Downtime

[shiney]

Let me level with you guys about some stuff:

This webserver is increasingly dated and cluttered with what can only be termed as "crap". The configurations are a little old, the SQL server is malfunctioning at best, the server is showing signs of wear and tear. This was already occurring at the sudden time of "MAJOR PROBLEM: NPF DIES???" when Brian announced the lack of renewing the license. So I brought us over here and did the best I could, but as you guys can well see there are a lot of downtimes.

I want to apologize for that and for my partial lax schedule of updating and Real Actual Maintenance, and my lack of knowledge in combatting issues that arise during the normal course of operations. I'm working on getting us into a better situation but it is likely going to involve more downtime over the coming weeks. All I can ask is patience and understanding while I fuck around and get to a pretty dangerous level of cavalier attitude regarding our years of history around here.

Pretty soon, we'll be running fine and without horrifying downtimes the likes of which we are constantly experiencing. Just...bear with me while we get there. :/

[Amake]

One upon a time I lived in an old farmhouse that was like, constantly falling apart. We who lived there loved the place and spent hours every day fixing holes in the roof, digging for water, propping up walls and stuff, but at night the house would creak deep in its foundations and crumble a little more.

Then it turned around. Cracks in load bearing logs would shrink overnight, big stuff like that, but also little things like holes in the curtains would be mended. Sometimes late at night people thought they could hear tapping as if from tiny hammers. Naturally, we assumed we had nisser in the house, and we started putting out plates of milk, butter, cookies and porridge at night.

After some time the house was as good as new and business asreturned to usual. But we never forgot how the nisser did everything we couldn't, and pretty much carried the whole operation by themselves, even though we gave them just the tiniest presents and faintest thanks.

It's hard to fathom what drives the nisser, why they give so much or how they can work so hard. Trying to put into words the thanks they deserve could only sound insincere, and trying to compare to any human efforts the things they do could only sound like a cheesy, ham-fisted moral.

(In this metaphor, the nisser is shiney.)

[Krylo]

If nothing else, I find the fact that it's now you, someone whom I know and can contact, who is in charge of downtimes makes them actually far more bearable. Because we can give you shit when it comes back up.

Plus we had them under Pierre, too, so whatever.

[Fenris]

Originally Posted by Krylo

If nothing else, I find the fact that it's now you, someone whom I know and can contact

shiney you should really start logging on AIM more because I remember wanting to talk to you about things but being unable to find you-

AND

Make a backup copy of the forums before you take it down manually. I'm not sure exactly what code you'll be wrestling with and I wouldn't want some data to be corrupted or removed or whatever I'm bad with computers!

[shiney]

Just send me PMs on yonder forum PM thinger. My laptop (which is again broken, fucking laptops) is under linux and I haven't gotten around to making AIM work yet.

[Fenris]

Originally Posted by shiney

Just send me PMs on yonder forum PM thinger. My laptop (which is again broken, fucking laptops) is under linux and I haven't gotten around to making AIM work yet.

Hard to do when the forums are down, jerk!

But yeah, point taken about the PMs.

[synkr0nized]

Originally Posted by shiney

[...] linux and I haven't gotten around to making AIM work yet.

open Pidgin*, enter AIM information, log in, chat :P

* may need to download it depending on your distribution



So how's the forum been running on your server? From a client perspective, I haven't noticed much quirkiness, at least certainly no more (in fact much less) than before, but I am curious if you're still logging weird errors.

[shiney]

Not many thankfully. Some still which is why I am making with the updates.

[rpgdemon]

I haven't really noticed anything, to be honest. I just like needlessly antagonizing people.

Also, I second using Pidgin. The thing is awesome. I use it on my PC.

[shiney]

Planned downtime either tonight or tomorrow night -- going to completely ruin the webserver in an attempt to un-ruin the webserver. Can someone be a super pal and find all the remaining outstanding bugs (unicode, mark forums read, etc) that need repair and put them all in one post for me? Thanks.