A bans.json entry without a cause gets the cause admin, written back so.
Bans whose cause is admin are never dropped and do not count toward
SWWAF_MAX_BANS, so setting a ban's cause to admin keeps it. Bans
smallwebwaf makes get a reason: the limit broken or the rule matched. A
lifted ban refuses nothing, is kept, and makes no later ban longer.
smallwebwaf_bans_made_total counts admin bans an edit adds while running;
earlier_bans counts admin in place of without_cause.
Judgement call: lifted lifts at once, whatever time it gives.
Judgement call: a lifted ban still counts in earlier_bans.
Known gap: a ban dropped from behind an admin's ban on its netblock leaves that netblock's later earlier_bans.
Model: opus-5-5