Author Topic: Discussion about board migration  (Read 18268 times)

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #20 on: February 22, 2017, 06:58:51 AM »
If one of you's willing to take on the server hosting and Meg wants to part with it (I'm assuming here that the gameologists already know of the idea through altpersona or someone else, or it would be rather rude to start laying plans)

So- let me clarify...

There are 2 options. Someone could really really know what they are doing and be extremely trustworthy, but gotta tell you, I've been burned BAD in the last couple years (like, we're talking police involvement) because of trusting the wrong people so doubt that will happen. OR

Someone could know what they are doing, set up their own site, be trustworthy enough to get the keys to my backend to get all of the data out, copy it into their site and tada, off of my plate.

Again though- decide here. Talk it through. And then send me a comprehensive PLAN (not ideas or wishes) that will take max 1/2 an hour of my time.

I look forward to our new board.

Offline veekie

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #21 on: February 22, 2017, 09:47:29 AM »
I could assist with the move, though time is of limited availability ever since I got employed(and naturally can't access the boards from work). If I have backend access to the new boards I could also help with any outages and emergencies, though to be honest most of the outages we experience recently are from the observed evidence, mainly based on yelling at the host to fix.

The biggest challenges here:
-Getting alternative hosting. This takes money mostly, and finding a reliable hosting for a fairly large chunk of data takes some knowledge.
-Someone to be the RL phone contact person to actually resolve hosting downtime issues. Yes, email works, but if you want a turnaround time on less than a week you'd need someone to call and yell at people to do what they're paid for.
-Figuring out the data format everything is stored in, getting it backed up as raw data, and then we need new board software as well since our version of SMF is very dated. Fortunately most forum software is nearly idiotproof to set up, but translating data  from one to another needs either prior familiarity with SMF backend, or some time to look over the current setup and figure it out. Preferably the former, as she's expressed not having the time to watch over someone else accessing rather private data, but really if we export all the forum data and the current software, any one with web programming experience at all could figure it out given a couple of days, so we just need to pull the site data.
-Having the bandwidth and storage space to house the raw database while doing all this. The site is going to be QUITE substantial, eyeballing it.

So the technical element is very nearly the simplest part.  If necessary I do have a few days leave banked up to assist with.
The bandwidth, storage space, trust and money are not quite so simple.
« Last Edit: February 22, 2017, 09:49:00 AM by veekie »
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Offline Nanshork

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #22 on: February 22, 2017, 10:30:16 AM »
As long as we're sticking with SimpleMachines, I've looked into what it would take to migrate from a technical point of view and it would be pretty simple.

I think that trust is going to be the biggest issue, followed by storage space.

I can totally access the boards from work, and do all the time, but I won't have time to actually help with a migration from work if I'm pulled in for that.

Offline Stratovarius

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #23 on: February 22, 2017, 10:32:21 AM »
Do we have a general estimate on the size of data storage necessary? It's going to be relevant regardless of who ends up hosting.

Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #24 on: February 22, 2017, 10:55:53 AM »
This is awesome. I'm actually kinda bummed out all my forum moderation experience isn't with Simple Machines forums
It's the same concepts either way, some of the links move around and VB has a ton of mods making several forums a unique deal in their own right.

I'd like to nominate SorO as a mod.  Just because it would be a big "fuck you" to certain other sites with overly zealous moderators.
I love you to bruh.

Should a more real-time platform to discuss the issue on seem useful, the #mmxgeneral IRC channel still exists.
Finally someone besides you might be on there too.

I think that trust is going to be the biggest issue, followed by storage space.
It always is.

Do we have a general estimate on the size of data storage necessary? It's going to be relevant regardless of who ends up hosting.
The only insight to that I can provide is everything past basic is "unlimited*", with the asterisk meaning if it's a problem you don't get unlimited, and Blue Host appears to use Linux so it's less than 200,000 inodes but there no telling the actual size.

"A lot" is an easy answer :p

Edit - There is also the question of will BG's archive be moving as well?
« Last Edit: February 22, 2017, 01:52:05 PM by SorO_Lost »

Offline nijineko

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #25 on: February 22, 2017, 01:55:00 PM »
Hmmm. I'm an IT guy as well, but more hardware than software, sadly - only minimal familiarity with coding.

I'm more interested in 3.x than anything 5e... but then none of my active groups currently play anything but 3.x, and none of my other circles have ever invited me to play a 5e game (despite being part of the beta), so, haven't really had any real playtime with 5e.

I could assist someone else knowledgeable in small bite-sized chunks, should any such tasks exist - don't have large amounts of time to devote.

And while I'm generally accounted trustworthy by those who know me, I'm pretty sure I don't have any trust banked with Meg, so I can't help there either. ^^

And SorO should be the copy-editor/proof-editor/fact checker/fallacy popper, belike.

Offline Prime32

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #26 on: February 22, 2017, 02:14:21 PM »
Regarding someone with the trustworthiness and the know-how to grab the files, there's veekie and Prime, who are both computer people and longstanding mods. In veekie's case, I even talk to him regularly still.

