TOCH Down :(

[retje]

Hello Ruy,

Glad TOCH is back online. If you're going to update vBulletin to the newset version, you'll also need to get the latest PHP server, which of course incurs extra costs.

I agree with Alex Smart's idea.

Thanks for all your efforts.
Regards René

[Andy Mitchell]

Ruy,

Glad to see TOCH back.....lost without it!

Happily agree with both Alex and René regarding contributions.

[Ruy Horta]

I’m looking into a number of actions.
First I need to understand why I am only allowed half of the standard dbase size (1GB instead of 2GB)

Second the upgrade path is relatively clear (at least high level).
PHP upgrade is not a problem, but once I commit there is no way back (AFAIK my provider does not provide a down grade path)

vBulletin 6 offers a direct upgrade from ver 3.7.2 so that is promising.

Funding, that’s another matter, I don’t like to ask for anything unless I have something tangible.

But time wise I’ll be mostly limited to weekends.
So for now I am not touching the indexes anymore, until I have more database space.

The upgrade, if it can be arranged will take some time. I’ll have to buy the license and look into all kinds of details that I last looked into years ago.

So my apologies for the inconvenience.
…but as an absentee “landlord” I need to regain some of that old enthusiasm!

[leonventer]

Ruy,

Thanks very much for all your efforts. It's great to have access to TOCH again!

Your site has been operating reliably for two decades, which is a phenomenal achievement. It's a big relief to know that vBulletin supports direct migration from version 3.7.2 to version 6. I'm hoping that the software upgrade will go smoothly and that the increase in database size won't cause any issues.

However, on the off-chance that things do go badly, I'd just like to offer you and everyone else some reassurance and peace of mind: I made a complete archive of TOCH (i.e. all forums, sub-forums, threads and posts) at the end of January, and I'm currently busy doing another download. My scraper makes a page request every 5 seconds so as not to overload the server, and therefore takes about a week to traverse the entire site. If TOCH should ever go down permanently, I'll make the archive available on a website that I'm working on. The site will also include an archive of the original incarnation of TOCH (1998-2004), as well as other Luftwaffe-related reference data.

Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions.

Best regards,
Leon Venter

p.s. Like many others have offered, I'd gladly contribute to the cost of running TOCH.

[Bombphoon]

Originally Posted by leonventer

Ruy,

Thanks very much for all your efforts. It's great to have access to TOCH again!

Your site has been operating reliably for two decades, which is a phenomenal achievement. It's a big relief to know that vBulletin supports direct migration from version 3.7.2 to version 6. I'm hoping that the software upgrade will go smoothly and that the increase in database size won't cause any issues.

However, on the off-chance that things do go badly, I'd just like to offer you and everyone else some reassurance and peace of mind: I made a complete archive of TOCH (i.e. all forums, sub-forums, threads and posts) at the end of January, and I'm currently busy doing another download. My scraper makes a page request every 5 seconds so as not to overload the server, and therefore takes about a week to traverse the entire site. If TOCH should ever go down permanently, I'll make the archive available on a website that I'm working on. The site will also include an archive of the original incarnation of TOCH (1998-2004), as well as other Luftwaffe-related reference data.

Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions.

Best regards,
Leon Venter

p.s. Like many others have offered, I'd gladly contribute to the cost of running TOCH.

Hi Leon,

Are you able to archive the information on this forum too?

https://lwag.org/forums/

It looks like there is some good information there but the forum is inactive.

Thanks.

[leonventer]

Originally Posted by Bombphoon

Are you able to archive the information on this forum too?

https://lwag.org/forums/

It looks like there is some good information there but the forum is inactive.

Yes, it was a very useful site. The late Richard Eger started LWAG (Luftwaffe Archives & Records Reference Group), and he collaborated with several notable Luftwaffe researchers to compile a vast amount of information from many different sources on the site's discussion board.

I would dearly like to preserve this part of Richard's legacy, but sadly, it doesn't seem possible. The problem is that the site is currently just an empty shell. The only functional parts are the displaying of the home page and the first page of threads in each forum, as well as the first page of the members list. It isn't possible to view the contents of any threads because their links are no longer present, and the 'Search' feature doesn't work. I used to be a member, but the 'Log in' mechanism is broken. Also, the 'Register' and 'Contact Us' features have been disabled.

This is all a bit puzzling because someone is still paying for the domain name and hosting fees, and the site's database obviously still contains at least some thread and member data. If anyone knows one of the site's administrators (the listed ones are Charles Petrie, Jamie Iverson, and 'Maerlyn'), please let them know that I'd be happy to make an archive of the content and make it publicly & freely available.

In the interest of clarity, I want to be explicit about my motivation for doing this:
I attach great value to the collective knowledge in such forums, and I cannot bear the thought of it being lost. I have benefited greatly from the information contributed by researchers who have spent much time and effort dredging through primary sources, and as an ex-software engineer, this is one way in which I can give back to the community. I respect intellectual property and copyright law, and, where possible, I will always obtain consent before publishing such material. The archives will be hosted free of ads, tracking cookies, or any exploitation of personal or proprietary data. I hope that makes my intentions clear.

Leon Venter

[edwest2]

Hi Leon,

Can you see this?

https://lwag.org/forums/forumdisplay...5a4005e9_f_11/