Hey everyone,

Lately we've been noticing quite a bit of problems with the server and the boards. Frequently the DNS servers on the Internet can't find the site, or when you go to post you get mySQL errors.

Just so you know, RCT*Mart is hosted on a shared server. That means our host has multiple accounts all on one server. So high bandwidth usage on one of the other sites on our same server will affect RCT*Mart's performance. One time another shared site was using 30% of the total server resources. When I complained they shut down the other site (MP3 downloads, I guess), but assured me that was a rare situation (which I'm starting to doubt). The host apparently is working on some new programming solutions to better handle PHP on their servers, so hopefully that will help (whenever it comes along).

I've been calling almost daily to complain about server response times, etc. But it would help me immensely if people could post here whenever they encounter significant server problems* (time outs, unable to find the site, etc.) or errors on the boards (mySQL errors, etc.). That will help me when I contact the customer support for both the host and IPB for future tech support.

Just so you know, if you ever encounter a problem where you can't get into the Mart, usually hitting Refresh or Reload on your browser will get you in, though the servers may be slow still.

Please be as detailed as you can with the problems you're encountering. Include date and time when the problems occured. Also include any error message you may be encountering. Without detailed information we can't determine if there's a pattern developing or what the solution may be.

With your help hopefully we can get this taken care of.




*"significant server problems" does not include things like "I can't attach a file" or "where is my inbox". Just use this thread to post problems with the site or board crashing, not functioning properly, etc.

Hehehe...this kinda stuff is right up my alley!

Here's what I've noticed:

1 - I cannot get into the Manic Masion Final Entries topic at all. I don't even get an error message. The screen never changes once I click on the topic. I can tell the browser is try to load it but nothing else happens. I noticed this when I first logged on last night about 7 p.m. and I have not been able to get into that topic since.

2 - This afternoon around 1 p.m. I could not get the Assistant window to load. The window popped up but remained blank. Even refreshing the browser or closing it and re-entering the site did not help. Now its working fine.

3 - I have noticed a significant lag in the time it takes some forum topics to load. I'll start keeping track of which ones and when.

4 - Some images in some forum topics are not loading. This appears to be completely random though refreshing the topic doesn't get them to load. Sometimes closing the topic and re-opening it helps. Again, I'll start keeping track of the times and which topics I have problems with.

I'm on high speed cable, so my connection screams plus I don't seem to be having this problem with other sites. Hope this helps.

Hi !
I can't open the "Zacpro's coasters" topic in the rct2 aisle. I wait a long time and then it says :" Error, the website is not responding". I had this problem with other topics too, but dont remember which, sorry.
I had this problem about 5 minutes ago, but i think i will still have it in 5 minutes....
Hope you will find the problem !!
See you !

I couldn't get into to the SURBURBIA release topic the other day. I just kept timing out constantly. I was gutted because I was desperate to download it as I had read the pass around park thread and really wanted to have a go myself. After about an hour of trying I still had no luck.

Forunately I had the link to the direct download still in my history as I had been there before and changed my mind due to the enormous size of my objdata file already. So I am happy.


I tried it again this morning and still had no joy. It is quite strange actually. There are three pages in that topic. I can access page 2 but not pages 1 or 3.

Littleun.

Appx. 5 minutes previous to this post I got repeated 504 Connection Timed Out errors when trying to enter the structure and coaster contest final entry threads. They never did load although the Manic Mansion Final Entry thread opened for me at the same time Velvet had probs.

Everytime I try to enter our *ahem* LOTR confidential area, I get a 504 connection timed out. I just tried again at the time of this post!

Around 8:30 p.m. EST, Alichronen and I got an extremely sluggish response in the Caption Competition Topic in the games forum. It took us 30 minutes to get the first 9 pages to load and yes, we were trying to view them at the same time. Neither of us ever got page 10 to load so we gave up.

I keep getting this error

There appears to be an error with the RCT*Mart Forums database.
(along with additional technical information)

when I try to view the Indy Jone Coaster Contest Results thread. This error happens when I log on at home (on dial-up) and at the office (on DSL) over the past few days. I was able to view the thread last week though.

IPB (Invision Power Boards) thinks some of the database tables may be corrupt, and they are looking into the problems we're encountering. Please continue to post problems here, but be aware that we're trying to resolve them ASAP.

Thanks, everyone!!!

Thanks for the quick response, MBILA!

I seem to be running very slowly here tonight. The problem only seems to exist in my tropical group topic though. I know it can't be the pics, neither of them is over 82 kb.

I just got the MySql error in your topic Rohn. The board seems slower to me too tonight.

I've been having the same problem with Rohn's topic all evening.

Same prob here with Rohn's tropical and error 504's in Celtic Grove in RCT2 Parks aisle, and Neon lights by RCTguru inthe RCT2 custom objects aisle. These all occurred between 11am and 12pm today and I have still been unable to get into the final entries for the coaster and structure contests this month (error 504)

There's been a very noticable change in speed in the forum over the past couple weeks. Sometimes it takes forever for something to come up.

