LlamaServer reliability

[llamabeast]

After the server went down last weekend I realised that actually it has been down quite a lot in 2012. This bothers me because I like to think that I'm providing a reliable service, and I really wouldn't want it to get so that people thought "LlamaServer is good in principle but too unreliable to be worth using." That would be sad.

Now, the reasons for the various recent outages have generally all been different, so my feeling is that it may just have been a run of bad luck. To give you an idea of my perception of long term trends:

- The LlamaServer used to have lots of bad bugs. However I was on my computer all the time and it was my main hobby, so I fixed things fast.

- In the early days in this house (a couple of years ago, until fairly recently) the internet was extremely unreliable, which caused quite a lot of problems.

- Gradually I have been whittling away at the bugs as well as adding automated systems for recovery (so, for example, if the internet goes down the server now recovers when the internet comes back, which it didn't before).

- Now I believe the LlamaServer is the least buggy it's ever been, and the internet connection seems to be more reliable. *However*, due to some changes in my life, I am much less aware of its status. Some of you may remember me posting that I had a bit of a rotten time last year (stepfather died, girlfriend left me), and in an effort to feel better I took up some new activities and restarted some old ones. So now I am never in the house because I've signed up to too much lindy hop and improvised comedy. I remain very keen, and read the forums in breaks at work etc, but since I'm in no games myself I don't notice when the server goes down. It can also sometimes be several days between times when I get to use my computer at home.

- Until very recently I couldn't fix the server from work, so a few times problems were reported but it was literally several days till I was able to fix them. They've now given us ssh access at work though, so in principle I can fix small problems.

Gosh this is a rambly post.

Anyway, the gist is that I believe that the server is likely to be quite reliable in future, but of course I may be kidding myself. So I am going to keep a little diary for the next couple of months of anything that goes wrong, so that I know for sure how reliable it's being and what the root causes are.

However I do need some help from the community. I have no easy way of knowing when the server's stopped working. I think people generally assume that someone else will have let me know, but sometimes noone lets me know for a couple of days. So if the server seems to have stopped just drop me a quick email.

In the other llamaserver thread people were extremely generous in offering money to pay for a hosted online solution. I really appreciate your generosity, thanks guys. However I have this box in my living room which nominally should work perfectly, so I want to try for a bit longer to make it a really reliable solution. If we still have problems I may take you up on your kind offers.

[ghoul31]

How often do you check you email?

Perhaps you can give a few people your phone number, so they can text you when the server goes down.

[parone]

those of us who offered a bit of $ did so, i think, in a way of trying to tell you how much we appreciated what you have done(are doing). please don't take it as "you need to upgrade". if you think the server is ok, that's fine by me. and if it goes down, well, that night i'll read a bit instead of getting my Dom "fix".(now that i think about it, some things about Dom do mirror addiction...that might not be good)

on another note, best of luck with your outside endeavors. comedy takes guts!(more than taking on the undead on the computer, even!). i can't dance, so i have no frame of reference for the lindy, but it sure looks challenging.

would it be way to sketchy to ask for a joke?

again, thanks for the llama server. and the maps and all the work you did. hopefully some day you'll come back and smear the map with us.

[llamabeast]

Oh, I check my email like a hundred times a day. Seriously, too often. I can check it on my phone you see.

[llamabeast]

Don't worry, I don't feel criticised, I was quite touched by everyone's generosity. Just thought I'd fill you in on status and plans.

You also all shouldn't feel like you need to be watching the server like hawks. Just, if you're staring at the status page and you can see it's broken (and the Last updated time is more than say an hour in the past), drop me an email. By the way the Last Updated time is not quite what it says it is, it's really the last time the server had finished all its tasks. So it may fall behind slightly if it's hosting some enormous games. It should never get more than an hour behind though.

would it be way to sketchy to ask for a joke?

Didn't understand that, sorry. Come again?

Oh, and I'm sure I will be back for some MP before too long. My enthusiasm for a CB1.93 is also building so as soon as I get a chance I'm going to get to work on that. We've built up a lot of great feedback over the last few months.

[parone]

you said you were doing comedy, so i asked for a joke that would make me. but, then i rechecked, and you said you were doing improv, which actually is a lot more fun. but if you're and improv, it's not like you have a bunch of canned bits.

we all watch the server, cus when the turns don't send, we all cry like little girls!!!

[Gandalf Parker]

This is greatly appreciated. I also tend to get flooded when one of the other Dom3 servers goes offline for abit.

Something you might consider, I have another server than mine which tests once an hour for general access (like ping or traceroute) to the server itself and emails my offserver account AND emails a text message to my cell phone if it cant reach the server. I dont get them very often but its very handy to get notified within an hour of a problem.

(its also kindof funny to get a text and say "oops I have to go" and when they ask "is that the wife" I say "no its my computer")

[Excist]

Does your girlfriend have a relieved look on her face when you tell her that, Gandalf?

[HoleyDooley]

LOL...I am an ex naval officer and we would periodically have formal dinners, dinner jacket etc. Mostly it was officers only but occasionally partners were allowed. Formal toasts was one of the many procedures to be followed. On those occasions is was customary to make this toast.

"To wives and girl friends.....may they never meet."

[Gandalf Parker]

Im afraid that both of them are jealous. Of the computer.

They consider themselves "computer widows". (I have 2 large monitors watching 5 computers. 2 desktops, 2 servers, and one that is outside of my 5 IP network)