504 Gateway time out is back

[charlie hebdo]

Looking at the Trains Forum this morning shows it is pretty moribund in terms of activity, even though it is working well.  

Time to pull the plug?

[Euclid]

adkrr64

 

 

Euclid

I think it is noteworthy that Kalmbach has not offered any explanation for the technical problems with this forum, and no indication of an intent to repair these problems. It is as if they don't even know about the problems. 

 

 

Not true. A Kalmbach IT person posted some commentary about the forums and the problems associated with them some time ago, early in 2024 if I recall correctly. He acknowledged these forums run on old software that is no longer supported. He said the likely solution was to switch to a modern forum platform (like phpBB or similar). He solicited input about the need to transfer existing posts into a new system, or start the new system from scratch.

This person has not posted in some time, and may not even be with Kalmbach or the new owner at this point. But while it was still under Kalmbach ownership, somene there did know the forums were a problem and was at least scoping out potential solutions.

 

I do recall that person you refer to that was posting maybe 10 months ago, and was apparently tasked with solving the technical problems with the forum.  I took it as a ray of hope.  But I do not recall any formal announcement by Kalmbach staff that has offered any plan to solve the problem.  Their most recent comment that I recall was to inform us that the problem was being caused by malware on our computers. And that response was framed in the context of the “problem” being the presence of pop-up ads on the forum display.  Nothing was said about the time-out failures to load.

 

There are two problems that result:  The obvious one is that people are prevented from posting, and so they leave the forum and forget about it.  The less obvious problem is that people who linger on are less inclined to post because they sense no reception for their comments.  This issue is that even if the software was made perfect today, it would take a long time for the participation to return.   

[tree68]

It would be a shame to lose the old content, and therein lies the rub.  I've been involved in such transitions before and they are a royal pain.

[adkrr64]

Euclid

I think it is noteworthy that Kalmbach has not offered any explanation for the technical problems with this forum, and no indication of an intent to repair these problems. It is as if they don't even know about the problems. 

Not true. A Kalmbach IT person posted some commentary about the forums and the problems associated with them some time ago, early in 2024 if I recall correctly. He acknowledged these forums run on old software that is no longer supported. He said the likely solution was to switch to a modern forum platform (like phpBB or similar). He solicited input about the need to transfer existing posts into a new system, or start the new system from scratch.

This person has not posted in some time, and may not even be with Kalmbach or the new owner at this point. But while it was still under Kalmbach ownership, somene there did know the forums were a problem and was at least scoping out potential solutions.

[Euclid]

Has the new owner indicated any intention of keeping all, or any of the forums in operation?  I think it is noteworthy that Kalmbach has not offered any explanation for the technical problems with this forum, and no indication of an intent to repair these problems. It is as if they don't even know about the problems.  

 

 

[charlie hebdo]

I agree.  Trains managed to find the worst social media software and server in existence.

Way to go, guys!

Perhaps we should reconsider OM's offer to host?

All of us?  <10 members?

[BaltACD]

It is still 504 ing.

I go to many sites - and only get 504's here

[zugmann]

Or it's an old site that gets barely anything put into it? 

[tree68]

blue streak 1

Wonder if he US is being hacked by Russia and China>???? 

I think that's a daily occurance...

[blue streak 1]

Yes!! Coming and going!!  Now has migrated to News Wire at time although trying to type anything in news wire unable to type normally.  Wonder if he US is being hacked by Russia and China>???? 

[tree68]

It comes, and it goes...

[diningcar]

Working fine for me today.

[BaltACD]

I have also been getting '403 Forbidden' errors

[NKP guy]

The principle of variable reinforcement makes it so hard to simply wash one's hands of these fora and never return. 

After all, they might be working again in a few more hours; just like the slot machine has got to hit again and before long, right?

Flintlock may have the right idea regarding this situation

[BaltACD]

There are times when the forum acts as it should - and then more times it devolves into 504 errors and all the various errors we have identified over the months/years that the site has been wonkey.

[charlie hebdo]

Overmod

Overmod wrote the following post 2 days ago: Biaggini and, I think, Menk were notorious for making riding conditions and amenities as miserable as possible to spur train-off petitions.

Biaggini definitely.  Louis Menk was rumored to have said the point of setting up Amtrak was to have it fail within a few years. However, NP and BN passenger trains seemed to remain at a pretty high level of passenger amenities as late as 1968 when I last rode the combined NCL/EB diner Chicago to East Dubuque.

[Erik_Mag]

I've been getting 504 tieout errors for the last few days, but the site came up promptly this morning.

