Due to some issues with the new server set-up, we were forced to revert back to the old server for Star Pirates. Starting today at 10:30, we will try the move again. Once the server is back up, a limited number of logins will be allowed. This will gradually be increased as we are assured that the new server configuration can handle it. We appreciate your patience during this move.
Here’s the details:
When: Wednesday, Feb 4 @ 10:30 AM EST (server time)
What Will Happen: the game will go offline. The goal is to have the game migrated, tested and up and running again on the new server within 2-3 hours. At that time, we intend to turn the game back ‘on’ and players can resume playing.
What Will I See: for a few days after the move you will sometimes see the ‘starpirates.net’ name be replaced by a number in the URL/address bar of your browser.
Why the move? We’ve used a dedicated server 7/24 for a year. We had a backup waiting but they both age. That puts us at risk of a potential hardware fault and the specs on the server are showing its age. While it still runs quickly, hardware has improved and we’re taking advantage of that to run faster which lets us have more options to add game play features without lag. Our new host manages the hardware and has more inbound network connections also which should help avoid the annoying periodic lags from network provider faults we saw a few times last year, including yesterday.
Why the number instead of the name? It takes some time for the server’s location to become known across the internet – the number is a trick we can use to ensure you can reach the game before the rest of the Internet has figured it out. We also have to force the old host and new host (and the domain holder) to pick up the changes – they can lag on the updates.
Summary: Star Pirates will be off-line for several hours starting at 10:30 AM EST Wednesday February 4, 2009