I'm sure most of you have heard of Darktides.net..

well a few weeks ago they switched datacenters, i received a few emails saying they were moving, then one after they moved saying i needed to give them a list of my domains and nameservers

Well, I AIMed the guy and he said he could get the list of domains himself and i gave him the nameservers..

After the move was complete, I had to work overtime a few days and wasn't able to check my forums, i was able to get onto my email after a couple days tho and i noticed it wasn't working, i didnt worry i figured itd be up later, it wasnt, so i checked my forums and they were down..

I then tried to contact the guy and he wasn't online and i had no email because my nameservers weren't updated. They weren't updated because i was never given the correct ips to change them to.

Finally after a few days i was able to contact him, he couldn't find one of my domains as he claims, but said he could move all the others to a dif set of nameservers as one of my registrars was messing up.

I have yet to see if this is going to work but he now says hes lost all data for that domain, all my forums etc. I didn't have a recent backup on this pc for any of it as well.

When I try to get an explanation all he does is argue with me about 'we were informed' and he sent the emails, thats his job, if we dont get them its our problem. If you want that exact quote ill get it...

I dont think this makes for very good service when i pay him 45$/month to host about a dozen domains.. And he just argues with me when I get mad because ive lost data for one..

Hello,

I had him post this her because he doesn't understand what I'm trying to say and maybe you guys can do a better job.

We sent emails on 3/25 - 3/29 (moved fully on 4/1) about the move and told everyone what was going on. We sent one saying resellers had to contact us for new IPs. In another email we asked every reseller for their domains and nameservers (so we could get the IPs and do easier transfering (1 reseller at a time)).

Everyone contacted us but him the day we sent the emails. I AIM'd him to remind him and asked for the listing. He said he was busy playing a game atm (I guess he didn't think it was a big deal).

Anyways, I sent yet another email (and posted on our forum) our old machine would be taken offline between after people moved. (see here: http://forums.darktides.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=87)

Well, we moved everything. Some accounts would not copy due to size (2+ gb and 500+ mb domlogs) so I had TheVoice (from here) help me out on figuring out a way to copy them. OK (thanks a lot btw) I got the big accounts moved.

We sent yet another email about double checking all your data and told people how to access it. Many emailed us "acccount X is missing" "what are my IPs again?" "How do I update my nameservers'

We walked them all through. Again, this person did not contact us at all. 1 1/2 weeks later (and everyone is using the new machine with 0 downtime during the switch) the plug is pulled and I get a lovely AIM from this guy asking "wtf is my sites down". I did a whois lookup and noticed the IPs were old. I explained to him he needed to update them. He tells me "thats your job" and I did my part, but he fails to understand I cannot login to his domain and swap the IPs, that's his job.

So here we are, 4 weeks after the move started and he still is down due to him not updating his IPs, which he continuously yells at me for "not doing my job". Can anyone explain to him how it's impossible for me to login to his registrar?

P.S. We have 5 people in our support desk, if no one is on AIM you could use that. Someone will anwser, you could also use email/forums. Do not make excuses with us not being on AIM. We're not *always* on it.

i received 2 emails dated march 25th and march 28th. one was saying you were moving and thats it, the next said you moved and wanted my nameservers/domains

did i mention i didnt receive my ips (i checked all AIM/IRC logs) until 3-4 days after i noticed my mail was down

You're the only one of our clients who were "too busy" to do your part in the transfering/move. I cannot take blame for that.

You're also the only one who has these problems. Most posted to our forum or emailed us ASAP to login to the new machine and check all their accounts and get their IPs.

It seems me you just honestly do not care simply by the way you act and talk. A good example would be from IRC:

(1:53a) <@Tweakin> you can get a nice backup of mysql through the command line or phpMyAdmin, which Bryan being the nerd he is more then likely has installed for you :)
(1:53a) <zeeg|work> i dont have time to do that.

So... you do not care about your data? What am I supposed to say to this?

It's highly unlikely our mass emails just skipped you. The only way (which I told you in our IRC room) is if you failed to keep your email on file with us updated, which I don't think is the problem because you got two of them.