[Paul of Covington]

   I have just witnessed a miracle!  The site was very sluggish, taking much of the minute to respond and occasionally going past and giving me the 504.  Then shortly after midnight CDT, the logjam broke loose and I started getting instant responses.  Ain't that sump'm?

[BaltACD]

Today - D day 2024

I have had serveral 504 time outs and several occasions when the forum responds like it is supposed to. ?????

[Overmod]

Biaggini and, I think, Menk were notorious for making riding conditions and amenities as miserable as possible to spur train-off petitions.  Expense of vending machines/'automat car' is one thing; intentionally providing miserable food in them quite another...

For sheer conductor nastiness it would be hard to beat some of  the Erie-Lackawanna commuter routes in northern New Jersey.  When someone threatens to put Karl R. Zimmermann off the train, you know it's tyranny.

[Overmod]

Biaggini and, I think, Menk were notorious for making riding conditions and amenities as miserable as possible to spur train-off petitions.  Expense of vending machines/'automat car' is one thing; intentionally providing miserable food in them quite another...

For sheer conductor nastiness it would be hard to beat some of  the Erie-Lackawanna commuter routes in northern New Jersey.  When someone threatens to put Karl R. Zimmermann off the train, you know it's tyranny.

[Euclid]

BaltACD

 

Additionally I have 'made' posts, an a minute or more after initiating the 'Submit Your Reply' button I get 'Sorry there was a problem with your last request' with additional verbiage about the site being off line or having a unhandled error.

If I use the back button and resubmit the post, most of the time I will get the 'Duplicate Post' response.

 

After making a new post, I often get the message, “Sorry there was a problem with your last request.” At first I assumed this meant that my message was not posted.  However, I found that even though I get that message, my post has been accepted and appears on the forum as it should.  So it goes like this:

 

Submit the new post.

 

Receive the message saying that there was a problem with my last request.

 

Ignore that message.

 

Close the forum. 

 

Re-open the forum and find that my post displays as I intended.

[charlie hebdo]

BaltACD

 

 

zugmann

Now we're at the point where it seems 90% of the posts are talking about whether users can post or not.  At this rate, does it really matter if the site is up anymore?

 

 

It looks like the Forum is being given the pre-Amtrak Penn Central passenger service 'solution'.  Make the service SO BAD nobody will want to use it. 

 

It's become a hit or (mostly) miss operation.  The SP also made some trains so bad it was eady to abandon gor lack of ridership.  

I recall some PC "confuctors* were Institutionally rude.

 

[BaltACD]

zugmann

Now we're at the point where it seems 90% of the posts are talking about whether users can post or not.  At this rate, does it really matter if the site is up anymore?

It looks like the Forum is being given the pre-Amtrak Penn Central passenger service 'solution'.  Make the service SO BAD nobody will want to use it. 

[zugmann]

Now we're at the point where it seems 90% of the posts are talking about whether users can post or not.  At this rate, does it really matter if the site is up anymore?

[blue streak 1]

BaltACD

The 'Main' Index screen for the Forum does not appear to be updating in 'real time'.  

Had same problem.  finally was able to book mark each section ( ie general discussion, passenger. etc ) and it connects quickly.

[charlie hebdo]

BaltACD

The 'Main' Index screen for the Forum does not appear to be updating in 'real time'.  On some threads it will show poster X as being the most recent poster, when the thread gets called up you find poster Y was the last poster to the thread and that post was made an hour or more from the current time.

Additionally I have 'made' posts, an a minute or more after initiating the 'Submit Your Reply' button I get 'Sorry there was a problem with your last request' with additional verbiage about the site being off line or having a unhandled error.

If I use the back button and resubmit the post, most of the time I will get the 'Duplicate Post' response.

 

Yes, that glitch or the instant Time Out message, "Site taking too long to respond"

[BaltACD]

The 'Main' Index screen for the Forum does not appear to be updating in 'real time'.  On some threads it will show poster X as being the most recent poster, when the thread gets called up you find poster Y was the last poster to the thread and that post was made an hour or more from the current time.

Additionally I have 'made' posts, an a minute or more after initiating the 'Submit Your Reply' button I get 'Sorry there was a problem with your last request' with additional verbiage about the site being off line or having a unhandled error.

If I use the back button and resubmit the post, most of the time I will get the 'Duplicate Post' response.

[tree68]

charlie hebdo

On a happier note, a video from Facebook showing Larry's train, I believe.

Indeed.  I wasn't on it that day, though.  MP U3.

[OWTX]

My guess is they P2V'd the Kalmbach servers to a hosted environment during that outage - now the forums connect, if very slowly on occasion. Which tracks with the forum software being ancient, buggy and a RAM hog.

The likely replacement are unused facebook or disqus comments on articles.