Folks,
We're having some server problems at rwg.bz, which means that the forum will be down for at least 24 hours. Currently I'm not sure of the exact cause of the problem, but am investigating.
The good news is that I've managed to grab an absolutely up-to-date backup of the database, so we won't lose anything. The bad news is that unfortunately I will be away from the computer for the rest of the day due to prior commitments, so it will be tomorrow morning before I really get the chance to get into this.
Apologies for the downtime.
UPDATE: 09:45 GMT 4th Dec
Okay, its confirmed that we have a corrupt disk array. Not entirely sure of the cause as yet. Most of the effort so far has been in getting full up-to-date backups of the board directory (we'd already manage to recover the database, but our other backups were a few days old) and all ancillary files.
Whether we fix the existing server or move to another one, this is going to require a full re-install of the server, so is going to be a slow process. I'll get it done as fast as possible, but I do also have a high-pressure job (not to mention that it's also my wife's birthday) so other things are going to take me away from this from time to time. I'll post more info when I know exactly where we stand.
UPDATE: 10.30 GMT 4th Dec
Okay - the bad news is that the server RAID controller is FUBAR. The hosts could replace it within a few hours, but given that we were planning to do a server upgrade/migration within the next couple of months anyhow, I've taken the decision to do it now. They're prepping a shiny new machine for us as I type this. This is going to take a little time, folks... No more updates today; the new machine should be ready for installation tomorrow. I'm hoping that we'll be back up for the weekend, but no promises just yet.
Ok, I lied. Another update: 14.30GMT 4th Dec
Our hosts were kind enough to fast-track the setup of the new server for us, so I already have access to it. There will be several hours of configuration to move everything over and then we have to wait for our domain name to re-direct to the new IP address, but progress is being made, and it may not take as long as originally feared. Watch this space!
UPDATE: 16.30 GMT 4th Dec
Okay folks - come on home. We're back up. I'm still configuring stuff behind the scenes so we may have a few glitches, but hopefully nothing serious. Note that whilst some of you may have access immediately, others may have to wait for their ISPs DNS servers to catch up with our move to the new server. Not much we can do about that, I'm afraid, but clear your browser cache and Google 'flush DNS cache' as both/either might help if you're having trouble getting to RWG.
I'm gonna go have a nervous breakdown now. Later, guys
We're having some server problems at rwg.bz, which means that the forum will be down for at least 24 hours. Currently I'm not sure of the exact cause of the problem, but am investigating.
The good news is that I've managed to grab an absolutely up-to-date backup of the database, so we won't lose anything. The bad news is that unfortunately I will be away from the computer for the rest of the day due to prior commitments, so it will be tomorrow morning before I really get the chance to get into this.
Apologies for the downtime.
UPDATE: 09:45 GMT 4th Dec
Okay, its confirmed that we have a corrupt disk array. Not entirely sure of the cause as yet. Most of the effort so far has been in getting full up-to-date backups of the board directory (we'd already manage to recover the database, but our other backups were a few days old) and all ancillary files.
Whether we fix the existing server or move to another one, this is going to require a full re-install of the server, so is going to be a slow process. I'll get it done as fast as possible, but I do also have a high-pressure job (not to mention that it's also my wife's birthday) so other things are going to take me away from this from time to time. I'll post more info when I know exactly where we stand.
UPDATE: 10.30 GMT 4th Dec
Okay - the bad news is that the server RAID controller is FUBAR. The hosts could replace it within a few hours, but given that we were planning to do a server upgrade/migration within the next couple of months anyhow, I've taken the decision to do it now. They're prepping a shiny new machine for us as I type this. This is going to take a little time, folks... No more updates today; the new machine should be ready for installation tomorrow. I'm hoping that we'll be back up for the weekend, but no promises just yet.
Ok, I lied. Another update: 14.30GMT 4th Dec
Our hosts were kind enough to fast-track the setup of the new server for us, so I already have access to it. There will be several hours of configuration to move everything over and then we have to wait for our domain name to re-direct to the new IP address, but progress is being made, and it may not take as long as originally feared. Watch this space!
UPDATE: 16.30 GMT 4th Dec
Okay folks - come on home. We're back up. I'm still configuring stuff behind the scenes so we may have a few glitches, but hopefully nothing serious. Note that whilst some of you may have access immediately, others may have to wait for their ISPs DNS servers to catch up with our move to the new server. Not much we can do about that, I'm afraid, but clear your browser cache and Google 'flush DNS cache' as both/either might help if you're having trouble getting to RWG.
I'm gonna go have a nervous breakdown now. Later, guys
