VMK server is offline; sit tight!

[ElectricLime]

The machine "www2.virtualmagickingdom.com", which runs the VMK server, has gone offline - it's not responding to pings. This isn't a matter of the game being closed on a whim. My guess is that either the server has been overwhelmed by the number of people trying to connect for today's event and the staff are having to do some maintenance on it to handle the increased load, or else some loser is trying a denial-of-service attack against it.

I'll wager that there's some frantic running-around going on in the machine room right now. If they were here, the staff would probably tell everyone to sit tight, that they want the server back up as much as anyone else does, that they're working on it with all due haste.

(I'm saying this because I've been in situations like this before and I know how much they're probably hating life right about now.)

 

[DisneyMania05]

Okay, ElectricLime, thanks for the update.

 

[surfcruiser]

Good post ElectricLime.

 

[Dubbie]

The server doesn't respond at night either. I think the staff just turns off the server and that's how they get the game to close.

 

[Tinkerbelle739]

This thread makes my hair hurt!!

 

[GBShorts]

Glad to se somebody doing something intelligent about finding out the problem instead of making constant posts going "OMG IT'S OPEN, OMG IT'S CLOSED, OMG IT'S OPEN AGAIN BUT I CAN'T MOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" and so on.

Insanity!

 

[MaliaMichelle]

Thanks for the info.

I don't understand why VMK doesn't put a short message on their home page, or something though.

Like when eBay is down, you can go to their announcements page and they will usually have a message about the problem and that they are working on it.

To me it would save them some headache to put the announcement, I am sure many, many people without knowledge of the boards and that this is a widespread problem are contacting VMK with messages of "I can't sign into the kingdom". Each message requires someone to read it at some point and takes manpower.

 

[Alyce]

deleted

 

[marypops!]

well i'm glad someone knows what is happening and i think there is no chance the server will be up and running before the event starts (in a minute) so i'll just wait until then

 

[KevyKev]

OK, I was worried. I got up early after a night of little sleep to try my hand at netting some creds and get online before my "other" wakes up and bogeys the 'puter. And then this happens. Why must Nature be a cruel temptress? WHy? Whhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Is it back up yet?

 

[marypops!]

you know what i was wrong

it's back up and running WAHOOO!!!

 

[MissVesper]

Thanks for the info.

I don't understand why VMK doesn't put a short message on their home page, or something though.

Like when eBay is down, you can go to their announcements page and they will usually have a message about the problem and that they are working on it.

To me it would save them some headache to put the announcement, I am sure many, many people without knowledge of the boards and that this is a widespread problem are contacting VMK with messages of "I can't sign into the kingdom". Each message requires someone to read it at some point and takes manpower.

I have a friend who's a cast member on some Disney-owned internet sites (not VMK tho'), and given that they have left her and only her as the single support for three pretty major websites (post recent "cutbacks" in employees), I'd say it's likely that they can either make anouncements or work on the problem, but don't have the manpower for both.

 

[vellamint]

I think we need to remember that a lot of these post are from children....(hopefully not all MINE lol).

 

[cat_herder]

I have a friend who's a cast member on some Disney-owned internet sites (not VMK tho'), and given that they have left her and only her as the single support for three pretty major websites (post recent "cutbacks" in employees), I'd say it's likely that they can either make anouncements or work on the problem, but don't have the manpower for both.

It's called customer service.

 

[ElectricLime]

It's called customer service.

VMK doesn't *have* customer service - we've already established that they only respond to Contact Us email once in a blue moon, if that.

 

[MissVesper]

It's called customer service.

Yes, I hear what you're saying. But when there is one person to try and fix *everything* and get it running, they are generally busy trying to do just that.

 

[NotAZoo]

The proper thing to do in any situation like this, where you have over 3000 people hitting your site at a given time is to take 10 minutes, explain the problem and then go deal with it. By leaving things to speculation with no one know what is going on, causes high customer disat and kills credibility.

Even if there is one person "behind the curtain" today, which I highly doubt considering it is an event day, they should still update members at a high level.

Just being in the business world, stuff like this irks me to no end.

 

[MaliaMichelle]

I have a friend who's a cast member on some Disney-owned internet sites (not VMK tho'), and given that they have left her and only her as the single support for three pretty major websites (post recent "cutbacks" in employees), I'd say it's likely that they can either make anouncements or work on the problem, but don't have the manpower for both.

In my opinion, it would be quicker and easier to post a quick message on the home page, then go back to solving the problem, then to have to wade through hundreds of "I can't get in" help messages later. The HTML involved in posting an announcement is simple and would only take a minute or two, esp. if they already had a system announcement page in place.

Of course, there would still be people sending in the help messages, even if the message was in bold letters where they couldn't miss it. Look at all the "it's closed" repetive threads on here and vmkforums.

***edited to add***

This is an exampe of what I am talking about:

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/announce.shtml

if they had a place we could go to when there is a problem, it would be great. On eBay, when there is a problem, I know to check there first to see if others are having the same problem, and if eBay is aware. Sometimes the announcement is posted after the problem is resolved, but it's still nice knowing what the problem was, and that it is resolved.