[Tsundoku]

I can contact Silencer directly if noone else can do it.

[HoosierDaddy]

D, on 26 July 2024 - 03:16 AM, said:

To be totally honest, the outlook is not good. Silencer is the one with all the hosting arrangements, domain registration, and whatnot, and Silencer hasn't logged into the forum since sometime last year. We have had issues with the domain being blocked by google servers for a long time, preventing registrations and the like, and haven't been able to fix those either. You may have to make your peace with this place coming to an end entirely in the not-so-distant future.

I think we can find a way to make it work, we just need to have a conversation about what needs to be done to stabilize the site for the present and future. Maybe that just means we have an honest discussion about finances and hosting duties. From there, we can come up with a plan.

That would obviously necessitate we contact Silencer and get him to participate in the discussion. So, why don't you go ahead and contact him, Tsundoku?

[Tsundoku]

OK, I'll flick him a text tomorrow, since it's like 0022h now and while we are friends, I don't think he'd be impressed.

What would you like me to say?

[HoosierDaddy]

Tsundoku, on 26 July 2024 - 02:21 PM, said:

OK, I'll flick him a text tomorrow, since it's like 0022h now and while we are friends, I don't think he'd be impressed.

What would you like me to say?

That the site has had continuous issues with access lately and we want to make sure we have everything we need and a plan to secure it's longterm viability. So we thought a state of the board conversation would make sure he isn't overburdened and we get it worked out for all of us who value the board!

[Tsundoku]

OK text sent.

[Silencer]

Hi all,

So to start, I think it is important to acknowledge that while I do check in on the site from time-to-time (usually without logging in), I'm simply not visiting frequently these days. That's on me, and while it's largely been due to the site looking after itself well enough with other users generally able to alert me to anything amiss, obviously it's not the same thing as using the site day-to-day.

This leaves me lacking in context for some recent site issues - Venge alerted me to some 504s happening in late June, which coincided roughly with some scheduled maintenance from our host, by the time I was able to look into it the site was back up and running. As I hadn't heard anything further, I was satisfied the issue was resolved. If this has been ongoing throughout July though then it seems like there is more to it, as the only maintenance this month was July 24th and should have had minimal impact to the server.
What I would like to understand from those of you who might have been here to remember, is whether the 502s and 504s this month might roughly coincide with the bandwidth spikes seen on the attached screenshot. If not, all good, but it's a starting place to investigate.


Now, in terms of looking to the future, happy to have a discussion. I don't believe the above issues are particularly indicative of an issue with the hosting (Digital Ocean droplet) or the forum software, it is probably more to do with unexpected load due to bots that can't register because of the email issue (see screenshot #2, I'm 99% sure those 298 guests are not all logged out members, haha), which is relatively fixable and I'll look to do this weekend. But I'm open to suggestions as this seems to be a recurring point of concern.

Attached File(s)

•  Screenshot 2024-07-27 175504.png (24.34K)
  Number of downloads: 0
•  Screenshot 2024-07-27 180028.png (11.09K)
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[Abyss]

Fucking bots.

[Tsundoku]

Hmmm, I had several days of those errors on-and-off, but I posted my messages pretty soon after the peaks of them when I was finally able to get on and post after several hours to most of a day being unable to log on, if that helps any.

Also, don't suppose there's any way to fix the not-sending-notification-emails error that has been back for most of this year?

[HoosierDaddy]

Silencer, on 27 July 2024 - 08:03 AM, said:

Hi all,

So to start, I think it is important to acknowledge that while I do check in on the site from time-to-time (usually without logging in), I'm simply not visiting frequently these days. That's on me, and while it's largely been due to the site looking after itself well enough with other users generally able to alert me to anything amiss, obviously it's not the same thing as using the site day-to-day.

This leaves me lacking in context for some recent site issues - Venge alerted me to some 504s happening in late June, which coincided roughly with some scheduled maintenance from our host, by the time I was able to look into it the site was back up and running. As I hadn't heard anything further, I was satisfied the issue was resolved. If this has been ongoing throughout July though then it seems like there is more to it, as the only maintenance this month was July 24th and should have had minimal impact to the server.
What I would like to understand from those of you who might have been here to remember, is whether the 502s and 504s this month might roughly coincide with the bandwidth spikes seen on the attached screenshot. If not, all good, but it's a starting place to investigate.


Now, in terms of looking to the future, happy to have a discussion. I don't believe the above issues are particularly indicative of an issue with the hosting (Digital Ocean droplet) or the forum software, it is probably more to do with unexpected load due to bots that can't register because of the email issue (see screenshot #2, I'm 99% sure those 298 guests are not all logged out members, haha), which is relatively fixable and I'll look to do this weekend. But I'm open to suggestions as this seems to be a recurring point of concern.

Thanks for the response, Silencer. Couple of notes below on different items above:

1. I can't pinpoint exact times for the inability to load the site, other than I check it off and on throughout the day at work and it was happening on multiple dates, particularly about a week or so ago for periods of at least 10 hours, which means it isn't a momentary issues. When it is down it is down for a length of time.

