How should OMAC handle downtime?

[Admiral S3]

Zauper:

I dunno, in a single provences case that might actually be more work then is really doable, but certainly they can do a total backup, if they are aware of a problem. Fix the issue and restore the backup... there by setting the game to the time they did the backup.

I mean... essentially thier using some sort of web programming code with an SQL or SQL like back end. Certainly there is a way to back it up, and simply restore it when they put the server back online.

I can understand they probably do not normally backup the backend before they delete a provence so restoring one prov out of a 10,000 or hell even 100 it would be simpler to just have them make a new one and move it.

In that regard its alot like running a forum, 1 user somehow becomes corrupted in the SQL tables. Delete the user and have him or her make a new account, or you can go through the whole SQL DB and find out where it broke and fix it. Obviously delete and remake is alot easier.

S3

[KuhaN]

DHaran:
The third time it came up (when it came up and 'stuck'), it never took me more than 5 minutes to login. I timed it every time. I've been logging in aprox 10 times per day since then. I've been logging in twice per day from my phone, where I don't have tabs.

I don't buy that it's been 'too down for casuals'.

Trekdrop:
Most proxies have a timeout that is shorter than it is for ie. In particular, most xlogging kds use munk, which has a timeout set to 30s. Kds using munk couldn't log -- at all -- during the downtime.

Catwalk:
Maybe. All I know is that Mehul told us that there was no way for him to restore a province to it's previous condition, when there were downtimes during his era.

LOL and why would you even consider using proxies?

[Dolgil]

I mean... essentially thier using some sort of web programming code with an SQL or SQL like back end. Certainly there is a way to back it up, and simply restore it when they put the server back online.

That was a major problem with the old code. There was no data base at all.

[Admiral S3]

Its still a DB... or else there would be no informatrion. However as I understand it... its file based. Not sure if its one really extensive file, or several of them, but regardless, a file is a file and SQL is technically a form of a file. Both can be "saved" and "restored"

I would have to see a copy of the file to know how to do it, but as I recall Utopia is actually built off of old style BBS code. So a simple server wide back up should do the trick rather effectivly. Alter the broken code or solve the problem that is occuring from outside and restore the backup, obviously making sure the backup also contains all nessesary code fixes.

S3

[Catwalk]

I hope OMAC didn't misinterpret this poll to say that we actually preferred them taking the game down in this manner.

[Bishop]

Its still a DB... or else there would be no informatrion. However as I understand it... its file based. Not sure if its one really extensive file, or several of them, but regardless, a file is a file and SQL is technically a form of a file. Both can be "saved" and "restored"

I would have to see a copy of the file to know how to do it, but as I recall Utopia is actually built off of old style BBS code. So a simple server wide back up should do the trick rather effectivly. Alter the broken code or solve the problem that is occuring from outside and restore the backup, obviously making sure the backup also contains all nessesary code fixes.

S3

Yes, the game info is stored in many different files - (btw, sql is a language, not a form of file, though i assume you are referring to any database back-end?)

You are also correct in that a simple backup of the server, and subsequent restore or the fixed code/files sounds like it would fix a lot of issues - however, mehul (game creator) once stated that

Occassionally, one of our servers will "crash", or go down for a short period of time. These can occur due to a variety of reasons, some in our control, others outside of our website. Utopia is designed to ignore these problems -- as a real-time game, time continues as though users were able to access the game normally.