status.metafilter.com independent or not? August 15, 2004 6:46 AM   Subscribe

Matt: when you setup status.metafilter.com, wasn't it supposed to be independent of the Mefi server? I don't get how come they were both down at the same time last night.
posted by dash_slot- to Uptime at 6:46 AM (41 comments total)

o, come on, someone had to post about it...
posted by dash_slot- at 6:47 AM on August 15, 2004


it's not used anyway. the wiki usually gets updated so you know it's nothing personal (but someone carefully tidies up the text - "again" or "what a surprise" are apparently not good form).

i was surprised by the timing of this last outage. it was about 8-12 hours out of synch with normal.
posted by andrew cooke at 7:06 AM on August 15, 2004


The fact that status.metafilter is down tells you that metafilter is down. What could be more perfect than that?

It's not as if status.metafilter serves any real purpose anyway, even if it were independent. The last post is about the wiki front-end causing trouble. When was that again? I think I heard my grandparents talk of it. And they've been dead for years.
posted by Blue Stone at 7:07 AM on August 15, 2004


andrew cooke: er, matt deliberately set it up on a different server, and said it would be updated. I guess it wasn't as long outage (less than a day), but maybe it's not on a separate one after all. The wiki gets updated by members - blind leading the blind, if you ask me.

I hope no-one is taking offence at this - only askin'. (",)
posted by dash_slot- at 8:29 AM on August 15, 2004


i know - but it's never updated anyway. so what's the point in worrying?
posted by andrew cooke at 8:31 AM on August 15, 2004




Yes, why in the world would anyone hold mathowie accountable to something he had said in the past? Don't you know "it's his steenkin site and he can be as neglectful with it as he wants to be"???
posted by rushmc at 9:53 AM on August 15, 2004


Yep, quonsar, we're all experiencing J2EE quality. Can you feel it?
posted by reklaw at 9:58 AM on August 15, 2004


i don't get you people. the site was written ages ago by someone who wasn't a good programmer (at the time, no idea now). it's flakey. we all know it's flakey. it's flakey and free. what's the point in bitching about it? do something better if you want. what are you expecting here? matt's going to post some excuse, perhaps promise something, to get you off his back. then nothing will change. then what? you're all gonna whine again. thank god pavlov didn't have you to experiment on: "it doesn't work"; no change; "it doesn't work"; no change; "it doesn't work"...
posted by andrew cooke at 10:27 AM on August 15, 2004


MetaFilter: Flakey and free
posted by page404 at 10:36 AM on August 15, 2004


at least pavlov's fucking bell rang reliably.
posted by quonsar at 10:53 AM on August 15, 2004


...matt's going to post some excuse, perhaps promise something, to get you off his back.

Pancakes for everyone!
posted by FunkyHelix at 11:06 AM on August 15, 2004


at least pavlov's fucking bell rang reliably

He had a bell for that too?
posted by languagehat at 12:23 PM on August 15, 2004


status.metafilter.com did not appear to be down for me at all, and additionally appears to be a typepad hosted site.

but the wiki is the place to go for updates, anyhoo.
posted by mwhybark at 12:34 PM on August 15, 2004


Andrew cooke - i suspected that someone would go down the 'stop whining and bitching' route. Hence my preemptive apology... fat lot of good that did (",)

Re: the Wiki. Matt does not add info to that, as far as I know. Why would I go there for some info about the two sites - staus.metafilter.com & www.metafilter.com. Are you expexting adrianhon - wiki host - or someone else to commune first with mathowie and then post to the wiki? The wiki just has members wondering what is going on. It would not, for example, answer my enquiry as per this post.

I was politely, courteously, almost deferfuckingentially asking about the coincidence of 2 separate servers going down at the same time, when one is a status report about the other. It's a request for information. Maybe I got it wrong, and they aren't on different servers. Maybe I need to be put right.

Got any information? No? [This is the space where other Mefites tell you to fuck right off. But I'll assume your snark is due to some misapprehension].

