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TAfirehawk
11-06-2011, 02:50 AM
Staff Meeting Summary

November 5, 2011
The SWGEmu Staff


We met on Saturday, November 5th at 2:00 pm EDT to discuss three topics.


First, SWGEmu is now an officially, globally recognized 501(c) Non-Profit Organization registered by Oru in Hungary. The cost to do this was $1,500. The estimated monthly accounting and paperwork fee is $250/month but after the first month or two we will look to do that ourselves or find cheaper solutions. We now have financial protection from taxes as well as possible legal protection by not turning SWGEmu into a money making company. In the future, the other Founders and possibly some of the Leaders will be brought on to the NPO Board but for time and cost reasons it is just Oru right now.




Second, with the NPO complete we will begin monthly financial reports of donations and expenses. We will get into more detail with a separate report but right now we are averaging approximately $1,643/month from an average of 53 donations/month. We now have a total of five servers we operate costing just over $900/month - detail of the five servers in next topic. Some non-monthly bills are used for hardware upgrades and of course recently the NPO expense. The current cash balance on hand is approximately $6,500.




Third was a discussion on setting up the separate Development Site and the server setup. It is easiest to quote Oru from the meeting to describe the separate Development Site:

[14:51] <@oru> so to sum it up, the development team wanted a visual split in the eye of the community to become a development only project
[14:52] <@oru> it would mean separate forums in the first place, which will hopefully be created soon
[14:52] <@oru> there were also discussions to have another irc server but there was no final word on that
[14:53] <@oru> so what we are going to have forum wise is one common starting page on swgemu.com where the user can decide to go to the community or the development part of the project


The current server setup is as follows:

Chicago dedicated box - all site services except IRC
Denver dedicated box - all test centers, Liberator/Nova/STM
IRC VPS host
QA Department VPS - running Windows only software
Second Denver dedicated box - Community Division server for new site in TESTING/SETUP


We are still working out the details but the idea is to move the resposibility of Liberator off TheAnswer's plate and onto the Community Division. This along with the dedicated Development Site will help focus the Dev Team on the current Nova code and the eventual achievement of SWGEmu V1.00




We will be meeting again in two weeks to firm up the details on the Development Site and Server Setup - and will report back to you then on the plans.

Please feel free to leave your constructive comments and questions in this thread.

TAfirehawk
11-06-2011, 02:50 AM
I have a question.... So does this mean they are setting up a lib server for the community to play with and a community dev team to work on bugs on it? Or have i misread this? If so, does that mean the current lib will be transfered there, andbe active for quite a while?

The Community Division doesn't really have a "dev team" so don't expect any code changes to Liberator. TheAnswer has done a great job getting Liberator to be as stable as it is and we don't want to lose that functionality. Mainly we will have database and restart access but don't expect anything more than what you have today with Liberator until the Nova code is ready to replace it. We may look at ways to enhance the "Liberator Experience" but please, please don't expect it to be touched at all and consider anything that MIGHT get done as a pure BONUS.

Liberator is staying on the same server but there may be some downtime associated with re-tasking all the SWGEmu servers. Announcements will be made in advance of any planned changes.



Call me overly cautious, but is it wise to keep the emu servers on the same host? We've already seen some major hd breakdowns and keeping them on the same machine will cripple all of them at the same time if anything goes wrong. Seeing as there are multiple dedicated servers available I would suggest separating them so only one of them will be down if the unthinkable happens. Totally different subject - once Nova replaces Liberator, will you still keep a separate TC or will that be it, subject to periodic wipes?

Our dedi box host is FDC and they are reviewed the best at being the least expensive for unlimited bandwidth. The TB's of data we use each month really limits the hosts we can use. Hardware failures on one metal box doesn't mean we will see failures on another. And Vlada is right, we have two boxes in Denver and one box in Chicago so things will be spread around a plenty. And don't worry, backups will be a plenty :)

Of course we have been looking at alternatives to FDC and even possible Cloud solutions. Trust me, we are doing everything we can to bring you a great SWG PreCU playing experience.

