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UC Server instability issues 24 September 2005
Update 2005-09-25
The server seems to be more stable now. It seems that the cause of our server refreshes is mainly due to the system being unable to handle large numbers. Now the problem occurs because we run on Microsoft (ODBC drivers), its the same thing as when you try to enter a large number into Excel it gives you a strange number that says 1.18273+E. Our system runs off 8 byte system that is capable of handling numbers up to 8,939,051,673,906,450,000 (roughly 8 million trillion).
Areas that effected this server instability includes:
- player data: credits, food (8 guys have over 1 trillion credits or food)
- ship data : Pr, Upkeep, Number of Ships (11 guys have over 2 billion Pr)
Until we find a solution to this problem all Pr rating in UC will be restricted to 2 billion
I`ve also put in our system to scan for high numbers and to truncate them (credits & food) every couple of minutes
I`ve also put in an auto-relogin script to automatically log you in again if the server should refresh, this will make server refreshes more transparent.
As compensation for this problem I`ve given everyone:
+ 20 Big time capules
+ 25 Regalos
+ 7 days to all paid account holders
2005-09-24
Server kept kicking everyone out every 30 minutes for the past 2 days. I believe this is rather annoying to all players and I deeply apologize for this. I would have posted this sooner however I wanted to confirm the problem first before posting.
What happened
Coldfusion server platform bug (problem with the server software not game engine itself) has been discovered. It seems that players who have more than 2 billion credits (termed as 4 byte lenth data) has a 0.5% chance of corrupting the memory when used in complex calculations such as Pr & Attacking. I did not foresee this because i`ve personally last seen Wizzy with 1.5 trillion credits with no such problems. However credits only uses simple math such as plus n minus, compared to Pr. Now the higher the Pr, the more chances of the corruption, there is this guy with excess of 12 billion Pr on UC-RT along with a handful of other players over 2 billion Pr, so you sort of understand why the server refreshes every 30 minutes. Hard server refresh = when the memory gets corrupted (refresh = reloads all game data, kicks everyone out)
Now this is a simple problem to be solved, sadly I did a security update at the same time when this were happening. Macromedia recommended an update (manual registry edit) to improve security. I did the update with out testing on the development server. It seems that this has triggered our security system in UC automatically logging everyone off after 30 seconds of logging in. It tooked me sometime to disable and remove the macromedia update, and to temporary disable the UC security system.
Now the problem is, the memory issue happen about 1.5 hour after the update reversal. So logically I thought that it was the update problem because some of the code has been changed to cater for the security update. I`ve been trying to figure this out for over 50 hours straight (no sleep, no breaks, no proper food), re-coding almost half the entire game without any results. Finally I started praying and one of the top player complained. When I checked I found over 10 guys in UC-RT over 2 billion Pr. I said what the heck and I deactivated them all (yep they werent happy about it) in a last ditch attempt to figure out what went wrong. Sure enough the server refreshes stopped (moving up to once every 2-4 hours which is a positive sign).
We had a similar Coldfusion server platform bug before, when truncation command for over 1 billion kills the memory (back in Apr 2004). Sadly there isnt anything we can do except to upgrade the version (we are running on a ver over 5 years old).
Now the real problem is, due to lack of slept I have over-written a majority of the code, and a number of the codes are all jumbled up (wrong versions every where). I have since went over my body capacity (i cant take more than 36 hours straight, its now 3 days or over 72 hours and my brain has absolutely stopped functioning) therefore will rest for the next 1-2 days, I hope everyone will understand and bear with me and also to give me a couple more days to sort out the issues. Some of the issues highlighted includes: old attack bugs are back, ship & fleet management = wrong version and many other version issues. If I missed any out, do send a PM to any guide or admin, and ask them to compile a list for me.
What is going to be done ?
All top players who have over 2 billion Pr have sadly been forced to disband some of their ships. Once everything is up 100% with no problems I will work out some form of compensation to all players for all the troubles they have gone through.
So whats next ?
The truth is unfortunately we can't afford to upgrade our server platform (software) to the latest version (it cost over $10,000+), and sadly there isnt much support as well that can be found on the Internet as almost no one is using such an old version anymore. I could say that it is extremely hard to work with very limited resources. There is so often I dream that I am born a bit richer, more wiser especially in math and luckier (hitting the jackpot on the state lotto?). If that is the case I could have done more for the game.
I can promise you this, I will work as hard and as much as I possibly can to make an enjoyable game for everyone. To watch everyone having fun is the best reward I hope to ever get from running this games. No matter how much I try sadly I am still confined to my human limitations (I am not a Guardian where I dont need to eat 0_o) and the number of hours I could possibly put in before my body reaches its limit (currently over limit, gah!). I`ve always wish that I could do more, make the game more fun, solve more problems and to touch more hearts out there. I would gladly do it even at my own expense, because I believe there is a lot of people who have made friends in our games, and in one way or another, the game has touched their hearts, they have found good friends or even soul mates tru our games, and this is something that is worth all my efforts.
So what can you do to help ?
Be patient and ride this out with us. If you got any unused software licenses like MS SQL (Any version), Allaire/Macromedia Coldfusion (Any version) that you wish to donate to us, please send it to us at `Stephen, 53 Selasar Rokam 22, Taman Ipoh Jaya, 31350 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia`. You could also donate cash or any things else, you could also buy Stephen food.
- Stephen, I`ll dedicate myself to making the most enjoyable game and playing environment for everyone
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