Important Information for all users of untergrund.net
category: general [glöplog]
[In case you are an untergrund.net user and have not received this information by email, check the last paragraph of this post!]
Hi there,
it took me YEARS longer than originally planned, but during the last few weeks I've been able to finally cut off some from work to spend on building the next-generationuntergrund.net infrastructure. I've invested in new server hardware, and spent a lot of time to port over the code to a current Linux distro.
The focus of this project has been to secure the future of untergrund.net in several regards:
- Move to new server hardware with more space for user growth
- Port to a current and long-time-supported stable Linux distro
with security updates support for at
least 5 years to come (Centos 6 was chosen)
- Make available an up-to-date environment.
- Improve security
- Fix the stability problems the old installation was
showing out of age
This move will mean a good-bye to PHP 4.3.10 and a hello to PHP 5.3.2, allowing you to use todays web frameworks/ blog engines etc.
Here is the current status of the new project:
- New server is installed
- untergrund.net hosting platform ported
- a bunch of test accounts have been moved and
tested for compatiblity
- A snapshot of the mysql databases from the old
system have been moved and used for tests
- Currently all user data is synched over to the
new server (which will take a day or two)
- Work still is needed on the traffic analyser
options (webalizer) - that never worked really
stable on the old system
Here is a rough time frame of the next steps that are:
- During the next few days, I will send out an email
to all users giving instructions on how to beta-
test their site compatiblity with the new system.
You will get about 5-7 days for testing this.
The local mysql database you are connecting will
have a snapshot of the live system's databases.
You will be able to run tests without damaging your
live databases.
- I'll then gather feedback and announce a switch-over
date
- On the switchover date, the old server will be
locked to being read-only. FTP logins no longer
will be possible, the mysql server will be stopped.
All sites relying on mysql will stop working for
a few hours.
Then there will be a final synchronization of
all user files and databases to the new server.
In other words: ALL CHANGES that you have done
on the new server while in beta phase WILL BE LOST!
If you use the beta phase to fix your scripts to
make them compatibile with the new setup you
should either make them compatible with both the
old and the new server and update them on the OLD
server (so they get synched over to the new one
during the final sync), OR you should keep local
backups of these changes and re-upload them to
the new server on the switchover day.
Here is what you can do today to prepare for the move:
- If you have an external domain pointing to your
untergrund.net account, make sure that the
involved DNS records have a LOW TTL (like 3
hours or so). This will allow you to later,
once I announce the new IP address and switch-over
date, to update your records to the new IP
in a timely manner without having the old server
IP in tons of DNS caches out there for hours or
even days.
- Grep/search through all your scripts to see if
the current untergrund.net IP 80.242.148.50 is
hardcoded anywhere - for example for Mysql connection.
If it is, fix it. Use 127.0.0.1 instead, which
obviously is portable.
- If you are using any PHP framework or
blog system or whatever, check which version is
compatible with PHP 5.3.2 and Mysql 5.1.52. Start
your own migration plan.
- Give your account a sign of life. Please ftp to
your pubhtml directory and "touch" (update the
file date/time) of some file inside it. This will
show me that this account actually is live, and
will drastically reduce the amount of work to
find out which accounts still are really in use.
Finally, an important note: Please understand that I'm an EXTREMELY busy guy with next to no spare time, working close to 15 hours a day every day. We have over 500 users at untergrund.net. I can NOT give individual support on this move. I can NOT help you with your PHP problems. You will have to find solutions on the net. I can only provide the infrastructure, no support.
[INFO FOR USERS WHO HAVE NOT RECEIVED THIS INFO BY MAIL: If you are an untergrund.net user and have NOT received this by mail, then you must act. Most likely it means that your email address on file inside our account system is out of date, which would be bad - I will need to send you updates on the transition. If you didn't get the mail, check your spam filter, if it is still not there, drop me a mail to scamp@untergrund.net including your *account name* (NOT site URL) and a good email address that is guaranteed to be stable for a longer time. If you are unable to write from the email address you originally have registered with, you will also need to provide an additional proof of account ownership - I will ask you to create a file inside your pubhtml directory for verification.]
Cheers,
scamp
Hi there,
it took me YEARS longer than originally planned, but during the last few weeks I've been able to finally cut off some from work to spend on building the next-generationuntergrund.net infrastructure. I've invested in new server hardware, and spent a lot of time to port over the code to a current Linux distro.
