LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

The LlamaServer has been unplugged in Birmingham, where it has been living for the last few months. Over the next few hours it will be making its way to a pub in Kettering. Then it will sit there for a bit and listen to me and my brother talking, and finally it will accompany me home to Cambridge, where it will hopefully begin a new and happy life.

For the first time in several months I will have access to the server again - thank goodness there have been no serious errors in that time! I haven't been able to log in at all since July.

I expect to get back to Cambridge about 10.30pm (British summer time, GMT+1) tonight, so the LlamaServer should come back online shortly after that.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

thanks llama

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Err, I have a game, tourmaline, that's going to host not too long after that timeframe. If you could delay the hosting on the game by a few hours so I can make sure I get my turn in, that would be very helpful.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Please delay NewHorizons3 as well. I was trying to send my turn in for some time before I read this post. Hosting time is over and server will generate new turn as soon as you plug it in.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Mists of Time is due to host at 2245 GMT. I and 2 other players didnt have turns in by 1000 GMT but I'm pretty sure we all sent them in well before the deadline. Is there any way to make sure llamaserver checks its email before hosting? Maybe set its PC time to 1030 GMT before firing up the llamaserver backend so that it doesn't auto host all of those games, and then it can check its email, get all the turns in, and once it's done that you turn it ahead to the current time?

If not then please delay Mists of Time too, if we have another rollback/series of missed turns the game's going to die.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Hopefully the requests to delay sent in through the website will be checked first.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Regrettably I got back completely exhausted from a long day after driving futilely in circles for a long time because of roadwords when I desperately wanted to go to bed. Whereas it would probably have been sensible to delay all games by 24 hours (or indeed read this thread) I did not do that, but instead just plugged the llamaserver in. I think it should process any delay requests before it does hosting, but I don't completely know for sure. I also don't completely know that it's doing anything, but I can't do anything to it at the moment anyway because it is *probably* hosting games, and it doesn't like to be interrupted (I would have to unplug it and move it to a different room to connect it to a monitor).

Well, hopefully it won't cause too much chaos. I'm afraid I won't have time to deal with any issues to individual games. Hopefully there will be few, and admins will be able to cope.

I must now go to bed as a matter of emergency.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Okay, for reasons unclear the llamaserver isn't accepting people's e-mails, so I will turn it off again and look into it tomorrow.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

wow shrapnel/illwinter should really be paying you for this (they don't, right?). You seem to be pretty much the linchpin of their post-release team.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

There's the fancy donate button if you wish to give something little for him :)

Still, thanks for doing all this work llamabeast. We appreciate it.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

llamabeast, thank you for all that effort :bow:

As for ppl starting wholesale staling once the server is plugged in - May I suggest you do some configuration/programmatic magic and set all games to turn off quick host, or add 24h extension to all games.

If that won't be possible I'd like to humbly represent Sharivar1 game interest and asked that it gets an extension.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Thanks guys.

Right, I have spent the evening screwing and unscrewing computer components (very long story, but basically I am trying to make the LlamaServer silent so it can sit in my lounge). I think hopefully it's working now. It's currently humming away to itself processing the backlog. Unfortunately I can't see what it's doing until its finished, so hopefully its doing good things!

Things to note:

1) I accidentally set an ANCIENT version of the LlamaServer going earlier - I booted off a hard disk that used to be the LlamaServer disk ages ago without realising I'd got the wrong one. Unfortunately that version checked the e-mail, so (a) people may have got odd rejection messages, and (b) turns sent over the last day may not have got through.

2) I postponed all games by 48 hours.

Fingers crossed!

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Okay:

1) It seems to have worked, so far as I can tell. I will set it running as normal overnight and see what horrors await me when I wake up.

2) I think I was wrong about the ancient account eating e-mails. It may have eaten ancient e-mails from a different account. Probably the only effect is that a few people got VERY odd e-mails.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Llama, thank you so much but i have a quick question. Why does it say:

(in game settings and admin options):

Planning game: Casual_EA_for_busy_schedules

Pretenders so far: 8
Max pretenders: 9

BUT

(in general game page)

Nations joined so far:
Helheim
Agartha
Abysia
Sauromatia
T'ien Ch'i
Tir na n'Og
R'lyeh
Arcoscephale
Ermor

suggesting that 9 nations have joined.

8=/=9?

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Dunno. There will probably be several such haywire things. It's not quite settled down yet. It is always a bit grumbly when I first get it going again. I'm afraid that for all my efforts to make the code transparent it seems to have a life of its own.

However, in that case if you force start the game I think it will be fine.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Well, it's behaving a little oddly still, but I have to go to bed. I shall see what mysteries I awake to in the morning.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

you need to feed more souls into its infernal engine, clearly.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

thanks...

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Yeah, I definitely got a few weird emails. :D Lots of "turn sent" "revised turn sent" "you sent a pretender for a game that does not exist" "invalid turn file received" messages, all from sending in a few 2h files (for the same game, same turn, one a revision and one a resend of the revision).

