The "Maintenance Mode" features allow a board administrator to entirely shut down most operations of a discussion board while maintenance is being performed (e.g., reindexing the board, moving the board from one server to another, testing templates, etc.). This keeps reading enabled but is a convenient way to disable all posting without changing individual topic settings.

To enable or disable Maintenance Mode, log into administration as the board administrator (typically "admin") and go to the Options Manager. Check (to enable) or uncheck (to disable) the box next to "Maintenance Mode." Then scroll to the bottom of the screen to save your options.

Regardless of your version of Discus, the Maintenance Mode option will appear in the first option box that you see when you go to Options Manager. Consult the administration instructions for Options Manager for details on Maintenance Mode.