server of forum

[T-shirt]

When the game is being locked for backup, the forum is also down. Isn't it possible to move the forum to another server?

[Chris Johnson]

The forum is also backed up at the same time - We only have one server - additional servers will cost more money For the sake of 10 minutes a day it doesn't seem worth the bother or expense.

[N-Aldwitch]

I'll host it.

Or look into Dream Host- http://www.dreamhost.com

They are so good, Google is funding them 190 million USD ($190,000,000).

They offer $7 per month hosting plans. That's 2 terrabytes of transfer, which increases by 16gig each week. And 200gig of space, increasing by 1gig each week.

They call that plan the 'Crazy Insane deal' or something. No surprise, eh?

It doesn't sacrifice quality, either. There is no lag. Myspace uses Dream Host!

A friend of mine found it.

[Sho]

I believe the current system gives staff a good deal of control over the workings of the server. Also, several of the services run on the server are linked together - for example, the wiki and the resources database. Both will likely be harder with multiple servers. And there's all the bother of moving house from one server to another.

And as far as load is concerned, virtually all the load on the server comes from the game itself. Moving the forum off won't help.


Going offtopic:

Yesterday, on the official Dreamhost blog: "In fact, I bet just by posting this, I could start some rumors a la 'Google in talks to buy DreamHost for $190,000,000.'"
And Dreamhost does not host Myspace. They have data centers in the same building.

[Phalynx]

You're missing the point guys...

When the game is down, the forum is down. but when the game is down is the forum becomes more important.

When the game goes all buggy and laggy the forum becomes useless as well but people can't get the info about what's occuring.

Maybe we need a campaign for donations for somewhere to move the board to.

[Jos Elkink]

For as far as I know, the forum doesn't go down when the game is backed up. Only when the forum is backed up (which is immediately afterwards, but takes much less time) is it down.

Of course, if the server itself is down, both are .

I can see the point, and yes, it would sometimes be handy to reach players even when the site is offline, but it's a fairly minor issue, and we do make use of the fact that we now have full access to everything and can link things.

[Elros]

Yes I agree with Jos, and even if the game is down for several hours, I mean it is not the end of the world. You don't HAVE to get on the forums and talk about it. It will not make it get fixed any quicker, so it is best just to leave it where it is most accesible and easy to use by the staff, and where it is cheaper.

[Phalynx]

So how much would I have to donate to get a seperate forum space then?

[Sho]

Staff's position seems to be that they just don't want to move the forum, regardless of money issues. If you offer them a thousand zorkmids for the specific purpose of moving the forums, maybe they'll take the bribe - but that would be coercive. Getting the main server upgraded, or giving the Marketing Department a budget, are probably higher priorities in general.
If you want to run your own unofficial Cantr forum, you could certainly do that - as N-Aldwitch said, it's easy to do, and there are players with the resources to do it for free. But I think the IRC channels are a tolerable substitute when Cantr is down.

[the_antisocial_hermit]

You don't HAVE to get on the forums and talk about it.

I don't think their point is about getting on and talking about it so much as having the ability to be updated and kind of know what's going on. I'm sure when there are problems, more people try to get on the forums for an answer or idea of what's going on but can't.

But I think the IRC channels are a tolerable substitute when Cantr is down.

If the players that want the information can find their way to it without the link on the front page, or want to try and go in there to ask. On the forums you don't necessarily have to ask to find some information to help you understand it; you don't even have to log in. In the IRC, you would, even if others are talking about it when you reach there. And the IRC may be a little daunting to some people.

At any rate, I do understand the reasons behind not separating them and overall, it's probably not worth it. Not really for or against, those are just two points I saw.

[Jos Elkink]

Yeah, good point, Sho ... if you pay enough money, of course I can be bought ... And then, yes, we'll move the forum ... We're not talking about the cost of hosting, of course ...