WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SDC MESSAGE BOARDS?

[fossils]

Well it is clear that something serious went wrong with the systems management at Space.com (SDC) or InfoPop. <br /><br />When a piece of hardware breaks down, it is usually a simple matter to replace the hardware (disk drive, memory, or the whole system) and then restore the volumes from backup. When a web-server goes down at a well managed operation, a few configuration changes and a push of the site(s) can bring another box online in minutes. <br /><br />The backend databases that store active content are usually redundant (replicated, clustered, etc) and NEVER go down. Non redundant databases should be back online in hours – basically repair the hardware (or new box) and do a restore from last backup. <br /><br />So what is happing with the SDC message boards? We don’t know. All SDC is willing to post is “Sorry, the message board is temporarily out of service. -- SPACE.com”. I’m sorry, that’s ok for a few hours, or a day, but not for 9 days so far. What kind of communication is that? <br /><br />You would think that SDC at least cares about the traffic that the board community brings to their site. It seems just rude that someone at SDC would not post a better message than “sorry – out of service”. I’m sure there are hundreds interested people that want to know what happened to the boards, what they are doing to correct the problem, what exactly is the problem, when if ever they will be back, etc. <br /><br />As far as I know I am posting in some kind of limbo board world. Maybe we are not supposed to be using the boards. I don’t know. I usually just say it like I see it. The normal clique of things sometimes gets out of whack for a while. <br /><br />Here are some conjectures about the SDC boards. <br /><br />1) SDC is going under and at the end of the fiscal year (6/30/04) they stopped paying the bill to InfoPop to supply the message boards… InfoPop pulled the plug in a bad way… <br /><br />2) SDC does not see enough increased traffic to their site from the boards to justify

 

[wordup]

I definately think you should ask for your money back. Or keep posting more conspiracy theories. I personally think the downtime of the space message boards is clearly extraterrestrial involvement, and clearing the message boards was the only way to guarantee that they cannot take over your mind using subversive posts.

 

[starexplorer]

Thank you for your continued support and patience. From time to time, technical issues do come up -- the staff at SPACE has worked hard over the last week to get the boards up and running and we appreciate your enthusiasm for starting anew. No conspiracies afoot here!<br /><br />The Team at SPACE.com <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[spacechump]

Testing 1...2...3 <br /><br /><br /><br />Edit: Sweet I'm back!

 

[fossils]

Mclemente, you don’t get it. I did not post “on every single thread” [you mean “forum”]. I was the only one posting on the SDC boards for a day or so. I expected the thread database to be restored and my posts to be wiped out, so I left a note in three forums expressing some thoughts.<br /><br />If a little sign tells you how things are – I understand. Others looked past the sign and found a note on how to open the door. Only a few voices echoed in the forums for a while…<br /><br />The discussions about the blundering lazy incompetent InfoPop and/or SDC systems management is in free-space. I will delete this thread.<br /><br />And, I am not pissed at the trashing of the message board database. Just a bit dismayed that so many in our society are elevated to management positions on nothing more than hot stinking air.<br />

 

[fossils]

Mclemente, well <sigh>, I will try to educate. There were no threads when I started posting. There were the “sections” or “forums” or “boards” – you know - “Missions & Launches”, “Space Science”, “Free Space” etc. I guess these are called “sections” in you parlay. I prefer the term “forum” – and they do have that “Forum Information” link at the top of each.<br /><br />Anyway, there were a few souls stumbling into or otherwise checking for threads - bypassing - not seeing - the stupid “out of service” sign (as shown by the who’s online page) . I suspected these hits were mostly coming from Google searches and the like - but a few like me had shortcuts pointing directly to the forum pages – and these forum pages started working. I expected that it was some kind of fluke – or more likely the continuing incompetence of the InfoPop or SDC system managers not knowing how to turn off a website (i.e. they posted a single page with the “out of service” message but all of the other pages were accessible – stunningly stupid).<br /><br />I posted the first thread in free-space. After one outcast logged in I figured that it would be good to drop a note in the two forums I visit. You might understand the rest. It was kind-of a net version of a twilight zone episode at first, a few jokes, weird banter, cmd673 or Leovinus or was that the imposter Leovinus, started posting, etc. A "what happened" thread in ML and SS seemed appropate at the time - then the clods took the sign down and said that the database was lost on purpose: "Due to the dynamic nature of Uplink and its constantly fresh content the forums have been brought back as a clean slate, instead of restored to an outdated state." - after nine days of "maintenance". I can only marvel at the stupidity.<br /><br />The system managers at InfoPop and/or SDC are drenched in stinking rotten eggs. The user list is corrupt. Obviously they tried to recover the database, but were too incompetent to do it – they likely

