I run a list that many ill and anxious people rely on for support, advice, and news. Distribution of this list, TRNSPLNT, has been blocked for 24 hours now. Delays of up to 5 days have not been uncommon over the last several years, and several day shut downs strike at least once a month. For some lists this isn't a problem, but you can imagine that this is an unworkable situation for some groups, like ours. This block comes at a particularly bad time since there were major changes made in organ allocation in the US just yesterday. This means that many of my subscribers now have good reason to fear for their lives. I'm telling you this to try to impress on you that days long shut downs can be a serious concern, and not just a matter of a few people moaning about an interruption in their favorite passtime, as has seemed to be the reaction to some of my previous queries. I have some questions about what a listowner can do to gather information about the source of the trouble when things like this occur. Even if it can't be fixed right away, some news and assurance that the problem is being fixed can be passed on to my subscribers. Is it possible to trace distribution, and what command should I send to find out if any particular node is not active? Is there a way of changing distribution, at least temporarily? For instance, can LISTSERV distribution by pass the LISTSERV node system entirely during unexpected shut downs? Do other LISTSERV lists experience problems like this on a regular basis? If so, is it realistic for a list such as ours to use LISTSERV? Should we be looking at some other system? This list is totally a volunteer and charitable effort, completely non-commericial. Washington University has been great in donating resources to what I feel is a very important and necessary community service. It does work most of the time. Thanks for any and all responses. We really can use some help here. Mike Holloway [log in to unmask]