Should a more real-time platform to discuss the issue on seem useful, the #mmxgeneral IRC channel still exists.
I am indeed a computer people, though I think veekie has more back-end experience than me. I could do maintenance, upgrades and new features, though I would trust him more to handle the actual migration.

I still lurk on #mmxgeneral, even if I don't often post there.

Offline brujon

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #27 on: February 22, 2017, 02:54:44 PM »
I'd like to nominate SorO as a mod.  Just because it would be a big "fuck you" to certain other sites with overly zealous moderators.

Now i'm imagining SorO as an IRC Channel moderator and his messages on kick and/or bans  :lmao  :lmao  :lmao  :lmao
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Offline Stratovarius

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #28 on: February 22, 2017, 03:09:51 PM »
So it looks like we have Nanshork, Veekie, and Prime volunteered as technical support/forum IT, myself, altpersona, and possibly RobbyPants (hasn't jumped into this thread yet) offering to host, and Agita to be our formal documentation specialist to help plan the move.

Next steps appear to be (compressing from other posts on the thread) -

1. A decision on who will host the site.
1a. Determining what the actual needs of the site are (database size, expected growth, and bandwidth)
1b. Determining whether minmaxboards.com will be transferred to the new site's host as well
2. An implementation schedule and team.
2b. An implementation team member to be the contact person to resolve hosting/downtime issues, and take point on technical issues.

Have I missed anything?

Offline Nanshork

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #29 on: February 22, 2017, 03:20:41 PM »
I can think of a couple of post-migration steps but other than that I think you covered everything.

Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #30 on: February 22, 2017, 03:43:42 PM »
Now i'm imagining SorO as an IRC Channel moderator and his messages on kick and/or bans  :lmao  :lmao  :lmao  :lmao
Does it look anything like this?

Offline bhu

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #31 on: February 22, 2017, 04:59:42 PM »
Being a mod isn't as fun as it seems.  I've been one on three different forums, and settling threads that go sideways is no fun.

Oddly Bigfoot forums seem to be the worst.  One person says something normally unprovocative, and then it's death threats, death threats for everyone...

Offline brujon

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #32 on: February 22, 2017, 05:03:07 PM »
Now i'm imagining SorO as an IRC Channel moderator and his messages on kick and/or bans  :lmao  :lmao  :lmao  :lmao
Does it look anything like this?

It was pretty much my mental picture, alongside some specific insults about the situation that ensued the kick and/or ban.

@Bhu: I know, i was also a mod on several big(ish) channels on IRC 10+ years ago. Forums are even worse...
"All the pride and pleasure of the world, mirrored in the dull consciousness of a fool, are poor indeed compared with the imagination of Cervantes writing his Don Quixote in a miserable prison" - Schopenhauer, Aphorisms: The Wisdom of Life

Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #33 on: February 22, 2017, 05:26:32 PM »
Being a mod isn't as fun as it seems.  I've been one on three different forums, and settling threads that go sideways is no fun.
Been there, you should have tried Ultima Online in it's heydays. PvP attracted the worst kinds of people who wanted to do nothing by prove they are the best and ruin everyone's else's day.

It's pretty much the gaming den on crack :p

Offline linklord231

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #34 on: February 22, 2017, 05:59:00 PM »
Honestly I didn't even know we had an IRC.

And yes, I know it's not a good reason for appointing a moderator, but it amuses the fuck out of me to imagine. It would certainly let new members know what to expect, that we found the most aggressive flamer we could and made him a Mod.
I'm not arguing, I'm explaining why I'm right.

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #35 on: February 22, 2017, 06:00:22 PM »
I know computers but nothing about forum backends and precious little about server configuration.

But posting to make sure I follow the conversation.

Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #36 on: February 22, 2017, 06:09:57 PM »
And yes, I know it's not a good reason for appointing a moderator, but it amuses the fuck out of me to imagine. It would certainly let new members know what to expect, that we found the most aggressive flamer we could and made him a Mod.
You could just have a new button at the bottom of posts called "Report to SorO".

Also I may have to hire out some apprentices, come to the dark side. We have cookies.

Offline ketaro

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #37 on: February 22, 2017, 06:47:14 PM »
Am I the only one who enjoys being a moderator?  :P

@soro
I dunno, I've been an admin for both vb and SMF forums and they're really different behind the scenes in my opinion. I couldn't find my way thru SMF as smoothly as vb

Offline Nanshork

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #38 on: February 22, 2017, 07:25:53 PM »
I'm a systems administrator, I enjoy having all the power because then I know things are done properly.  Does that count?  :P

Offline brujon

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Re: Discussion about board migration
« Reply #39 on: February 22, 2017, 08:17:43 PM »
Honestly I didn't even know we had an IRC.

And yes, I know it's not a good reason for appointing a moderator, but it amuses the fuck out of me to imagine. It would certainly let new members know what to expect, that we found the most aggressive flamer we could and made him a Mod.

We don't, i was talking in general, lol

But maybe it's a good idea, to coordinate the server moving? Instantaneous communication might be a good idea.
"All the pride and pleasure of the world, mirrored in the dull consciousness of a fool, are poor indeed compared with the imagination of Cervantes writing his Don Quixote in a miserable prison" - Schopenhauer, Aphorisms: The Wisdom of Life