The focus of this project has been to secure the future of untergrund.net in several regards:
- Move to new server hardware with more space for user growth
- Port to a current and long-time-supported stable Linux distro
with security updates support for at
least 5 years to come (Centos 6 was chosen)
- Make available an up-to-date environment.
- Improve security
- Fix the stability problems the old installation was
showing out of age
This move will mean a good-bye to PHP 4.3.10 and a hello to PHP 5.3.2, allowing you to use todays web frameworks/ blog engines etc.
Here is the current status of the new project:
- New server is installed
- untergrund.net hosting platform ported
- a bunch of test accounts have been moved and
tested for compatiblity
- A snapshot of the mysql databases from the old
system have been moved and used for tests
- Currently all user data is synched over to the
new server (which will take a day or two)
- Work still is needed on the traffic analyser
options (webalizer) - that never worked really
stable on the old system
Here is a rough time frame of the next steps that are:
- During the next few days, I will send out an email
to all users giving instructions on how to beta-
test their site compatiblity with the new system.
You will get about 5-7 days for testing this.
The local mysql database you are connecting will
have a snapshot of the live system's databases.
You will be able to run tests without damaging your
live databases.
- I'll then gather feedback and announce a switch-over
date
- On the switchover date, the old server will be
locked to being read-only. FTP logins no longer
will be possible, the mysql server will be stopped.
All sites relying on mysql will stop working for
a few hours.
Then there will be a final synchronization of
all user files and databases to the new server.
In other words: ALL CHANGES that you have done
on the new server while in beta phase WILL BE LOST!
If you use the beta phase to fix your scripts to
make them compatibile with the new setup you
should either make them compatible with both the
old and the new server and update them on the OLD
server (so they get synched over to the new one
during the final sync), OR you should keep local
backups of these changes and re-upload them to
the new server on the switchover day.
Here is what you can do today to prepare for the move:
- If you have an external domain pointing to your
untergrund.net account, make sure that the
involved DNS records have a LOW TTL (like 3
hours or so). This will allow you to later,
once I announce the new IP address and switch-over
date, to update your records to the new IP
in a timely manner without having the old server
IP in tons of DNS caches out there for hours or
even days.
- Grep/search through all your scripts to see if
the current untergrund.net IP 80.242.148.50 is
hardcoded anywhere - for example for Mysql connection.
If it is, fix it. Use 127.0.0.1 instead, which
obviously is portable.
- If you are using any PHP framework or
blog system or whatever, check which version is
compatible with PHP 5.3.2 and Mysql 5.1.52. Start
your own migration plan.
- Give your account a sign of life. Please ftp to
your pubhtml directory and "touch" (update the
file date/time) of some file inside it. This will
show me that this account actually is live, and
will drastically reduce the amount of work to
find out which accounts still are really in use.
Finally, an important note: Please understand that I'm an EXTREMELY busy guy with next to no spare time, working close to 15 hours a day every day. We have over 500 users at untergrund.net. I can NOT give individual support on this move. I can NOT help you with your PHP problems. You will have to find solutions on the net. I can only provide the infrastructure, no support.
[INFO FOR USERS WHO HAVE NOT RECEIVED THIS INFO BY MAIL: If you are an untergrund.net user and have NOT received this by mail, then you must act. Most likely it means that your email address on file inside our account system is out of date, which would be bad - I will need to send you updates on the transition. If you didn't get the mail, check your spam filter, if it is still not there, drop me a mail to scamp@untergrund.net including your *account name* (NOT site URL) and a good email address that is guaranteed to be stable for a longer time. If you are unable to write from the email address you originally have registered with, you will also need to provide an additional proof of account ownership - I will ask you to create a file inside your pubhtml directory for verification.]
Cheers,
scamp
PHP5! \o/
Thanks for untergrund. You rule!
Thanks for untergrund. You rule!
Do yourself a favor and turn off warnings in your virtual hosts config for apache (if you've got access to your site's vhost-config, that is) until you all manage to sort out the fatals and errors.