Then I'd appreciate it if you didn't characterise the thread as some free loaders whipping the maitre d' for more freebies. It's not what it is. Read it again if necessary.
posted by dash_slot- at 12:44 PM on August 15, 2004


Got any information? No?

um, I think mwhybark was saying that status.metafilter.com was up for him/her. as it was for me--i checked a couple of times, and it was up both times.

i think the problem is that there probably wasn't any status to report: as soon as an admin heard that the server was down, they probably just rebooted it.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 12:59 PM on August 15, 2004


an admin heard ... they probably just rebooted it.
|| ||
Matt Matt
posted by gleuschk at 1:09 PM on August 15, 2004


well, i figured that, but surely he's granted a few other people admin rights (?)

anyway, i think people need to simmer down. simmer!
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 1:40 PM on August 15, 2004


Nope - since Skippy's apprenticeship ended & he went to seek his fortune in the Big City, it's just been matt.

How he copes, I'll never know.

As to status being up for some and down for others thats actually useful info in itself. I only saw Jrun errors, and so did for example majick, who posted to the wiki.

This wouldn't be half as big a deal if somehow some folk felt that mathowie's credibility / skills / honour or something needed defending. It doesn't. It's not in doubt. He rules [justly, and justifiably]. OK? Back to the thread...
posted by dash_slot- at 2:34 PM on August 15, 2004


It certainly would make much sense to have the status blog on the same server except as a joke. It has a different IP address so I doubt that's the case.

Are you sure you didn't make a typo in status.metafilter.com? Note that anything but status.metafilter.com (staatus.metafilter.com, for example) would try to go to MetaFilter which was down, of course.
posted by timeistight at 3:06 PM on August 15, 2004


"It certainly would not…" Typo day today.
posted by timeistight at 3:07 PM on August 15, 2004


ok, dash_slot, i'll take this real slow. are you with me?

in my first reply i pointed out that the site is irrelevant. you told me it was for reporting status. i told you again, it's not updated.

with me so far? ok, next quonsar + rushmc do their armchair-expert duet and i point out that they are just blowing air. still following?

then you start complaining i'm bitching at you, and ask again about a server that HASN'T BEEN FUCKING UPDATED SINCE APRIL.

so, in my scheme of things i'm thinking: (1) you've misinterpreted my pavlov comments as being directed particularly at you and (2) that there's something in the concept that a site without information is not interesting that just isn't sinking in. are you sitting in front of a heavy crt monitor? if so, please rest your head on the desk, reach forwards, lift the monitor, drop it on your skull, and repeat, until something changes. hopefully for the better, although frankly i'm starting not to care.
posted by andrew cooke at 3:11 PM on August 15, 2004


errr. sorry? i think that was a bit strong. i'd take it back if i could...
posted by andrew cooke at 3:25 PM on August 15, 2004


I know what you are [repeatedly] saying, Andrew. Does my ignoring of it mean anything to you? Could you maybe be answering a question I havent asked?

1. I asked if they were on separate servers. You said: it's not updated anyway [not an answer to my query, from someone who wasn't even asked.] Do you have a habit of speaking for others? That probably annoys people around you. It fucking annoys the crap outta me.

2. I get it. It's not updated anyway. And? Is there any curiosity with you about it? I mean, did you get a memo I missed? Why set it up and abandon it? Did user#1 tell you? No? Well let him speak for himself. It's only polite.

3. You have now named the folk you had a beef with - but initially used the vague formulation 'i don't get you people'. Why should that NOT refer to the original poster?

4. At one point you ask 'what's the point of worrying?' Why do you think my query is a worry? There are clear questions up there, and you don't answer them. Why are you in this thread again?
posted by dash_slot- at 3:41 PM on August 15, 2004


Oh, ok. That's all right then. Try to ignore the snarky bits. I will too.

Just trying to find a torch in the dark, is all.
posted by dash_slot- at 3:43 PM on August 15, 2004


status.metafilter.com is being run on typepad, a server I don't control. If both servers were down at once, that's quite a coincidence.

I set the site up mostly to post notes about upcoming and extended outages. Every few days, the server hits a hiccup, but nothing in the way of a major outage has taken place since the change over to the new web server software.

