Ulthuan

All,

I realise I'm not a Loremaster you see much of unless the site stops working. Up until now I might even have tried claiming to be the least active Loremaster on the site. Sadly, that crown is shortly going to come available, as Eldacar has announced to the Loremaster council that he will be standing down, both as our head Loremaster, and as our server provider.

It's the second of those that brings me to be posting this. As your technical Loremaster, I've been the one that's been maintaining that server for many years now (or not as the case was at one point), including all the software on it. As a consequence, I am the one that has taken it upon myself to provide you with a server going forwards. Eldacar has also been gracious enough to give me the ulthuan.net domain to go with it, so the end result to you should be that we will continue to be the same site we have always been, even with the change of leadership.

Talking about change of leadership, I do not intend to take over the position as head Loremaster. I am of the opinion that the site needs the buck to stop somewhere, and while I will have an absolute voice if I need it, I don't plan to be taking that responsibility, I plan to give it to Prince of Spires. He is the most active of the Loremasters, and has been wonderful help and support to me whenever I needed a friend to scream at because the server wasn't playing ball. Admittedly Bob has filled that one too (especially when I'm pulling something overnight, because he's on the other side of the planet and awake!), but Prince's larger activity makes him the slightly better candidate.

With the need to actually change the server underneath comes inevitable downtime. As the current server is being paid up until the end of next month, I have already started the site backup, and will be starting the site migration within the next ten days, obtaining a server, and moving data. Based on last year's mess, I'm expecting the site to be down between 7 and 14 days while this happens. If I get the opportunity with domains in the right place (my own domain should be migrating to the new server at the same time, so will also suffer downtime), I'll try and set up a temporary forum while the main one is down. As the old server will still be online while the new one is being set up, I should be able to use the little banner that appears while the forum is off line to keep you informed of what is going on.

The other thing that being the one to post this gives me is the opportunity to be the first to thank Eldacar for all his hard work, his help, and his money for the years he has been our web host, and the much larger list of years he and I have worked together, going all the way back to the COL. While he has been absent for some time, the finality of this action saddens me, and I know I will not be the only one to miss him dearly.

This post also gives me the chance to congratulate Prince of Spires on his promotion. This doesn't strictly happen until we move host, but I'm offering congratulations now!

Thanks for all your dedication - this forum wouldn't be the same (and truth be told, wouldn't be at all) if it weren't for the hard work you guys have been doing. So good luck to Eldacar on his new journeys, good luck to you, Ricold, hopefully the forum migration will work well and good luck to the Prince (may he be merciful)!

RE.Lee wrote:Thanks for all your dedication - this forum wouldn't be the same (and truth be told, wouldn't be at all) if it weren't for the hard work you guys have been doing. So good luck to Eldacar on his new journeys, good luck to you, Ricold, hopefully the forum migration will work well and good luck to the Prince (may he be merciful)!

+1

Thanks for the hard work guys! Hopefully you all know how much we appreciate the hard work you put in behind the scenes.

John Rainbow wrote:Hopefully you all know how much we appreciate the hard work you put in behind the scenes.

There's a handful of posters who remind us of this each time, and comments like this help to keep me going. It's always nice to know that our work is appreciated.

Always sad to loose another one that I remember from the early days.

And thanks for all you've done to keep this place going. It's been remarkably stable for a very long time now, and some of you have been making that happen for over a decade.

Ulthuan has served a second home for me for quite awhile. I humbly thank all the Loremasters for their work and salute the new High Loremaster! Long live Prince of Spires!

A big thanks to Eldacar as he steps away; slinging code and imaginary wargaming arrows to the end.

And congratulations to Spires, I knew the island sinker'd get that crown somehow.

One step closer to world domination (find the plan here: http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic. ... 91#p867291)...

In all seriousness, a big thank you to Eldacar for the all the years he's spend running the site. I think it's safe to say that Ulthuan.net wouldn't be here or be the same without you. Though of course, you'll be back...

The same goes for Ricold by the way. Though most people don't notice it, Ricold is the guy who fixes things. If something breaks, if we need to upgrade the software to a new version (or just need a backup restored) and even more so when something big happens, like moving to a new server which we're going to be doing, then Ricold is the guy who helps us out. Just because he's such a good guy. Which is something that deserves to be said every now and then. So thank you Ricold for all the technical work you do (and have done) on U.net.

Rod

I don't post very often (I prefer to lurk in the shadows and nod sagely at the wisdom of my betters), but I'm on this site so often that I really should add my thanks to Eldacar, Ricold and the rest of the team that do such a wonderful job running Ulthuan - you guys are amazing!

But Ricold, did you really have to hand the Phoenix crown to Spires? An uncivilised colonial?? He's not even a real prince, you know!!!

Seriously though, congratulations Rod and good luck!

There is a lot of technical work that goes on behind the scenes that regular forum users tend not to be aware of. Technical work that bites into family life and other important commitments.

All the best to Eldacar, and thanks to the Ulthuan.net team for providing this excellent site

It feels like the end of an era, even though I've only really been involved in Warhammer and this community for 4 years.

Regardless of where I go scrounging for information and answers on anything Warhammer related, I always come home to Ulthuan. I find this to be the strongest community for the purpose of helping the Warhammer enthused. The support for this place is astounding, and I trust this place above all others when it comes to the wisdom of rules and members' opinions.