Otherwise, you'll get flooded by deprecation-warnings. Once all errors are sorted, switch warnings then notices on and start fixing things. That should make things a little easier to clean up ;)
Otherwise, you'll get flooded by deprecation-warnings. Once all errors are sorted, switch warnings then notices on and start fixing things. That should make things a little easier to clean up ;)
cool that you're keeping this
stuff alive. hats off! untergrund.net
has always been one of my favourite
demoscene hosts.
that said, i'd just pay for "real" hosting these days. a VPS only costs a few bucks per month and you can run any backend SW (i.e. not php) you want.
stuff alive. hats off! untergrund.net
has always been one of my favourite
demoscene hosts.
that said, i'd just pay for "real" hosting these days. a VPS only costs a few bucks per month and you can run any backend SW (i.e. not php) you want.
where, of course, by "real" i mean "a company that makes a living from this" as opposed to scamp keeping this stuff together in the last spare time he has.
Hats off to Scamp!
This is a great news, thanks Scamp you are awesome :)
+1 scamp is åssom!
thanks guys :)
skrebbel: "Keeping this stuff together" isn't really a burden on my shoulders. The untergrund.net infrastructure is maintained as part of our (much much larger) datacenter infrastructure. So my job will be done with porting the code base and bringing the new server online. Of course, "real" hosting obviously is a good or better alternative. But the largest chunk of sites on untergrund.net are from people who obviously can not afford "a few bucks" per month.
That being said: I will be looking for a co-admin when it comes to account activations etc soon, volunteers will be welcome. Possibly bloodwing, main author of the untergrund.net hosting system code and ex-co-admin will return for this task.
skrebbel: "Keeping this stuff together" isn't really a burden on my shoulders. The untergrund.net infrastructure is maintained as part of our (much much larger) datacenter infrastructure. So my job will be done with porting the code base and bringing the new server online. Of course, "real" hosting obviously is a good or better alternative. But the largest chunk of sites on untergrund.net are from people who obviously can not afford "a few bucks" per month.
That being said: I will be looking for a co-admin when it comes to account activations etc soon, volunteers will be welcome. Possibly bloodwing, main author of the untergrund.net hosting system code and ex-co-admin will return for this task.
AWESOME!
+1 scamp
(+1 bw please do it! ;))
+1 scamp
(+1 bw please do it! ;))
Cool :)
Thanks for the effort and the work Scamp
HOORAY!
Again, thanks for your efforts Scamp, this is much appreciated!
Glad this is finally happening and that I stayed loyal to untergrund! :D
Glad this is finally happening and that I stayed loyal to untergrund! :D
thanks scamp! your effort is greatly appreciated! its good to know that waiting a bit longer, pays off in the end :-)
Today we moved to the second step of moving untergrund.net
to the new installation.
To remind you of the changes:
This move will mean a good-bye to PHP 4.3.10 and a hello
to PHP 5.3.2, allowing you to use todays web frameworks/
blog engines etc.
On the new server, there now is a snapshot of all user
files and a mysql data copy as of Saturday 00:45.
You may now betatest if your website is compatible with
the new server. If you are not using PHP, you most
likely will be OK, but please check anyway. SSI/SHTML
needs to be tested. If you are using PHP but only simply
scripts, your site might work unchanged or with little
changes. If you are using bigger packages like wordpress,
you will have to upgrade.
The settings of our new php.ini are not yet final,
neither are the number of installed php packages.
Feel free to send requests if needed.
HOW TO BETA-TEST YOUR SITE
You may access your existing site by overriding
the DNS entry that is currenctly set for your hostname.
Let's assume your hostname is wurstsalat.untergrund.net.
Right now and to the public, this will resove to
the IP 80.242.148.50, which is the old server (unet3).
To temporarily change the IP this is resolved to,
you will have to change the hosts file on the PC
you are working on. For windows, you have to edit
%WINDIR%\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
For linux it's /etc/hosts, for MacOS probably too,
but what do I know.
Enter a line like this:
89.207.250.70 wurstsalat.untergrund.net
On your PC wurstsalat.untergrund.net now should
resolve to 89.207.250.70. Test it, for example
with ping wurstsalat.untergrund.net.
If you are sure you are now on the new IP, try
accessing your site at wurstsalat.untergrund.net.
No matter if it works or doesn't - go check your
access.log and error.log files. If your php stuff
is broken, try to find out what is going on. Use
google and stuff. If at all possible, please do not
ask me for help.
