!!! ADVANCE WARNING - please read !!!

[AliK]

WHAT'S OCCURRING:

We will be switching our hosting provider for the zclub forum next week on Wednesday 26th August.

This is like transporting your z and all the contents of your garage to a new home. A great opportunity to have a Spring clean but one to be carried out with care and patience.


WHY:

Our existing hosting costs have gone up and the solution we use is like a 1000bhp engine in an s30. Simply put, overkill.

We will also have new functionality I.e. a control panel that will help us better maintain the site and clean up some of the dead links, get automated off site back ups, etc.


WHAT WILL HAPPEN:

On Wednesday morning (26th) between 08:00 - 10:00 the site will become "read only". That means no one can post however you can search. This is to allow a final clean copy of the site to be taken across to the new hosting provider's server. We will of course have to live without Sean's wit for a couple of hours but if we are brave, we may just pull through.

Next, our URL (zclub.net) will be repointed to the new server. This process will take 0-6 hours to trickle through the DNS servers across the internet.

During this time you will either find site not found errors or be directed to read only "old" site or find intermittent access depending on which DNS servers your PC chooses at any given time.

It's a bit like staring an L series on a cold day - sometimes you get lucky first time, but if not expect to be patient.


WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

1. Please be patient, as z owners / tinkerers you will undoubtedly be familiar with the phrase what could possibly go wrong when making any straight forward change, right!?

2. If by the end of Wednesday you are unable to get to the site, clear your browser history. If you still can't get to the site, open a command window in Windows, by going to Start>Run type CMD, then type IPCONFIG /FLUSHDNS and hit the enter key. Close that window and try again.

3. I will set up a new thread called BUGS (no relation to bunny) please report any issues on the thread so that we can consolidate and report back to the new hosting company.

4. Did I say be patient?

5. Enjoy the site as before and continue the good humour / ribbing on the new server.

 

[Huw]

As yousay Ali, ' what could possibly go wrong!'. Sure it will happen smoothly, good luck.

One question however, will this move eventually lead to fixing all the broken links on the site?

Cheers

Huw

 

[datsfun]

Also will our new set up allow PMAC to receive PM's?:lol:

 

[toopy]

Good luck with that!

Hope there's not too much hair pulling and forehead scratching involved!

 

[AliK]

Thanks fellas.

We've done a test migration and ironed out some bugs already. Burnsie and I have been playing on our parallel universe zclub site for a few weeks.

Mr Huw - Plan is to get a successful / stable migration first, ensuring the bandwidth, speed and response times are appropriate, then take back ups. When happy we begin an incremental site clean up, including sorting out dead links, old files and the front page of the site.

We can deal with issues, challenges and often the impossible ... but to get PMAC on PMs is just that step too far

 

[Dale]

And don't forget, if you can't get access onto the site, instructions on what to do are on the site.

 

[AliK]

ROFLMAO!! I had thought of that one! Will be revealed nearer the time

 

[Dale]

Haha, I couldn't help myself. Good work though mate.

 

[AliK]

Bump!

Just to remind you all that we will be briefly off-line tomorrow and "read only" from about 08:00.

Don / Albrecht: you will need to call a cease fire for a couple of hours!

In all seriousness:

~ we will go read only on the database first thing but I can't give you exact time, it depends on the new hosting company and their activities.

~ Then a final copy of the DB is taken and goes live on the new server

~ then the DNS entry will be changed around 10:00 am.

It will take a little time for the entry to trickle through across the internet. During this time, you know you are looking at the old server if you can't log on to the site or see zero members online.

You know you are looking at the new if you can log in and see others online.


If by end of day you still see old site you may need to flush your DNS cache.

Screen shots below on how to flush your DNS cache (meant to do last night but family commitments - read screaming, inconsolable child in need of an exorcist -got in the way!)

If your DNS entry has not updated you will still see this site and be able to see this thread but please save the screen shots to be on the safe side.

Or just copy this:

Start command prompt window: Start>run (or in Windows 7 the blank box) type CMD. Alternatively you will find it under Accessories>Command prompt. Right click and "run as administrator"

Then At the command line type IPCONFIG /FLUSHDNS

Also clear your browser's history.

Simples!!!

We should be back on the same channel where we can review Johny's plans for world domination and enjoy Don's shiny bits!!! Oooh, suits you sir!

 

[RIDDLER]

Good luck - it's all bloody gobbledygook to me. Just hope I can find the site afterwards without having to flush it down the loo (or whatever the above means)!

 

[AliK]

Last bump to make sure all have read!

Dale/Ridfler, thank you for the best wishes.

I'll see you on the flip side, we hope!

 

[STEVE BURNS]

looks like it has switched over I hope

 

[AliK]

Yes sir we are live and kicking on a new server!!!!

 

[Jake RAH]

Nice one guys Thanks for your time & effort in getting things sorted

 

[AliK]

Pleasure, let's hope we continue a bug free uninterrupted service into the future.