This community is the way it is because of the leadership and support team, and I want to thank you guys for all the time and effort you put into making this community the best there is. I am the Warhammer player I am because of you guys.

@Eldacar: Godspeed.
@Ricold: Keep trucking.
@Prince of Spires: Congratz!

wise.

wisetiger7 wrote:It feels like the end of an era, even though I've only really been involved in Warhammer and this community for 4 years.

You can't say that until the database had been offline for at least a week. So that'll be sometime next week then.

Ricold wrote:You can't say that until the database had been offline for at least a week. So that'll be sometime next week then.

If the database is down, how can I say it then?

You stand in front of your computer screen and yell really loud.

If you get a response it worked, if not yell louder.

The End Times affects us all.

I just want to say thanks for all the work and resources put into running this site--from Eldacar to Ricold to the Prince. When things work so seamlessly it is easy to not think about the work behind the scenes. That is a tribute to your skill and character. Thanks for everything!

wisetiger7 wrote:

Ricold wrote:You can't say that until the database had been offline for at least a week. So that'll be sometime next week then.

If the database is down, how can I say it then?

I lost a rather critical word in the middle of that. It should have read "main database". As tends to happen whenever the site goes tits up, if we're offline for more than a day or two, I'll set up a temporary forum on another URL and let you all complain over there. Then once we're back online, I'll delete it again. This is how you complain when the main database is down.

Congratulations, Rod!

What can we expect from the new Phoenix King? Any particular plans about the forum?

Swordmaster of Hoeth wrote:Any particular plans about the forum?

Nothing specific yet. It's all fairly new as such. First we'll get the forum moved to its new environment (we being Ricold mainly) and wait for the dust to settle. After that we'll have a think about changes / improvements we could implement.

Rod

As a consequence of the site move, we have to consider the library.

I have considered what to do with the library, and I have come to the conclusion that the library will be 99% wiped. It makes for a rather convenient home page, but I doubt most people go into the library more than that, and I suspect most users link straight through to the forum.

So, referencing the site map: http://www.ulthuan.net/map.html

The following pages or sections will be maintained:
- Concerning the Asur and it's sub pages. They make for a solid little intro.
- Hall of Ancients and everything within

If you wish to take copies of anything else, now is the time to do so.

Following a comment I made in the lead post of this thread, the forum will be going offline probably Monday. It will then be offline until I can get the database completely cloned and tested. This could take anything up to a week. I will then be editing the existing server to automatically re-direct you to a temporary URL with the cloned site on it. We will be living on that URL for a few weeks while I check that we're all good to lose the old server, then Eldacar and I will be moving the domain name across. Once we're on the temporary URL, that is the new server, and our new home (Not our first in the last 16 years)

Once we're on the temporary URL, that is the new server, and our new home (Not our first in the last 16 years)

True. Though I'm sure this will be smoother than some of the other moves were. And it is our first in 11 years? That's a really good run. Heck I remember a time when more than a couple months was starting to look like a good run.

Shannar, Sealord wrote:And it is our first in 11 years? That's a really good run. Heck I remember a time when more than a couple months was starting to look like a good run.

Sadly no. Around the 2004-2008 mark, we moved servers on several occasions. Part of how I became a Lore was the brief time Ulthuan was hosted on lightalliance.co.uk in 04 or 05. When Eldacar took over from TimmyMWD we switched servers also (not to mention domains from Asur.org to Ulthuan.net, and that would have been our last server move, and I think that was 2007. So we've been on the same host for ... what 8 years now? As you say, good going. Even if we did crash in rather spectacular fashion last year.

Even if we did crash in rather spectacular fashion last year.

Ja, but that was for a pretty short time. And it didn't involve guessing and hoping at domains.

Just want to say thanks to old Eldacar. Damn, I remember you since, since... Way back. Before you became a Lore. It is insane how time flies

Adding another huge thanks to Eldacar for everything he has done over the years.

Ricold wrote:The following pages or sections will be maintained:
- Concerning the Asur and it's sub pages. They make for a solid little intro.
- Hall of Ancients and everything within

If you wish to take copies of anything else, now is the time to do so.

Will be sad to see the Dark Empire stuff go, as it was an important part of the sites history and is always fun to go back to every now and again (for those of us who took part) to reminisce. I'd better get copying.

It turns out that rescuing anything from the library will have to be done by me manually, as the software we were using is not an option.

I still have an eta of taking the forum down in about 7 hours from now, although note that the library won't go down until the domain gets switched, probably in a week.

Was thinking of getting some of my stuff, but it's more poetic that it drifts into the ether. Thanks for sticking with it for so long! I remember the old days!

-Maddo

It to remember the old days Madeline. Sigh

Ricold wrote:

wisetiger7 wrote:It feels like the end of an era, even though I've only really been involved in Warhammer and this community for 4 years.

You can't say that until the database had been offline for at least a week. So that'll be sometime next week then.

It feels like the end of an era.

wisetiger7 wrote:

Ricold wrote:

wisetiger7 wrote:It feels like the end of an era, even though I've only really been involved in Warhammer and this community for 4 years.

You can't say that until the database had been offline for at least a week. So that'll be sometime next week then.

It feels like the end of an era.

Conceeded

Keep it up Ric!