2. For the explanations: Is there a reason why the bots would cause an issue at some times and not others? I don't track the guests, but it has always been fairly high. As I type there are 408 and the site is working just fine. I think taking the guesswork out of WHY the site is down would help ease the anxiety when it is down. Put a cause to an effect and people are more comfortable.

3. As for the state of the board: is there anything you need from the core users that you currently aren't receiving? That could be funding, internal trouble-shooting (alleviating bot pressure, for example), or anything else we can do that would make it so that the admin isn't burdensome on you?

Obviously many of us are here and will be here for the duration because the site is by definition about Malazan and it would be great to have an influx, but the core users will be here regardless of Malazan releases because we are friends and it is our neighborhood pub to get together at.

[Abyss]

HoosierDaddy, on 29 July 2024 - 03:11 PM, said:

Silencer, on 27 July 2024 - 08:03 AM, said:

Hi all,

So to start, I think it is important to acknowledge that while I do check in on the site from time-to-time (usually without logging in), I'm simply not visiting frequently these days. That's on me, and while it's largely been due to the site looking after itself well enough with other users generally able to alert me to anything amiss, obviously it's not the same thing as using the site day-to-day.

This leaves me lacking in context for some recent site issues - Venge alerted me to some 504s happening in late June, which coincided roughly with some scheduled maintenance from our host, by the time I was able to look into it the site was back up and running. As I hadn't heard anything further, I was satisfied the issue was resolved. If this has been ongoing throughout July though then it seems like there is more to it, as the only maintenance this month was July 24th and should have had minimal impact to the server.
What I would like to understand from those of you who might have been here to remember, is whether the 502s and 504s this month might roughly coincide with the bandwidth spikes seen on the attached screenshot. If not, all good, but it's a starting place to investigate.


Now, in terms of looking to the future, happy to have a discussion. I don't believe the above issues are particularly indicative of an issue with the hosting (Digital Ocean droplet) or the forum software, it is probably more to do with unexpected load due to bots that can't register because of the email issue (see screenshot #2, I'm 99% sure those 298 guests are not all logged out members, haha), which is relatively fixable and I'll look to do this weekend. But I'm open to suggestions as this seems to be a recurring point of concern.

Thanks for the response, Silencer. Couple of notes below on different items above:

1. I can't pinpoint exact times for the inability to load the site, other than I check it off and on throughout the day at work and it was happening on multiple dates, particularly about a week or so ago for periods of at least 10 hours, which means it isn't a momentary issues. When it is down it is down for a length of time.

2. For the explanations: Is there a reason why the bots would cause an issue at some times and not others? I don't track the guests, but it has always been fairly high. As I type there are 408 and the site is working just fine. I think taking the guesswork out of WHY the site is down would help ease the anxiety when it is down. Put a cause to an effect and people are more comfortable.

3. As for the state of the board: is there anything you need from the core users that you currently aren't receiving? That could be funding, internal trouble-shooting (alleviating bot pressure, for example), or anything else we can do that would make it so that the admin isn't burdensome on you?

Obviously many of us are here and will be here for the duration because the site is by definition about Malazan and it would be great to have an influx, but the core users will be here regardless of Malazan releases because we are friends and it is our neighborhood pub to get together at and also Abyss still has all those pictures from that party with the komodo dragon and the mime troupe.

ftfy

[HoosierDaddy]

504 Error - Running into this issue over the past hour or so. Obviously working right now, but it did it for 3 minutes and then when I went to the next topic it 504'd again.

[Tsundoku]

504 for about 45 min for me this morning.

[Abyss]

The spiders are calling to me.

[champ]

I was locked out for a few hours yesterday starting 17:53 UK time. I couldn't get back in when I tried it again at 22:00.



504 Gateway Timeout
nghttpx+nginx


That was the error message I got.

[Tsundoku]

Tsundoku, on 30 July 2024 - 08:46 PM, said:

504 for about 45 min for me this morning.

Straight after this post the board slowed to a crawl and then was giving 502 and 504 errors just before I went to work.

[HoosierDaddy]

Tsundoku, on 31 July 2024 - 10:30 AM, said:

Tsundoku, on 30 July 2024 - 08:46 PM, said:

504 for about 45 min for me this morning.

Straight after this post the board slowed to a crawl and then was giving 502 and 504 errors just before I went to work.

As well.

[Silencer]

champ, on 31 July 2024 - 09:48 AM, said:

I was locked out for a few hours yesterday starting 17:53 UK time. I couldn't get back in when I tried it again at 22:00.



504 Gateway Timeout
nghttpx+nginx


That was the error message I got.

OK, this is similar to an issue we had a couple of years back, I will look into that more.
We did have another bandwidth spike this morning around the time some of you first reported the issue, but that was well over by the time Tsundoku posted, for reference.

[Abyss]

I SAID I WAS SORRY

...jeez, summon one measly little Shoggoth...

[HoosierDaddy]

Happening this afternoon around 2:30 to 3:30 pm ET

[worry]

That's the problem, you shouldn't have been logging on Eastern Time. West side is the best side.