The current plan, subject to change of course, will leave Liberator and Nova up permanently. One will be for "regular" play with minimal wipes and the other for direct play-testing for the Devs running the latest code.




Expansion on what that is exactly used for could be useful.
I heard it was only $7 and it runs Aceblades Windows' QA Tool but curious why the tool needs a VPS so explanation on that would be cool.

We have an internal task management tool that was donated to us by InforumUp. Normally this license would have cost $2,100.

Why do we need this?
a) As with every QA department tasks need assigned to individuals with goals for dates of completion.
b) This allows us to go in-depth regarding Tasks / Testing Flow and communicate / distribute the workload.


Attached is an image of the Shipwright tasks that were assigned.

2801



Is there any kind of heartbeat/drbd or even mysql replication in use or planned to prevent disaster or make recovery more expedient?

I mean, I don't think there has been a single after disaster report posted. No indication it's even had thought time put into it.

Read the second post....Of course we will have better backups in the future.

We kept people updated throughout the process so everybody that wanted to know has the information for what happened. I certainly don't see the need for an "after disaster report"....we had RAID fail and didn't have a separate backup for the character/user account table but everything else on Liberator was safe.

pseudonim
11-06-2011, 03:08 AM
That's very interesting. I guess congratulations are in order. I look forward to seeing how you guys move forward.

vicrock
11-06-2011, 03:11 AM
Great to see open accounting and NPO registration.

TA starting to step away is a good start as well.

Emerzon
11-06-2011, 04:08 AM
Thank you Oru, and all the others for the continued dedication keeping this project going in the right direction. Congrats swgemu on becoming a NPO!

RegularJohn
11-06-2011, 06:59 AM
These steps all look like steps in the right direction, good job buys!

Lolindir
11-06-2011, 09:10 AM
Congratulations on the NPO. Feels like we are closer to the goal already.

Areak
11-06-2011, 12:38 PM
Awesome! Just Awesome!
10++++

Forbes928
11-06-2011, 01:28 PM
Thanks for all the hard work! Look forward to seeing V1!

chayn
11-06-2011, 06:27 PM
Simply amazing how many hats this team wears for "us".

Thank you all for all you do, your dedication leaves me truly awestruck... /Deepbow

JSW321
11-06-2011, 11:24 PM
Your actions are far from unnoticed.

Great work in progress!

XsoulsX
11-07-2011, 05:33 AM
Congrats to all of the SWGEMU Team. Great Job!!!
Thanks for everything you all are doing.
Keep up all the hard work.

dfe87
11-07-2011, 11:24 AM
Sounds really good, doing an amazing job guys, keep it up!!

lyon01
11-07-2011, 01:52 PM
NPO... Nice work!!!

forgottensun
11-07-2011, 10:57 PM
Great to see open accounting and NPO registration.

TA starting to step away is a good start as well.

Agree, very pleased. Donation to come shortly.

Jaddynnstarr
11-08-2011, 02:17 AM
I have a question.... So does this mean they are setting up a lib server for the community to play with and a community dev team to work on bugs on it? Or have i misread this? If so, does that mean the current lib will be transfered there, andbe active for quite a while?

Revanis
11-08-2011, 02:24 AM
I have a question.... So does this mean they are setting up a lib server for the community to play with and a community dev team to work on bugs on it? Or have i misread this? If so, does that mean the current lib will be transfered there, andbe active for quite a while?

The box that Liberator will be hosted on will be a bit more accessible to us. Not sure so much of bugs fixes/changes, but it at LEAST means we'll have more of an ability to do things like troubleshooting technical issues, a more flexible restart timer and possible planned restarts to ensure a more stable environment for players.

However, Liberator code is very, very unstable at the base level, so non-essential bug fixes may be scarce (depending on whether or not how stable a change may be), but massive bug/exploits may be more readily corrected. In time we'll be able to tell, but for the time being it's more of a bonus to how well we can keep Liberator maintained and stable whilst the official developers work on the newer, better OR code.

mikesdk
11-08-2011, 07:16 AM
Call me overly cautious, but is it wise to keep the emu servers on the same host? We've already seen some major hd breakdowns and keeping them on the same machine will cripple all of them at the same time if anything goes wrong. Seeing as there are multiple dedicated servers available I would suggest separating them so only one of them will be down if the unthinkable happens. Totally different subject - once Nova replaces Liberator, will you still keep a separate TC or will that be it, subject to periodic wipes?

