Curious message after login about administrator

[nomadreid]

I attempted to enter a website and work in it which I had successfully done before, with my correct login name and password giving me the rights to work in the website (without limit on the number of times I entered. Oh, and the website is legit: it is a government website, not a pirate.) But recently I entered into the website, and got the message "Target URL not found after successful login. Please contact your administrator." on the first page of the website, not allowing me to go to the second level. This is on a home PC, so I am the administrator. I went personally to the corresponding government office to ask about it, and they did not have a clue what it means. Is this message coming from my computer (that would be odd, as it appears as part of the page ) or from the website itself? In either case, what can I do about it?

 

[.Scott]

The first thing that comes to mind is that you IP address changed in the midst of logging on.
I've notices a surge of that recently - both at home and at work.

 

[Borg]

When this happens to me, it's usually due to a new or moved server that didn't get updated on the proxy server.

 

[nomadreid]

Thanks, Borg. It is possible... if this is indeed the case, I gather that I myself can't really do anything until the proxy server gets its act together, right? (It is possible that this is the doing of the other side, since about now is the time that the website is supposed to be updated with this year's forms -- despite them professing ignorance, which is likely to be the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing -- after all, it's a government bureaucracy . ) So your answer gives me hope (since I am not the only person needing this website.) Does this interpretation make sense?

 

[nomadreid]

The first thing that comes to mind is that you IP address changed in the midst of logging on.
I've notices a surge of that recently - both at home and at work.

Thanks, Scott. I guess this is also possible, -- IP addresses change now and then, as far as I understand, although it is the same computer. Does a website always need the same steady IP address for each login? That would not make sense on a normal website, given the number of times I switch computers to login to other sites without a problem. But you are saying that the switch could have happened in the middle of the login -- however, I tried this three times, getting the same result, and it is unlikely that the IP address would have switched in the middle of each attempt.
If your guess is correct, however, is there anything I can do besides keep trying? (I also changed my password before one of those attempts, in case that would have helped. It didn't.)

 

[Borg]

Thanks, Borg. It is possible... if this is indeed the case, I gather that I myself can't really do anything until the proxy server gets its act together, right? (It is possible that this is the doing of the other side, since about now is the time that the website is supposed to be updated with this year's forms -- despite them professing ignorance, which is likely to be the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing -- after all, it's a government bureaucracy . ) So your answer gives me hope (since I am not the only person needing this website.) Does this interpretation make sense?

You could ask them if they've been moving servers around but, if they don't know, there isn't much you could do in this case. Keep in mind that the help desk is usually in their own mindset. They might interpret your question very differently than what you mean and reply back in kind. I've had some pretty long conversations about server issues that took forever for the helpdesk to understand exactly what I was explaining to them. Then it's 50/50 as to whether they could help after that.

Proxy errors usually show up as intermittent bugs because it only happens when the proxy tries to send you to a server IP that doesn't exist. I would try logging in multiple times in the hope of the proxy sending your request to a server that actually exists. Of course, the risk is potentially getting your account locked for multiple login failures. In any case, if it is a proxy misconfiguration, someone who knows what's going on should notice it eventually.

 

[QuantumQuest]

attempted to enter a website and work in it which I had successfully done before, with my correct login name and password giving me the rights to work in the website (without limit on the number of times I entered. Oh, and the website is legit: it is a government website, not a pirate.) But recently I entered into the website, and got the message "Target URL not found after successful login. Please contact your administrator." on the first page of the website, not allowing me to go to the second level. This is on a home PC, so I am the administrator. I went personally to the corresponding government office to ask about it, and they did not have a clue what it means. Is this message coming from my computer (that would be odd, as it appears as part of the page ) or from the website itself? In either case, what can I do about it?

It is an issue of the website. Usually, the server you log in is some kind of authentication server or anyway some authentication software running on some server. This is usually connected to some load balancer in order to manage the distribution of resources effectively i.e. other servers in any place holding relevant resources. If, for any reason, you don't get the relevant cookie, you may get the message you say. Now, if this happens randomly, a page refresh may solve the problem. In case that the issue is persistent - as is the case as I see it from OP, it may be that some resources don't get mapped correctly or in the same way as before so I think that it is what Borg says.

 

[nomadreid]

Thanks, Borg and QuantumQuest. After the promised upgrade of the website next week (I currently live in an area where the government and schools are currently having a week-long holiday, which translates to nothing getting done until after this holiday), I shall try the page refresh and multiple login suggested, and hope that enough other people using this website (and have a better grasp of the local bureaucracy and local language than I do) have the same problem -- not because of Schadenfreude, but so that they will complain and find someone in this particular government bureau who knows what is going on and can fix it (not an easy task, since this government bureau doesn't pay too well so that the good programmers tend to go elsewhere for employment).