 

[cosmictraveler]

Hello, Is anybody out there? Oh, I see you are all coming back now. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>It does not require many words to speak the truth. Chief Joseph</p> </div>

 

[marslauncher]

Woohoo Marslauncher is Back! Such a shame to have lost all of that wonderful information we had before.<br /><br />

 

[fossils]

Mclemente – “If you think the Admins are so incompetent then why do you stay?”<br /><br />Yes, this is a debate I’m sure many are having. Personally I have lost an interesting resource filled with fragmented conversations, good links and photos about space and science events (as well as others). In my scheme of things, it means almost nothing to me.<br /><br />In a wider context, it seemed like SDC could attract some small attention to it’s self by having this resource online and thus increase revenue. But somehow a dope at SDC is twisting an IT management failure into a nonsensical statement and is acting completely idiotic if they think throwing away information is “a new beginning”. I would not allow this person anywhere near my company’s information.<br /><br />In my opinion an honest accounting of the IT management failure would at least alleviate the cloud that will permanently hang over the SDC message boards. Do not be surprised if the SQL errors start appearing again on the Infopoop v5.5.1 tissue paper on which we write - then a short while later a loud flushing sound will be heard on the net. The admins will issue hot stinking methane in our direction to explain what they do.<br />

 

[earth_bound_misfit]

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SDC MESSAGE BOARDS?<br />I'm guessing something went wrong with Infopoop <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------- </p><p>Wanna see this site looking like the old SDC uplink?</p><p>Go here to see how: <strong>SDC Eye saver </strong>  </p> </div>

 

[alokmohan]

had1700 odd posts .Now I am zero post.Mismanagement?

 

[nacnud]

Nah, couldn't be no one could be that daft...<br /><br />They just realised that I had a deadline to meet and pulled the site down for a few days so I could get some work done for a change. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[wordup]

Where do you work exactly? I'm asking because I want to make sure to point out that any problems I have with them must be due to their management or incompetant technical people. Because as we all know, 99.9% of any problem can be boiled down to these two groups.

 

[kmarinas86]

.<br />http://www.ufoevidence.org/forums/ForumMessage.asp?ID=9391

 

[space_dreamer]

I don't like being a Quark again !!!

 

[centsworth_II]

Don't worry, you lasted about as long as any solitary quark does -- you are now a proton. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[thecolonel]

Wow, I'm out of the loop for two weeks and all hell breaks loose. <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /><br /><br /><--- is like a kid in a candy store with internet access again. (You don't realize how much you use it until it's gone)

 

[jaredgalen]

Don't know if this has happened to anyone else, but a couple of times now, when trying to view random posts or boards, unhandled database errors and exception are being displayed.<br /><br />When I retry the link it works. It's just the same messages that appeared when the boards went down last time.<br />Looks like there are still a few bugs since it happened all in the same session.<br />Just thought I'd put it out there.<br /><br /><br />

 

[backspace]

Yeah it happened to me on Saturday and I almost had a heart attack.. "Oh nO! Not again!"<br /><br />

 

[nacnud]

Yeah thats happened to me three or four times. It throws an SQL error at line something or other but the type of error is hidden because I'm not an admin. I think the board must have some residual problems...

 

[canadian_joe]

Yep had the same thing happen this morning when I logged in. Felt like slapping my hand against my head and going arrgh!(But figured the co-workers would look at me strangely)<br /><br />However it worked on second try. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mrmorris]

Ayup -- me five. First happened on Friday. Hope they're taking good backups.<br /><br />Let me say that louder and with more emphasis.<br /><br /><b>I really really hope they're taking **GOOD** backups.</b>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

<font color="yellow">jaredgalen-Don't know if this has happened to anyone else, but a couple of times now, when trying to view random posts or boards, unhandled database errors and exception are being displayed. </font><br /><br />This has happened to many people, many times, when using this board. There <b>used</b> to be a number of threads on it in the "Suggestions" forum. <br /><br />It has happened to me often enough that I have stopped emailing debug info to them. Whether or not it is indicative of more serious issues or the latest "crash" I can't say. However, it's obviously a problem and has been one since I can remember.<br /><br /><br />a_lost_packet_<br /><b><font color="yellow">STAR</font>/b><br /><br />* You too can have your nifty SDC title reserved for posterity just like mine is!! Send me $.50 and I'll show you how! Become "CrashProof" with the latest in software/HTML technology!!</b> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>