Vlada
11-08-2011, 07:30 AM
Call me overly cautious, but is it wise to keep the emu servers on the same host? We've already seen some major hd breakdowns and keeping them on the same machine will cripple all of them at the same time if anything goes wrong. Seeing as there are multiple dedicated servers available I would suggest separating them so only one of them will be down if the unthinkable happens. Totally different subject - once Nova replaces Liberator, will you still keep a separate TC or will that be it, subject to periodic wipes?

I'm pretty sure one of the servers will be moved to a different box maybe even to a box in a different city.

Auq-Din
11-08-2011, 10:53 AM
This is very positive news, congratulations.

TAfirehawk
11-09-2011, 02:46 AM
Posted some more detailed answers in post #2.

SWgalaxies
11-09-2011, 02:08 PM
Great to see open accounting and NPO registration.

TA starting to step away is a good start as well.

Totaly agree and just want to give my thanks for giving us some glimmer of hope for our SWG futures

/tiphat

Uli
11-09-2011, 11:51 PM
QA Department VPS - running Windows only software

Expansion on what that is exactly used for could be useful.
I heard it was only $7 and it runs Aceblades Windows' QA Tool but curious why the tool needs a VPS so explanation on that would be cool.


The box that Liberator will be hosted on will be a bit more accessible to us. Not sure so much of bugs fixes/changes, but it at LEAST means we'll have more of an ability to do things like troubleshooting technical issues, a more flexible restart timer and possible planned restarts to ensure a more stable environment for players.

However, Liberator code is very, very unstable at the base level, so non-essential bug fixes may be scarce (depending on whether or not how stable a change may be), but massive bug/exploits may be more readily corrected. In time we'll be able to tell, but for the time being it's more of a bonus to how well we can keep Liberator maintained and stable whilst the official developers work on the newer, better OR code.

Hit and miss on Liberator maintenance, the issue is for bug fixes etc not all of them are exactly easy and with no one from development side helping it might be difficult for the "Community Side" to deal with the issues in the Liberator code. Technical issues will be easier to deal with such as having access to the database (Well I assume you will have more access to the Database) and being able to restart is nice. But yeah fixing bugs/exploits I doubt any of that will happen.

Revanis
11-10-2011, 12:18 AM
Hit and miss on Liberator maintenance, the issue is for bug fixes etc not all of them are exactly easy and with no one from development side helping it might be difficult for the "Community Side" to deal with the issues in the Liberator code. Technical issues will be easier to deal with such as having access to the database (Well I assume you will have more access to the Database) and being able to restart is nice. But yeah fixing bugs/exploits I doubt any of that will happen.


Pending reviews of plausible options that have arisen, no primary developer will be needed for Liberator after the transfer is finalized. The purpose of transfer is to take the box off developer hands. There may be the ability to change things in the future without developers (at least not the main developers) input. Buuut that's all on the horizon and the main thing is that TA won't have to deal with wasting time on Liberator, hopefully.

So we'll see.

Dngrzne91
11-10-2011, 12:51 AM
Separating that TESTING from the PLAYING will be the best move you've made in a long time.

Uli
11-10-2011, 01:13 AM
Pending reviews of plausible options that have arisen, no primary developer will be needed for Liberator after the transfer is finalized. The purpose of transfer is to take the box off developer hands. There may be the ability to change things in the future without developers (at least not the main developers) input. Buuut that's all on the horizon and the main thing is that TA won't have to deal with wasting time on Liberator, hopefully.

So we'll see.

I'm really unsure on the ability to change things without the help of developers especially when it comes to liberator code.

Curious what bugs/exploits you plan to ATTEMPT to fix.

Aceblade
11-10-2011, 04:11 PM
Expansion on what that is exactly used for could be useful.
I heard it was only $7 and it runs Aceblades Windows' QA Tool but curious why the tool needs a VPS so explanation on that would be cool.

