Please Submit Your ITRC Forums Issues for November 2002

[Patrick Wallek]

Hi Dan,

The timing problem is not just affecting replies within posts. It is also affecting how the questions themselves are ordered on the family and category pages.

I have seen multiple instances where a post gets updated, but is not at the top of the list because of the timing "issues" y'all are having. It makes keeping up with the newest posts a bit challenging at times.

I know you said that all servers have been updated, but apparently one hasn't been somewhere.

[jim bidebo]

Well, the timestamp for each post seams to be taken from the posting client. would be alot better if it toke the time for posting from the server instead, so everyone has the same time.

Havent tried this but in teori its would be possible to change my local time so its about a hour earlier or so to always gain firstpost on every topic. since all posts are sorted by the timestamp... =/

[Patrick Wallek]

OK Dan,

Here's a good example of the above issue. My reply above was timed at 16:00.

I replied to the following thread:
http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0x34670fe6d0f7d61190050090279cd0f9,00.html

And my reply there was also time stamped at 16:00. The above referenced thread, as I type this, got 2 responses AFTER I first responded to this thread, but it is BELOW this thread in the listing.

Definitely some serious issues here.

[Jim Turner]

Post/Reply times come from the clients? Might be okay for me since I sync with a stratum 2 server every 10 minutes, but using the client's time seems ill-advised in general.

Are you sure this is the case?

[Pete Randall]

Jim(s),

I don't think that's the case (that the reply time is taken from the client) because I've had both situations happen to me - one where the time looked reasonable and the second where the time is four minutes in the past.

Pete

[Carlos Fernandez Riera]

Sorry... Are there any problem with the SEARCH.. It cant find even simple search...

[Patrick Wallek]

I agree with Jim Turner. I don't think the reply time is taken from the client either. I had replies to 2 posts at least a couple of minutes apart that were both time stamped at 16:00 today. So that can't be taken from my PC.
(I may type fast, but not that fast)

There are definitely issues with the servers SOMEWHERE.

Patrick
(not the worlds fastest typist or web surfer)

[Jim Turner]

NTP - Network Time Protocol. A very simple solution. Even the tiniest little Linux server can keep accurate (to within a couple of milliseconds) time with NTP.

Alas, I'm afraid that the forums still run on crappy Winblows servers which goes a long way toward explaining why things get so farked-up.

Pretty GUI's be damned! Gimme *NIX any day of the week. I'd rather be seen carrying a PA-RISC processor board down the street than to have to use/support Microsloth Winblows PeeCee "servers".

[Kimberly Ann]

Hi Everyone,

I first apologize on behalf of our support team that this synchronization issue continues. I met with them yesterday and they are investigating possible causes. The clock theory is good, however, they've told me the server clocks are all the same. By the way, the timestamp is taken at the server side, not the client side! Anyhow, I will contact them daily -- you have my word -- until this is resolved. I don't care for it either!! Please hang in there, and again, sorry for this.

Thanks,
Dan

[harry d brown jr]

Dan,

Last night from 6pm to about 8:30ish, I couldn't login, though others were posting. I was getting timedout.

I also had the issue, as I posted two replies Bill H, and they were out of order. Al least I now know that it's not the drugs I'm on (zyban - need to quit smoking)

live free or die
harry

[Kimberly Ann]

Hi Harry,

I found out that the login issue is impacting users across the ITRC (not simply forums). The forums obviously use the same login tool as other areas of the ITRC. I was told they hope to have this resolved today. Good luck on kicking your habit.

-Dan

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi Dan:

Well, the ship is sinking. It's a good thing that I have one open connection to the ITRC, since I can't seem to login on a second one -- "service unavailable". Judging by the small number of posts and replies, I suspect that this is not a personal vendetta against me :-))

With regard to the time warp that I have been complaining incessantly about, it would seem that the support team has enough examples and patterns what with their logs to get a resolution quickly...at least, I truly hope. Barring that, I can take solace in knowing that NTP was developed (at least in part) by my namesake. :-)) --[ ...you have to read those man pages for that ]...