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

I get 9 more of those emails every few hours, not sure if llamaserver is up and happy yet! I just got these in the last 2 hours.


turns@llamaserver.net
MistsofTime: Revised turn 52 received for Vanheim 22 Oct 2009 4k

turns@llamaserver.net
MistsofTime: Revised turn 52 received for Vanheim 22 Oct 2009 4k

turns@llamaserver.net
MistsofTime: Revised turn 52 received for Vanheim 22 Oct 2009 4k

turns@llamaserver.net
MistsofTime: Revised turn 52 received for Vanheim 22 Oct 2009 4k

turns@llamaserver.net
MistsofTime: Revised turn 52 received for Vanheim 22 Oct 2009 4k

turns@llamaserver.net
MistsofTime: Revised turn 52 received for Vanheim 22 Oct 2009 4k

turns@llamaserver.net
MistsofTime: Revised turn 52 received for Vanheim 22 Oct 2009 4k

turns@llamaserver.net
MistsofTime: Revised turn 52 received for Vanheim 22 Oct 2009 4k

turns@llamaserver.net
MistsofTime: Revised turn 52 received for Vanheim 22 Oct 2009 4k

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

yeah i got a similar thing - seven copies of "Zebra: Revised turn 54 received for Utgard" coming about once every 30 minutes for the past few hours. I'm expecting another one soon...

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Yep, 3 more have accrued by now. But it says all turn files are in, so hopefully it hosts fine. :)

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Well, I woke up to see 51 new emails, all either "invalid 2h file" or "revised turn recieved for game x" :) I'm glad gmail sorts them in single stacks for quick deleting/archiving...

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Heh, I haven't been spammed by emails, but my turns are not hosting. Early Days and Overlords are all in but not hosting.

If you please Llama, please get the server running and host the games. I am about to go out of town for the weekend, and have no subs lined up.

Thanks
Ling.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

I would try force hosting... but I'm afraid I'll break something.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

I'm getting spammed by emails for receiving a pretender too. I also got one telling me Arcoscephale was already taken and I couldn't pick it, when I didn't send anything for Arco.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Oh dear.

Problems I am aware of:

- Server apparently repeatedly responding to the same e-mails (though it didn't do so for my test e-mails)
- Server not hosting any games.

I will try to fix these tonight. It is proving quite a struggle to spend time fixing things now I have a job. Being a student was a bit easier. Or rather, more flexible.

Could people confirm whether the spamming is still going on? If it is, I fear it may now be every five minutes! Many apologies for that.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Yes, I am still receiving some intermittent bursts of spam, yum!

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Yep, still coming, over 70 emails so far and counting :)

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

i am getting spammed,too.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

I've received 36 e-mails for the 4 games I'm in between the hours of 10:18 PM ET to 4:24 AM ET.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

i was getting spammed regularly from 9 pm to 6 am GMT. But I haven't got any since then (its 10 am GMT now so that is four hours with no spam to me).

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

I got 18 mails but there's no fixed rate. Hours ago: Once 15 hours ago, 4 times 14 hour ago, 2 x 13, 1 x 12, 2 x 11, 1 x 10, 1 x 8, 2 x 7, 1 x 5 and 3 x 4 hours ago. Seems calmed down for the moment.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

I've only received 8 emails from LlamaServer, but they're all trying to sell me Viagra.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Lots of emails, about 55 in total for three games. The last one was 7 hours ago though, at 10-11ish AM.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

I've stopped counting.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

I have the opposite problem, the game Zebra refuses to host.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Llamaserver stopped spaming to me about 8 hours ago, and it seems to be updating normaly for about last 3 hours. It did even respond correctly to my postpone hosting command in the game I administrate.
Hopefully it gets well, perhabs it dislikes riding in cars. Or it is a mating season for servers, is it sterilized?

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

I am not getting repeated e-mail from the llamaserver anymore.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

I haven't gotten repeated emails, but I also haven't been able to host MistsOfTime.
All turns are in, it's past the deadline and I've told it to force host.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Zebra is currently stuck in a strange limbo on turn 54. It won't host, but all turns have been sent in.

Jazzepi

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

MistsOfTime is now set to host "00:00 GMT on Thursday January 1st "

Kind of neat. :)

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Finally got zebra to host by resetting the timer.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Mists seems to have hosted! Yay!

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Sharivar1 was not so lucky. Still doesn't respond to admin commands. Doesn't seem to be accepting turns as well, at least not turn updates as far as I can tell.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Hello Llama. Thank you for providing this service for the community.

Is this server a unix box? If so, you ought to be able to administer it remotely. It sounds like you have it sitting in your house - I take it you don't receive enough donations to colocate it in a data center.

It so happens that I run a small data center, BaseSpace.net. I could find a machine for this purpose, if you can install it and administer it remotely. I would appreciate some sort of donation button, perhaps a suggested donation of $5 every time someone joins a new MP game. Let me know if you are interested.

- Alex
[Edit: note that I am in the US, so this would have to be all done remotely]

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

I spoke too soon.
MistsOfTime claims to have hosted, but the turns don't seem to have gone out.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

No way people would go for $5 an MP game. I'd set up a machine myself first. People probably wouldn't care about ads, but thats about it.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

If money can help some part of the llamaserver setup then I hope llamabeast will let us know of his request. I think that last time he put something up about the server he hit his goal in 12 hours... we seem to have a very supportive community and many thankful users here.

Re: LlamaServer down for next few hours
 

Well, I'm out until Monday. Hopefully Llama has luck and gets his server working again, and hopefully I don't get staled in Overlords or Early Days while I am gone.

Good luck Llama.