Place your bets: USFA "web site" down

[Dee EffEll]

The USFA web site is down again. Looks like it crashed sometime on 11/25. Anyone care to place bets on how long it will be before it is up again? *sigh*

[Peach]

It's up now. It really is getting bizarre, though.

[edew]

Get an XServe running OS X. With redundant power supply, even a major power outage won't bring it down.

[bwoodward]

You mean somebody else out there uses a Macintosh besides me? Amazing! I don't know how those Windows users stand it.

[noodle]

by not using windows. there are other os's besides windows and mac stuffs, you know.

[peet]

You mean somebody else out there uses a Macintosh besides me? Amazing! I don't know how those Windows users stand it.

FRED is developed on a mac.

Hosted on linux though. Easier to find inexpensive linux servers in good datacenters than mac servers. Still, those xserves do look sweeeeeet, and i'll bet they're a breeze to admin!

-p

[Dee EffEll]

FRED is developed on a mac.

-p

Wouldn't it be great if Fencing Time (http://www.fencingtime.com) ran on a mac? How sweet would that be? Dan? Dan?

[fence1848]

Fencing Time is built on the .NET infrastructure, so it has to be run on a Windows console. Rave all you want about other operating systems - all the best software runs on Windows.

[peet]

Fencing Time is built on the .NET infrastructure, so it has to be run on a Windows console. Rave all you want about other operating systems - all the best software runs on Windows.

Oh BABY! those are fighting words!!!!

But as long as you mean "all the best software runs at least on windows, and the best of the best runs on win & mac (& probably linux as well)" then we're cool.....

Wouldn't it be great if Fencing Time ran on a mac?

Dan & I have sometimes talked about letting me port FT to Java (as a project to learn on) so it could be cross-platform, but i have, umm, lots of other things taking up my time....



-p

[PhineasGage]

Fencing Time is built on the .NET infrastructure, so it has to be run on a Windows console. Rave all you want about other operating systems - all the best software runs on Windows.

There are .NET ports to other platforms, including Linux and Mac OS X ... check out http://www.mono-project.com

[dberke]

Wouldn't it be great if Fencing Time (http://www.fencingtime.com) ran on a mac? How sweet would that be? Dan? Dan?

Perhaps some day...

Acutally, Peet has successfully run Fencing Time on his Mac running Virtual PC (I believe that's the name of the program.) As far as I know, he had no problems running it... he would be the one to ask about how it to do it.

I wrote Fencing Time on Windows mainly because I've been developing software on the PC for 15+ years. And, realistically, since Windows has something like 85% of the marketplace, that's where most of the customers are!

I think it's possible that Fencing Time will be ported to the Mac in the future since I've seen lots of people with Mac laptops. I don't ever see people toting around Linux laptops to tournaments.

Dan

[Dee EffEll]

Dan & I have sometimes talked about letting me port FT to Java (as a project to learn on) so it could be cross-platform, but i have, umm, lots of other things taking up my time....

-p

That would be *so cool.* Drift away for a moment and imagine a web-based integrated FRED/FT that handles all tournament formats and the national points list(s). I am also imagining that the thing that stands in the way of this is that Peet and Dan have...umm...other things to do that involve personal income. (The nerve of some people...) But (and this is a big but, isn't it?) maybe the USFA could see that having such a system available benefits their mission of promoting fencing. Picture a national tournament with bar code readers at the door (compatible with your USFA card) and tournament results continuously updated on projected screens and broadcast to WiFi stations for DL to PDA devices (for directors, BC and fencers.)

But (and here's a bigger but) the USFA doesn't even think having a reliable and usable web site promotes fencing.

[telkanuru]

And W/L, TS/TR/I, rating stats database for every fencer, instantly accessable...


Dreaming is nice, isn't it?

[gladius]

That would be *so cool.* Drift away for a moment and imagine a web-based integrated FRED/FT that handles all tournament formats and the national points list(s).....

But (and here's a bigger but) the USFA doesn't even think having a reliable and usable web site promotes fencing.