To access your site by FTP, and to get to your
access.log and error.log, FTP to unet4.untergrund.net
or your hostname wurstsalat.untergrund.net, both
should take you to the new unet4 server at
89.207.250.70.
If your site works, and there are no errors in
your error.log, congratulations. If not, please
try to fix it within the next few days.
To access phpmyadmin for the test copy of the
mysql databases, go to
https://unet4-phpmyadmin.untergrund.net/
IMPORTANT: If you do fixes in your scripts on the
new server, then *DO MAKE LOCAL COPIES OF THESE
FILES* - or, if they are compatible with the old
php on unet3, you may update the files on unet3
instead. On the day of switch-over, ALL files and
ALL mysql data will be re-synched from unet3->unet4
again, meaning that all changes on unet4 compared
to unet3 WILL be lost. Positive side of this is
that you are free to dump test data inside your
databases on unet4 during the transition period.
Feel free to post me a short "wurstsalat.untergrund.net
works" or "wurstsalat.untergrund.net need more time"
message in case you aren't done with your changes
by Tuesday, 30th.
What's coming next:
- Depending on the feedback during the next days
regarding troubles we'll switch over in 5-7
days. Until then, I'll get the damn traffic
stats reporting (webalizer and stuff) working.
- On the switchover date, the old server will be
locked to being read-only. FTP logins no longer
will be possible, the mysql server will be stopped.
All sites relying on mysql will stop working for
a few hours.
Then there will be a final synchronization of
all user files and databases to the new server.
In other words: ALL CHANGES that you have done
on the new server while in beta phase WILL BE LOST!
If you use the beta phase to fix your scripts to
make them compatibile with the new setup you
should either make them compatible with both the
old and the new server and update them on the OLD
server (so they get synched over to the new one
during the final sync), OR you should keep local
backups of these changes and re-upload them to
the new server on the switchover day.
If you haven't done so after my last message, please
also make sure of the following:
- If you have an external domain pointing to your
untergrund.net account, make sure that the
involved DNS records have a LOW TTL (like 3
hours or so). This will allow you to later
switch to the new IP 89.207.250.70 quickly on
the day of switchover, so you don't have the
old IP in DNS caches across the world for days.
- Grep/search through all your scripts to see if
the current untergrund.net IP 80.242.148.50 is
hardcoded anywhere - for example for Mysql connection.
If it is, fix it. Use 127.0.0.1 instead, which
obviously is portable.
- If you are using any bigger PHP framework or
blog system or whatever, check which version is
compatible with PHP 5.3.2 and Mysql 5.1.52. Start
your own migration plan.
- Give your account a sign of life. Please ftp to
your pubhtml directory and "touch" (update the
file date/time) of some file inside it. This will
show me that this account actually is live, and
will drastically reduce the amount of work to
find out which accounts still are really in use.
to the new installation.
To remind you of the changes:
This move will mean a good-bye to PHP 4.3.10 and a hello
to PHP 5.3.2, allowing you to use todays web frameworks/
blog engines etc.
On the new server, there now is a snapshot of all user
files and a mysql data copy as of Saturday 00:45.
You may now betatest if your website is compatible with
the new server. If you are not using PHP, you most
likely will be OK, but please check anyway. SSI/SHTML
needs to be tested. If you are using PHP but only simply
scripts, your site might work unchanged or with little
changes. If you are using bigger packages like wordpress,
you will have to upgrade.
The settings of our new php.ini are not yet final,
neither are the number of installed php packages.
Feel free to send requests if needed.
HOW TO BETA-TEST YOUR SITE
You may access your existing site by overriding
the DNS entry that is currenctly set for your hostname.
Let's assume your hostname is wurstsalat.untergrund.net.
Right now and to the public, this will resove to
the IP 80.242.148.50, which is the old server (unet3).
To temporarily change the IP this is resolved to,
you will have to change the hosts file on the PC
you are working on. For windows, you have to edit
%WINDIR%\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
For linux it's /etc/hosts, for MacOS probably too,
but what do I know.
Enter a line like this:
89.207.250.70 wurstsalat.untergrund.net
On your PC wurstsalat.untergrund.net now should
resolve to 89.207.250.70. Test it, for example
with ping wurstsalat.untergrund.net.
If you are sure you are now on the new IP, try
accessing your site at wurstsalat.untergrund.net.