Regards!

...JRF...

[John Poff]

Hi Dan,

The Search function doesn't seem to like me any more. I've been getting errors all afternoon when I try to search. I've had to resort to using my magic 8 ball for technical answers this afternoon, and I think they're onto me. "Why is the diagmond process using so much CPU?" "Concentrate harder and ask again." Uh-oh.!

Also, I've noticed that the time synchronization problem only seems to happen on days that end in the letter "y". ;)

JP

[Jeff Schussele]

Well....that was interesting....
It ONLY took 4-1/2 frickin hours to get logged in to the ITRC.
Sheesh...................
Let me guess MicroBlows upgrade, huh? New features I'd suspect.

AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH,
Jeff

[Kelli Ward]

Hi Dan,
Sounds like you and your team are having fun!
I am not having a problem logging in. (Am set to be automatically logged in) However, I am getting the Error 200 service temporarily unavailable error on the Search Engine and Maintenance and Support. (Yesterday morning was the first time I noticed it.)
Any ideas on when we'll be back on our feet?
Good luck for a quick resolution,
Kel

[Kimberly Ann]

Jeff and Kelli,

I've been waiting to login as well....not sure what the real issue is, but the problem with the ITRC login/search/etc. is been worked on by the lab.

FYI, to all those above, you will be happy to know that the forums team was able to finally put to rest the synchronization issue. I've tested it out and everything synchs up. You should no longer have any trouble with posts having the "wrong" timestamp. I apologize for the inconvenience over the past couple of weeks.

Thanks,
Dan

[Pete Randall]

Dan,

Many, many thanks to you and the team - that (the sync problem) was quite probably the most annoying issue I've seen in my brief time here on the Forums.

BTW, what was it?

Pete

[BFA6]

Hi Dan,

E-mail nofications of new topics is again extremely random. It's Friday and I think the only one I had this week was received this morning, and it was for Thursday's new topics.

Regards,

Hilary

[H.Merijn Brand (procura]

In this respect, can I please get an option to *not* get e-mail about arrival of possible new interesting forum messages.

I've tried to get nothing by unticking every single square in the "my areas of interest and my expertise" in my forum profile, but I still get these annoying messages.

[Marc Dijkstra]

Dan,

Got a number of 404's today on posting replies to my own queries, after the 3rd one I opened a new browser and relogged in.

Worked fine, but I see that one of the 404's did in fact put an answer in the thread.

Ta,

MND

[Chris Wilshaw]

I've had a problem today replying to questions.

It gives me the screen telling me that I'm not registered at this site, and should use the European site.

Clicking on the European link then sends me to the reply box as expected.

[Mike Fisher_1]

Hi Dan

1] Same as Hilary above

2] I may well be missing something [me being a novice], but why was my posting moved? Do all hardware related questions live outside the HP-UX bit?

from:
ITRC forums>hp-ux>general
to:
ITRC forums>servers>general

http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0x5f9a3a1c04ffd61190050090279cd0f9,00.html

I notice that when postings move into these-type corners of the forum the replies dry up

Kind regards
Mike

[Ron Kinner]

Almost feel like putting this in the Successes post. I turned on my machine, went to the forum and found a question I wanted to reply to so hit reply - before I logged in - which usually meant I was going to limbo but today I got the login screen which accepted by login and then sent me on to my reply. It worked like it should. They finally fixed it! Wonder if it will stay fixed? Do I dare go back to letting it automatically log me on? That hasn't worked since early this year.

On a down note it still takes at least 15 seconds to get to the Networking forum and less than 5 to get to hpux and microsoft.

Ron

[Ron Kinner]

After clicking on Submit for the previous comment the screen just set there for a good 5 seconds with no indication that anything was happening before finally changing to the thank you for posting screen. It's no wonder that we get so many duplicate replies and posts.

Couldn't you send out a quick Please Wait message while the database cranks through its routine?

Ron

[Bill McNAMARA_1]

I want an iPaq for Christmas ;)
PS. finding perf is real good at the moment.

Later,
Bill