I get the following error (just a minute ago) when trying to access the forum on Indiana Jones Mine Ride Final Entries.


mySQL query error: SELECT s.member_id, s.member_name, s.login_type, s.location, g.suffix, g.prefix, g.g_perm_id, m.org_perm_id
FROM ipb_sessions s
LEFT JOIN ipb_groups g ON (g.g_id=s.member_group)
LEFT JOIN ipb_members m on (s.member_id=m.id)
WHERE s.in_topic=1051
AND s.running_time > 1097638371
ORDER BY s.running_time DESC

mySQL error: Lost connection to MySQL server during query
mySQL error code:
Date: Tuesday 12th of October 2004 08:42:51 PM

JCF

I've noticed that things my way are actually pretty good recently, albeit because of time zones perhaps, and I'm getting on when things are slowing down in the States.
I think I'm about 18/19 hours ahead of people in the US, so I can only presume it is 2 am right now. So I guess that bandwidth problems contribute to much of the problems right now.

No SQL errors to be noted either, though I haven't been going through too many threads recently.

K got another prob. I tried to start a new thread to post a couple tracks and after clicking post reply got a 504 I proceeded to try to reload the page and got another 504. HMM.. So I meander back into the aisle and see my new topic partially finished and double posted . Could a mod please delete this topic until I get another chance to post it. The topic is Hobbit Recreation in the RCT2 tracks aisle.
Thanx

Took care of it for you skatepunk

I cannot get into most of the topics in the RCT2 Aisle.

Lag time for the site seems to be improving though I'm still having problems getting into some topics. The topics I have problems with seem to be the ones with downloable files. They won't open at all.

Actually, it seems to be anything that has an attachment in the topic, be it a file or pic. Rohn Starr's tropical topic is still loading slow, but my topic with just the link back to the Depot is working fine. And both of those are in the RCT2 Aisle/Custom Objects forum. So, I think that the attachments are causing the problem at this point in time.

I haven't had any trouble really except for noticable slowness getting pages to load, and I wouldn't post here at all except someone mentioned threads with attachments sseem slow. Day before yesterday I responded to a post and attached a picture (banana stories in games and trivia) and I was never taken to the board after I hit submit post. AfterI waited a little I just hit stop and went to the main menu and back into the topic from there. I didn't wait long enough to get any errors, but I did wait several minutes before giving up. Maybe there's something to the idea about attachments causing errors...?




EDIT- that thread loaded slow for me again today so I removed my attachment from my post and it's faster for me now...whatever that means.

Thanks everyone.

And yes, the server errors seem to be happening on threads/topics that have items attached (using the 'browse' button).

Thanks again!!

Updated
Ok, the attachment problem seems to be resolved.

If anyone knows of any other problems that are lingering, please let me know by replying in this thread again.

WHEW! Took 'em 5 minutes after I told 'em it was on posts with attachments. LOL

I've been having trouble getting to the site for the past 3 days. I've been getting the page unavailable thingy when I try to access the main page...tonight it was unavailable for probably an hour. The last time it was only unavailable for maybe 15 minutes.

I noticed the same thing. It wasn't just the forums though. The whole RCTMart was gone... I tested Fossil's page, and it couldn't even load. I was using Mozilla, and the error that came up was saying the connection timed out.

I recevied this problem also for about an hour. I use SlimBrower.

Well it's not just me then. I'm using IE....everywhere else on the web I tried worked fine, just not here. Today though, slow, but so far so good.

Hey folks,

I talked to my host today and the guy wasn't too helpful, though he did mention that they're having problems with Road Runner (Time Warner) customers not being able to view their servers. That's a new one to me, given I wasn't aware that people's access on the web was restricted by their host's server settings... but who knows?

However, I told him I didn't think you folks had Road Runner. He then tried to tell me it was an AOL problem... and I proceeded to tell him it was an on-going problem with THEIR servers going down

He assured me their servers weren't down (and at the time of the call, they weren't) but if you are ever unable to access RCT*Mart, try this and report the results the next time you can log in:

1) type http://www11.powweb.com/ in your browser
2) If the server is down, you should NOT be able to reach that site either
3) If the server is up, you should receive a page that simply says "www.powweb.com" and has the IP address of the server at the top
4) Let me know if the server is in fact down

Also please let me know what browser you're using and who your ISP is if you are ever unable to get into the site again.

Thanks!

Brad

I'd consider finding a new host. Pow Web is completely unreliable. Though, I'm sure you don't need me to be one of the many voices to say so, lol.

=D

yeah, I've been considering a new host. Just not looking forward to the headache and trouble that switching hosts entails.

But we'll see.

Hi

May I suggest a wonderful host that I have used for almost a year now, with LOADS of real help, and virtually no down time whasoever...in fact, we have never been down that I'm aware of.

www.inmotionhosting.com

I run the RCT Fusion website for the guys and had very little experience with all of this stuff, and the people there are so helpful its been the easiest thing ever. I also transferred the site from a 'free' freewebs site and they helped with that.

all redirects are going to http://rctmart.rctspace.com instead of /

and with the link without the www i get page cannot be displayed and i cant post anything. by typing in the www before the url it worked again. i can see the pages but cannot post.

Which redirects to you mean, Lord Dreamer?

I've never noticed the "www." in the URLs here but have never had any problems because of that.

What browser are you using?