot can't be a problem solution or an answer to a question.

without presence of:

  • VPN client users, who deny a claim that reboot helps.

Moderators wins. Congratulation guys and thank you for your help and time. Personally I regret a little that semantics win with information and I'm a little curios votes casting.


Update #3

Post-final

So guys really? Hunting begins?

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  • And it can't be an answer for anybody else?!? Really? Are you ever used Shrew Soft VPN Client?
    – g2mk
    Nov 22, 2015 at 0:37

3 Answers 3

5

So I was one one the people who commented. I will explain my reasons for the reason I voted to delete your answer.

I also use Shrew Soft VPN client on win 10 and get this error message randomly.

I read this sentence as an auditor and see somebody with a problem. I read this problem, and put myself in the position as somebody with the same problem, and I am left wondering the reason you are telling you get this error message. When I do have a problem, and a Superuser answer helps me, I just want the solution.

Usually rebooting my PC makes it disappear and let me connect correctly again...

I read this sentence as an auditor one half of a two sentence comment to an answer. I put myself back in that position, with the same problem as before, and I am wondering what about the times it does not work.

for some time... until it comes back :-( It seems to be a software issue in the Shrew client.

I don't see this statement as being helpful. So the problem is the client, so what is the solution to the problem, rebooting doesn't solve the problem since it comes back after awhile.

(**) I'm aware that system restart isn't elegant and true cause of this problem is still unknown but it's definitively a problem solution. Or it isn't?!?

If the true cause of the problem is not known then how can you submit the answer to the problem?

As I lost a lot of time because of this issue I kindly asking for:

Reconsidering of occupied standpoints. Eventual rehabilitation of jumar answer

What you submitted as an answer was a comment at best. You not being able to accept the quality of your answer, wasn't up to our standards, is your choice to make. The decision to delete our answer won't be reversed unless you provide significant details on a retail solution. Feel free to do that.

So in disagreements between:

VPN client users, who dare to claim that reboot helps them. People with moderation rights, who claim that reboot can't be a problem solution or an answer to a question. without presence of:

VPN client users, who deny a claim that reboot helps.

As been explained once before. Most of us who decided your answer was a comment, not an actual answer, are not moderators.

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  • I have updated my question and I hope I'm convince you to change your opinion about answer.
    – g2mk
    Nov 21, 2015 at 19:37
  • Your answer is still a comment. The proper action was taken. You attempt to answer an abandoned question with zero chance of the author coming to review it with what basically amount to a comment telling they should reboot their computer. Stop while your ahead the answer was deleted because what you submitted did not answer the question
    – Ramhound
    Nov 22, 2015 at 17:30
3

Most of the commentators arn't 'mods', they're doing this through the review queue.

enter image description here

So here's the process that happens. People post answers that may not attempt at resolving the question. Sometimes the users use the handy automated comment posting option to post a comment asking them to improve their answers.

Lets dissect this answer.

  1. Its a me too comment.
  2. Suggests a speculative solution.

The comments arn't perfect I suppose but close enough I guess (and this is why I prefer to write my own comments).

As for your comments, and why they were deleted

A good comment attempts to get further information to solve the problem, adds information that wouldn't quite deserve its own answer. Yours seem to be a misunderstanding of the comments and don't really add anything to the answer.

As you may have noticed, the answer is now deleted, which also happens.

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  • Unfortunately in this case answer really solve the problem.
    – g2mk
    Nov 21, 2015 at 19:32
  • @JakeGould Please tell me how a problem solution can't be an answer?
    – g2mk
    Nov 21, 2015 at 19:39
  • 1
    If it doesn't solve the problem then it isn't an answer the question
    – Ramhound
    Nov 22, 2015 at 17:31
1

Here is the deleted “answer” that was provided that you cannot see; screenshot as well below:

I also use Shrew Soft VPN client on win 10 and get this error message randomly. Usually rebooting my PC makes it disappear and let me connect correctly again... for some time... until it comes back :-( It seems to be a software issue in the Shrew client.

enter image description here

While rebooting your PC will clear up the issue, that itself is not an answer. Pretty much tons of issues on PCs can be solved by rebooting. So much so that is why this clip from the show “The I.T. Crowd” is so popular:

Hello, IT, have you tried turning it off and on again?

The reason that is a joke is because “rebooting” and “turning it off and on again” is a “fix” for many problems… But it also is not a “fix” at all.

In the case of client software like this, something else must be happening and a real fix is to find that issue and deal with it. If the only thing you can do is add a comment about rebooting, then leave that comment and don’t post it as an answer. Simple as that.

Also, not everyone here is a moderator. Many people you might consider to be a “mod” are just users who have voted to close or down vote a question/answer. While this answer was indeed closed by a moderator, chances are good someone who is not a mod will stubble across the answer, see it is not an answer, flag it for closing based on it not being an answer and if enough people vote on that and agree? The item is deleted.

You too could grow in rep here to earn such privileges so don’t think of this place as just some place where random mods go over content. That is not the purpose of this place. This is a community and you are a member of it and you should not worry about airing an opinion or acting on bad/good content.

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  • Sorry but I have written about deleted comments, answer wasn't deleted when I post this question and the issue is that valid answer is currently deleted, not the comments that I can't see.
    – g2mk
    Nov 21, 2015 at 19:22
  • Your answer isn't a proper answer if it wasn't it wouldn't have been deleted
    – Ramhound
    Nov 22, 2015 at 17:30

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