Why do WE all just blame the USFA as an INSTITUTION and don't call on PEOPLE responsible in the USFA "power structure" -- board members (President, 3 VP, Secretary, and Treasurer) and the staff in Colorado Springs (Michael Massik and everyone that reports to him) -- to explain all this and to declare if there are any plans to correct and improve this situation and what are they, or if there are no plans, why not.

Following is a direct quote of Michael Massik from Fall 2004 American Fencing (page 16) "Every single club I've talked to in recent years has said that the web page is the most important driver of traffic they have." So if clubs told HIM that an active and up to date webpage is the most important driver and if HE now agrees and tells so to everyone, why doesn't HE and the USFA follow his own advice?

Until we have SOMEONE on their side talking back, nothing will ever change.

[peet]

Acutally, Peet has successfully run Fencing Time on his Mac running Virtual PC (I believe that's the name of the program.) As far as I know, he had no problems running it... he would be the one to ask about how it to do it.

This is true. It's slow for me, only because my poor little dual 450mhz G4 is below Virtual PC's system req.'s (700mhz G3/4/5), but otherwise Fencing Time runs fine under VPC. I run FT here just for testing FRED's integration with it, but I expect someone with a newer iBook or powerbook could use FT inside VPC to run a tournament without any trouble.

Now when i get me that fancy dual 2.5ghz G5 i've been wishing for.....

-p

[Dee EffEll]

Why do[n't] WE...call on PEOPLE responsible in the USFA...to explain all this and to declare if there are any plans to correct and improve this situation and what are they, or if there are no plans, why not.

I think you just did. I'm holding my breath in anticipation of a response. But last I saw, our USFA President gave herself all "A grades" for her leadership and performance. Looks to me like they feel no explanation is necessary.

[esskreemr]

It's up now. It really is getting bizarre, though.

Not so bizarre. Take a look at the US Fencing Media site: http://www.fencingmedia.org/news.asp

Suggestion to usfencing webmaster. Disconnect, copy harddrive, flush harddrive and reinstall. Always install urlscan on a Windows Web Server. Check site logs frequently for "inappropriate activity", when "hacked by jocanor" appears on several pages try again...

[peet]

Suggestion to usfencing webmaster. Disconnect, copy harddrive, flush harddrive and reinstall. Always install urlscan on a Windows Web Server. Check site logs frequently for "inappropriate activity", when "hacked by jocanor" appears on several pages try again...

Oh, GREAT! Every web admin's worst nightmare.

esskreemr, your suggestions are probably good ones. I might add: switch to linux (or mac osx server, if you can afford it). MUCH less hackable, they say.....


-p

[flyingfencer]

There could be many reasons why the site is down, unrelated to the servers or software. Their hosting company could be having a problem, the hosting company's connectivity could be down, etc...

I just checked netcraft, and usfencing.org is running on Windows 2000 with IIS. It's hosted at WDC BRIDGED CIRCUITS 21711 Filigree Court Ashburn VA US 20147.

As far as the dominent web server software, it's Apache running on UNIX. Nothing else comes close.

If the USFA is looking for continuous uptime, then they need to be hosted at a facility that provides fully protected power, redundant high speed connectivty, with multiple servers load balancing behind multiple switches like Alteons.

This may be expensive, depending upon how much of this you can do yourself. The USFA could setup their own boxes and have them racked and hosted at a facility like Savvis or some other hosting company, but the cost would be a couple thousand a month plus the cost of the boxes.

[peet]

There could be many reasons why the site is down, unrelated to the servers or software. Their hosting company could be having a problem, the hosting company's connectivity could be down, etc...

All true, of course, but did you check out that link of esskreemr's?

The fencingmedia.org sit is not down, it's been hacked. Or so the linked page would lead you to believe. ("hacked by jocanor")

My point was only that I get the impression that linux & other *nix boxes (esp. freebsd) are easier to keep secure (tho' admittedly, i've never managed a windoze box myself).

cheers
-p