Why you did not bother to check out anything is still beyond me. But judging from you don't seem to have the time/nor care abotu performing backups not only for yourself but maybe for your clients could be an indiciation.

I'll take all the blame you wish upon me, however the fact of the matter is still everyone else did their part and no one else had any problems with the transition, if they did, I'm sure these threads would of came about around .... 3 weeks ago when the move was completed.

Bryan,

Based on your version, obviously that part is up to him to do... He mentions about the missing domain. What's your take on that?

I checked emails every day, I AM quite busy to do weekly backups, and its kinda hard to send you an email, when i have no mail server..

sprintserve,

Indeed one of his domains did not copy. We were informed of this by a lot of clients of ours who did check their domains out like we encourged after the move. cPanels site transfer isn't the best, and some (like I said; TheVoice helped me out on that) had to be manually moved with SSH commands.

We moved with exactly 12 days left before the old machine was offline. It was made clear to all our clients over our forums, support tickets about the move, as well as a few AIM convos that the box would be offline and it was futile for them to check out their accounts because after it was offline I'd have no access to their data.

He did not bother with any of it. The only reason he even noticed anything is when the machine went offline and his old nameserver IPs were unresolvable. I'm not denying one of his accounts was not transfered. Infact, I admitted that plain as day in AIM just around 15 minutes ago.

Unfortuantly, the machine has been offline for quite some time. I only wish people would take these kinds of things more seriously. Luckily, everyone else did and no one else is missing anything or having problems. Don't get me wrong, there were many missing accounts originally, but as we said, they knew they had 2 weeks to notify us/check out things and we'd still be able to get the data without problems.

If DarkTides didn't register your domain name or you didn't give them access to it, they have no way to change your name servers. This is something YOU would have to do. If they didn't tell you the name server IPs, well then yes, that was their fault. However if you were that concerned about having your site online, you should have contacted them about which IPs are yours. It is a PITA to transfer hundreds of clients over to new servers and it can become quite messy.

Thanks for the explanation. I just wanted to point that out so that whoever reads the thread gets a full explanation to Zeeg's points. Will help you in future whoever reads the thread to have a complete story.

I think it seems pretty clear what's the issue here.... and it doesn't seems to be Darktides'

when i have no mail server..
THis is what backup email is for. I always have backup email everywhere, even with my local ISP, AOL or my servers, no matter what I have backup email, and theres always a way to get in touch with your host (if their a reputable host, and Bryan is IMHO). Kinda my opinion on it. dont take it the wrong way

zeeg: You had from 3/25 - 4/12 to make sure the server move was successful for you. What's your outake on that?

Did you just not bother to check up on anything and assume I'm pyshic and know exactly which accounts had what files/file sizes in them and what not? I wish I was, but I'm not.

While we do handle the majority for the end users, sometimes, in cases like this, it takes a bit of effort from them to help us out.

I would think someone who has hosting clients and a decently active forum would have the #1 concern with being their data/accounts moved successfully. While we can go round and round about the IP thing (which it's possible the email never reached you, got lost, etc) I still do not see how you could fail to put the effort in to not checking up on things.

If you wish, I'd be more than happy to have our 5-6 resellers post here about their experiences with the move and you'll see that the only one who has any kind of problem like this (not getting ips, site or two missing, etc) is you. I still have all their emails (around 12 from each) questioning to the 5th degree (shows they care) about their data, ips, and the move.

We have around 8 clients who come here. A few resellers, most not, but all affected by this and none has posted any troubles.

WHT is definitly not a support forum. I only encouraged you to post here so some others could try to explain that when you tell me it's my job to move your nameservers it's impossible for me to do without your registrar info, which we do not/would not ask for unless you specifically had trouble with the change and requested us to do for you. I've tried to resolve this via IRC, and AIM, I hope you can some how find some way to resolve this with other peoples input.

tis all bout da communiation :D

zeeg... when someone tells you that a major change is taking place that affects your site, it's up to YOU to be on top of things. Darktides have a forum. You could have posted your questions there if your e-mail didn't work. I know I can always get in touch with my host that way. You can always log in to check if there has been any replies or PMs even if your e-mail isn't working. Also, keep an extra e-mail account (free one is OK) just in case.

