TOCH Down :(

[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!

[Alex Smart]

Just seen that TOCH is back. Thank you Ruy, you made the right decision 👏 👍
Now so happy that in the future members will be able to see all the information that members over the years have contributed. It would have been a massive historical loss to future generations.
So thank you Ruy 😊

[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.

[edwest2]

I have noticed significant recent outages here and I do not want to assume anything. Is this maintenance? Server problems? Or something else?


Thank you.

[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.

[Alex Smart]

Re: https://lwag.org/forums/

I have tried to register but for some reason cannot open the posts ?
Maybe my registration has not been accepted or am I missing something that I should do ?

[DDT]

Hey Ed,

Check folder OFF TOPIC, more info about the problems regarding our favourite forum. Kind regards

[DDT]

Sorry, my mistake, its in the folder GENERAL 😏

[edwest2]

Thanks.

[edwest2]

LWAG has not been updated for a long time. It was owned by Richard Eger who passed away. It would be a significant loss if messages posted there cannot be recovered.

In a similar case, the Luftwaffe Experten Message Board (LEMB) contains significant information. I can still access it by using my original log-in. But it effectively closed some years back and exists only as an archive.

Perhaps the owner of TOCH! should consider writing a will to someone who can continue operating the site.*

*Hey, as much as I refuse to admit it, I've gotten just a little bit older. Not by much