But I'll try to be a bit more proactive about posting there, noting whenever I do a reboot or server restart (the last one I did was Saturday morning).
posted by mathowie (staff) at 5:13 PM on August 15, 2004


The Wiki is just more reliably updated, whether by Matt or not. If I'm not mistaken, you updated it yourself last night. That's how it's supposed to work. Good job! I never look at status.metafilter.com anymore, because it isn't updated. But you seem determined to continue looking at it and demanding its use until Matt removes the page and the dns record. Is that the point?
posted by scarabic at 5:14 PM on August 15, 2004


sorry - comments were addressed to dash_slot-
posted by scarabic at 5:15 PM on August 15, 2004


No, scarabic. I occasionally remember to look at it when we get the [now, thankfully less common] outages. I am demanding nothing, and requesting little. That little is simply that if there was ever a point to it [mathowie still seems to think there was, and is], can we keep it going?

Matt says: yes.
You say: crap.

Yes, I 'updated' the wiki - with a question, not information about the downtime. Was my question at all useful to you? As useful as an appropriately updated status blog?

Where do you get off, spouting crap like that?
posted by dash_slot- at 5:26 PM on August 15, 2004


Okay, you can calm down now. I know you think I'm eternally condescending and all, but that's not my intention at all. It's great if Matt updates the status blog more, but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. The Wiki is generally well updated now, and has been for a while. I don't see a problem.
posted by scarabic at 5:35 PM on August 15, 2004


Okay, you can calm down now. I know you think I'm eternally condescending and all.

Two perfectly matching sentences: do I get to win the lottery?

If I type in capitals, or bold, will it help you to not miss the point scarabic?

How is my (or your, or his, or her) altering the text on the wiki an update on the server status?

Mathowie has answered my queries well, thanks matt. You, however, are still nitpicking the original request.

Please stop.
posted by dash_slot- at 5:51 PM on August 15, 2004


The Wiki is fun and all, but "mefi is down" isn't exactly new information for the people who go there because MeFi is down. Matt updating the status complete with suspected cause and estimated time of getting the server back up would be what most people are looking for. Of course, in 99% of the cases, once someone with enough access to diagnose the problem is aware of it, they can just fix it. So, long story short: status blog is pretty much useless for outages, Wiki is pretty much useless for outages.
posted by fvw at 5:53 PM on August 15, 2004


Seems to be so :(

C'est la vie. Every solution has a problem...
posted by dash_slot- at 6:11 PM on August 15, 2004


Actually, "MeFi is down" is useful for two reasons. One, I never assume a site is down if I can't get to it until I have confirmation. Routing or DNS problems are more likely. I might be able to (help) fix those. So, I check status.metafilter.com when MeFi is down. Two, bunches of people go to #mefi when MeFi is down and ask "is metafilter down"? Granted they probably still would in any case, but it's a nice fantasy that they would check status.metafilter.com first.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 6:34 PM on August 15, 2004


nothing in the way of a major outage has taken place since the change over to the new web server software.

Just out of curiousity, what do you consider a "major outage"? Cuz the jrun was giving me the finger for at least half a day, which seems relatively major to me.
posted by rushmc at 8:18 PM on August 15, 2004


"Joggin' with Mr. Jrun"
posted by quonsar at 8:42 PM on August 15, 2004


We are all just a bunch of addicts, aren't we? I got JRunned all day yesterday, man! I mean, I kept checking and checking and hoping and hoping and....

Metafilter: more addictive than crack.
posted by Lynsey at 8:43 PM on August 15, 2004


I was. . . asking about the coincidence of 2 separate servers going down at the same time

Some sort of DNS glitch, perhaps? Since one is a subdomain of the other?
posted by Vidiot at 10:28 PM on August 15, 2004


Nowhere in this post is a link to the wiki. So where is it?
posted by calwatch at 12:29 AM on August 16, 2004


Metafilter Wiki
posted by ALongDecember at 1:57 AM on August 16, 2004


Over and out. I may not have said anything at all if I'd seen Matt's comments, but unfortunately we seem to have posted more or less simultaneously.
posted by scarabic at 10:15 AM on August 16, 2004


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