Always, always, always back up your data and your forums. Especially your forums. In the end, it is YOUR job to make sure your site is functioning.

When you register a domain name, you can either use the registrars nameservers, or the nameserves that your host tells you to use. It is YOUR job to make sure your domains have the right information with your registrar.

When a server move takes place, many things can go wrong. That's why you need to be active in the move, and check things, ask questions, etc. so the move is done as smoothly as possible. That is YOUR job. Your host usually needs your account name(s) and corresponding passwords, in order to move the data. That is the way most servers work. The host DO NOT need username and password to the registrar.

So... you lost your forum and your data because YOU didn't do YOUR job. Learn from this so it doesn't happen again. When your host contacts you, you read carefully the message, make sure you understand, and reply ASAP. When your host writes to you, ALWAYS asume it's IMPORTANT.

It boggles me how any webmaster - especially a reseller with several clients - could claim they "don't have time" to perform a regular backup of their data. :eek: This isn't a luxury, it's part of your job as the site administrator. While the web host may retain backups of data for emergency hardward issues, power failure, server malfunction, etc. - it is NOT necessarily their job to archive your data for you.

From the explinations posted in this forum, it sounds like it has been established that the site owner was given sufficient notice about the move. This alone should set off a little light bulb that they need to make sure everything is going smoothly with their own websites during the process.

im a reseller basically because of how much space/bw i get for the low cost

That was your mistake then, not Bryan's.

DarkTidesNET is a highly regarded member of this forum, ignoring the fact that he also runs a hosting business.
I think this is the first thread regarding an unhappy customer about DarkTides. Now that track record has something to say about his company.

Looking at what both of you are saying it appears to me that zeeg is someone not really bothered about running a serious hosting business. I mean if he's too busy playing on a game relating to important changes to his account, then is he ever too busy to help customers when they have a problem? probably

#1. NEVER EVER EVER EVER E V E R use an email account that is dependant on your server as the point of contact for said server. I thought this was common sense. Get a hotmail account or something for this purpose. You ISP probably allows you 5-10 free email accounts. USE THEM

#2. Bryan cannot log into your registrar's control panel to modify your domain name if you never gave him the login information.

#3. He contacted you about your site being moved, you said you were busy playing a game. AND THEN YOU WENT OUT OF TOWN WITHOUT ASKING HIM WHAT IS GOING ON?! good lord man, seriously, think.

#4. You lost data and you "were too busy" to make backups (too busy playing games I'm sure). Bryan has stated he utilizes CPanel, which offers some very nice backup features. You can backup your entire account in like 5 minutes. You can't pull yourself away from a game for 5 fricken minutes to backup your data every once in a while? Seriously.

That tone is probably a little harsh, but your predicament is PURELY your own fault. Bryan made several attempts to contact you, and had you had enough sense to not set your POC email to an email account on your domain, you probably wouldn't be in the pickle you are in.

In all honesty, from what I have seen Bryan can get testy at times(what I mean is, he can get confrontational. Just like me lol) and the fact that he has remained as calm and level headed as he has with you is a credit to the customer support and service he provides.

That is all.

wtf playing a game? going out of town? get your stories straight

Originally posted by zeeg
wtf playing a game? going out of town? get your stories straight

Regardless of what you were doing, it was your fault for not updating the name servers. They have you a few weeks of notice, which is more than enough time to get everything straightened out. If you didn't get your IPs, or what have you, you should have emailed, called, or left a thread in the user forums.

oops my fault, I had just read a post about someone saying something about going out of town and coming back to their website being down. :o

I apologize. Either way, it's your fault.

Sounds like you just don't care Zeeg. And if you don't care, you come here to insult the host in question and make a fool of yourself.

Cheers

Ok this is getting out of hand.. Its not a matter of if he cares enough Darktides simply wanted help pointing out that he could not update the nameservers. Which he could not unless he was given the login info, and it seems clear that he was not.