No matter if it works or doesn't - go check your
access.log and error.log files. If your php stuff
is broken, try to find out what is going on. Use
google and stuff. If at all possible, please do not
ask me for help.
To access your site by FTP, and to get to your
access.log and error.log, FTP to unet4.untergrund.net
or your hostname wurstsalat.untergrund.net, both
should take you to the new unet4 server at
89.207.250.70.
If your site works, and there are no errors in
your error.log, congratulations. If not, please
try to fix it within the next few days.
To access phpmyadmin for the test copy of the
mysql databases, go to
https://unet4-phpmyadmin.untergrund.net/
IMPORTANT: If you do fixes in your scripts on the
new server, then *DO MAKE LOCAL COPIES OF THESE
FILES* - or, if they are compatible with the old
php on unet3, you may update the files on unet3
instead. On the day of switch-over, ALL files and
ALL mysql data will be re-synched from unet3->unet4
again, meaning that all changes on unet4 compared
to unet3 WILL be lost. Positive side of this is
that you are free to dump test data inside your
databases on unet4 during the transition period.
Feel free to post me a short "wurstsalat.untergrund.net
works" or "wurstsalat.untergrund.net need more time"
message in case you aren't done with your changes
by Tuesday, 30th.
What's coming next:
- Depending on the feedback during the next days
regarding troubles we'll switch over in 5-7
days. Until then, I'll get the damn traffic
stats reporting (webalizer and stuff) working.
- On the switchover date, the old server will be
locked to being read-only. FTP logins no longer
will be possible, the mysql server will be stopped.
All sites relying on mysql will stop working for
a few hours.
Then there will be a final synchronization of
all user files and databases to the new server.
In other words: ALL CHANGES that you have done
on the new server while in beta phase WILL BE LOST!
If you use the beta phase to fix your scripts to
make them compatibile with the new setup you
should either make them compatible with both the
old and the new server and update them on the OLD
server (so they get synched over to the new one
during the final sync), OR you should keep local
backups of these changes and re-upload them to
the new server on the switchover day.
If you haven't done so after my last message, please
also make sure of the following:
- If you have an external domain pointing to your
untergrund.net account, make sure that the
involved DNS records have a LOW TTL (like 3
hours or so). This will allow you to later
switch to the new IP 89.207.250.70 quickly on
the day of switchover, so you don't have the
old IP in DNS caches across the world for days.
- Grep/search through all your scripts to see if
the current untergrund.net IP 80.242.148.50 is
hardcoded anywhere - for example for Mysql connection.
If it is, fix it. Use 127.0.0.1 instead, which
obviously is portable.
- If you are using any bigger PHP framework or
blog system or whatever, check which version is
compatible with PHP 5.3.2 and Mysql 5.1.52. Start
your own migration plan.
- Give your account a sign of life. Please ftp to
your pubhtml directory and "touch" (update the
file date/time) of some file inside it. This will
show me that this account actually is live, and
will drastically reduce the amount of work to
find out which accounts still are really in use.
there is a small problem here...
when i set the hosts file to
89.207.250.70 defiance.untergrund.net
or
89.207.250.70 bsr.untergrund.net
and try it on my browser i'm always redirected to
unet4.untergrund.net and not to the site in question...
when i set the hosts file to
89.207.250.70 defiance.untergrund.net
or
89.207.250.70 bsr.untergrund.net
and try it on my browser i'm always redirected to
unet4.untergrund.net and not to the site in question...
Thanks for pointing it out. It doesn't work yet. For a reason I'm trying to find out right now, it is possible for users to delete the access.log and error.log files in their home dirs by ftp. Which shouldn't be. And of course this was the first thing a clever user has done, and now apache won't start up anymore. :)
Working on it.
Working on it.
It should work now. Defiance, please retry.
yeah it works like charm! testing the sites now.
thank you scamp :)
thank you scamp :)
scamp: i'm out of home right now and dont have ftp access - but just so you know, my account is still "alive". =) cheers for your effort to keep the hosting up and running!
If anyone needs help on figuring out how to fix broken stuff from the change of your sites, I'll be happy to lend a helping hand wherever needed.
Quote:
I'm an EXTREMELY busy guy with next to no spare time, working close to 15 hours a day every day.
You're insane. :)
Srsly... who in his right mind would work that much?