We have an internal task management tool that was donated to us by InforumUp. Normally this license would have cost $2,100.

Why do we need this?
a) As with every QA department tasks need assigned to individuals with goals for dates of completion.
b) This allows us to go in-depth regarding Tasks / Testing Flow and communicate / distribute the workload.


Attached is an image of the Shipwright tasks that were assigned.

2801

TAfirehawk
11-10-2011, 11:56 PM
Thanks Aceblade....I added that to Post #2.

navaho
11-11-2011, 03:01 AM
Is there any kind of heartbeat/drbd or even mysql replication in use or planned to prevent disaster or make recovery more expedient?

I mean, I don't think there has been a single after disaster report posted. No indication it's even had thought time put into it.

TAfirehawk
11-11-2011, 11:55 AM
Is there any kind of heartbeat/drbd or even mysql replication in use or planned to prevent disaster or make recovery more expedient?

I mean, I don't think there has been a single after disaster report posted. No indication it's even had thought time put into it.

Read the second post....Of course we will have better backups in the future.

We kept people updated throughout the process so everybody that wanted to know has the information for what happened. I certainly don't see the need for an "after disaster report"....we had RAID fail and didn't have a separate backup for the character/user account table but everything else on Liberator was safe.

navaho
11-11-2011, 07:12 PM
I certainly don't see the need for an "after disaster report"....we had RAID fail and didn't have a separate backup for the character/user account table but everything else on Liberator was safe.

No, you had a process failure.

speedfire
11-12-2011, 03:01 AM
No, you had a process failure.

That surely was a process failure. Luckily no data has been lost but some kind of hardware failure could occure again and should be adressed so that it will not happen on production servers. And there should be a report with the failure, the consequences and taken actions.
The fact is this is an open source project and industrial processed can not be applied as it was a company run project. People are spending their spare time on this project and can not apply all the rigorous processes that are used in the industry. And dev software experimented people will agree with me that even in compagnies, heavy process can be a total failure if they are not correctly applied and managed by process specialists.
I m not telling you that open source projects are low quality softwares but that quality is reached through other ways (swgemu has far a better software architecture than the official one, just wait for its power to be unleashed). Just my two cents.

DarksideTarq
11-13-2011, 06:24 AM
This is excellent news. Kudos to everyone involved. Thanks for all the hard work!

Uli
11-14-2011, 06:32 PM
TAF you quoted me wrong in the OP (second one) so it makes no sense lol/

Revanis
11-15-2011, 07:51 AM
TAF you quoted me wrong in the OP (second one) so it makes no sense lol/

Correeeected.

TAfirehawk
11-16-2011, 01:53 AM
Sorry Uli.....I need to review my copy/paste better :o

Kamara
11-18-2011, 02:22 AM
I have a question.... So does this mean they are setting up a lib server for the community to play with and a community dev team to work on bugs on it? Or have i misread this? If so, does that mean the current lib will be transfered there, andbe active for quite a while?

I understand part of Jaddynn's concern here. CyTec's (our guild) leadership is partly pulled between Nova and Lib. While we want to remain in touch with the community of players there are many of us that also want to help push this project further along by remaining available for testing if "needed". So in a nutshell how would this divide affect those that want to be apart of both?

Vlada
11-18-2011, 07:54 AM
I understand part of Jaddynn's concern here. CyTec's (our guild) leadership is partly pulled between Nova and Lib. While we want to remain in touch with the community of players there are many of us that also want to help push this project further along by remaining available for testing if "needed". So in a nutshell how would this divide affect those that want to be apart of both?

It should have very little to no effect, anyone will be able to post on devs forums or help test on TC: Nova. Point was to separate play server (Liberator) talk from development (TC: Nova) talk.

Kamara
11-18-2011, 07:07 PM
It should have very little to no effect, anyone will be able to post on devs forums or help test on TC: Nova. Point was to separate play server (Liberator) talk from development (TC: Nova) talk.

Ah good to hear! Thank you Vlada :)