and SSH (putty) starts, we get the prompt then just closes. We run portsentry so I was wondering whether when the machine fell over it decided to add us to the host.deny.
that sounds quite possible, from the symptoms, but it doesn't seem likely that you could trigger a ban just with a browser. it's also odd that you get an ssh login prompt, but that may be a quirk of your client.
i've locked myself out *twice*, which is just plain stupid.fortunately it's not hard to fix: all you need to do is arrive from a different IP address. easiest is another box on which you've got shell access, but if you don't have that then try dialling in by modem, using someone else's machine or any other way of changing your net connection that will give you a different IP address.
if it works then the first thing to do is remove your normal address from /etc/hosts.deny and add it to /usr/local/psionic/portsentry/portsentry.ignore
(or wherever that lives). hope it works. nasty predicament. good luck. will