Error message

[Pengi]

Got this error message below a couple of times when logging in (Firefox, Mac) - about 15:40. Got a DNS message when trying to log in using Safari - was there are server move?

500 - An Error Has Occurred. Please Check Your Scripts

An error has occurred and the server was unable to complete your request. The server has reported "internal server error" as it it not able to determine the cause of the problem.
The most common reason for seeing this page is because of a website scripting error. Website administrators should check the following:
Incorrect permissions

The top cause of this error is incorrect permissions on a script or directory. Directories that contain web content (including cgi scripts) must be mode 755. CGI scripts must also be 755. PHP scripts outside cgi-bin folders must be mode 644.
Invalid script interpreter

The script interpreter is defined on the first line of the script after the #! and must exist on the server. This is usually perl and needs to be '/usr/bin/perl'. If you wish to use php, please use '/usr/bin/php5-cgi'. These paths can vary from system to system and it's important to ensure that they're correct for this server.
Script uploaded in binary mode

Text files are very slightly different between Unix and Windows platforms. If you upload in ASCII mode, the ftp server will translate the files to Unix mode for you if necessary. If you upload in binary mode, it won't. CGI scripts are one of the few places on web servers where this difference actually matters.
Script did not output headers

CGI scripts must output HTTP headers. If you're using PHP, it will do this for you. If you're using Perl, you must do it yourself or use a helper module to do it for you. You must also ensure that the headers are always the first output generated by the script. It's not uncommon for test or debugging code to output a message before the headers and that will cause the server to treat the script as broken.
Syntax error in script

This error will be generated if scripts have syntax errors and don't actually run successfully. You should obtain the relevant interpreter for your script and try to run it before uploading as this is the easiest way to ensure that there are no syntax errors.
Script is trying to use a module not installed on the server

Perl scripts will usually die with an error if a module the script requires is not installed. If you suspect a module you require is not installed, please contact support.
Error in .htaccess

This error will be returned if there is a directive Apache does not understand in the .htaccess file.

What to do if all else fails

If you've checked all of these things and can't fix the problem, our support staff will be able to find out more specific details of the actual problem and give you more detailed information on how to resolve it.

[Tank]

Thanks.  Usual problem sadly.  Apparently some SM Forums are causing high loads on servers, so they are working on a patch to fix it.

[kaiwhara]

mumble mumble too many trigger happy N-Gaugers mumble mumble mumble... 

[Kipper]

Why are we associating ourselves with sado-masochistic forums in the first place? And do you have a link? 

[Sprintex]

You mean N gauge modelling isn't masochistic enough??


Paul

[kaiwhara]

Not an error message as such but for about 10 minutes the connection to the NGF only was timing out at around 20:50 NZST 9/06/2014

[Tank]

I'm not sure why it happened, but many thanks for letting me know about it.