What's up with RMweb recently?

[Trainfish]

Not working now but then I never need it anyway, I was just bored 

[nick_bastable]

Im starting to suspect that Warners are trying to indirectly kill it off

[njee20]

Yes, been dead all day hasn't it? I'm minded to agree; it's even had a banner saying it's operating in basic mode while they diagnose a fault for about 2 weeks! Madness. I certainly wouldn't rush to take a paid membership now.

[zwilnik]

I just found out today that the GWR.org.uk site appears to be hosted on RMWeb when I went to look at the layouts on there and it timed out going to RMWeb

That's a major shame as GWR.org.uk is a really good reference for GWR modelling.

[The Q]

It's effectively been 36 hours since RMweb was available, and it was getting ropier by the minute before that..
The latest Facebook info says "Dediserve" are looking into it..

Hopefully because it's failed totally it will be easier to find the fault..

[70000]

I managed to get on there about this time yesterday (08.00), but photos weren't loading and it was all painfully slow. Been unable to get any form of access since then though.
I've got the Impression that the provider of the Host Server don't seem to be bothered about it (presumably "Dediserve"), so an alternative Host was being sought....

[jmupton2000]

If it weren't for the fact I also do US HO as well as N, I would have given up on it.  Shame as I was a member when it began many many years ago.  Of course, if there is an equivalent of this forum for US HO scale modelling then I wold consider giving up RMWeb altogether.

[Bealman]

Simple solution here... stick with THE forum. 

[The Q]

Simple solution here... stick with THE forum. 

You have an EM gauge Section?

[Chris Morris]

I can't help feeling that Warners are interested in making a profit (which they should be) but not all that interested in supporting and developing our hobby.
For instance, they have moved into exhibitions ion quite a big way, is this at a cost to club organised exhibitions? There is usually a high trade to layout ration at Warners exhibitions. On the other hand it does appear that Warners rescued the Bristol show at the request of the association that used to run it . So maybe not all bad, or are they keen to get a stranglehold on all the large exhibitions in the country?

[Richard Taylor]

OK, I'll put my hand up - it's my fault. I went a bit OT and made some comments on RMWeb about the supply & morality implications for model railway kit if China increased its support for Putin in the current crisis, so obviously now RMWeb has been taken down by a Kremlin revenge cyber-attack.

Alternatively, it might not be that or any of the other conspiracy theories, but just a big IT glitch which they are finally tackling properly.  But... that's what they want you to think! Wake up sheeple!!!  ;-)

Yours, in tin foil hat,
Richard

[Woodenhead]

I can't help feeling that Warners are interested in making a profit (which they should be) but not all that interested in supporting and developing our hobby.
For instance, they have moved into exhibitions ion quite a big way, is this at a cost to club organised exhibitions? There is usually a high trade to layout ration at Warners exhibitions. On the other hand it does appear that Warners rescued the Bristol show at the request of the association that used to run it . So maybe not all bad, or are they keen to get a stranglehold on all the large exhibitions in the country?

Hornby Magazine have also upped their sponsorship of shows too under the Keyworld banner, there is one in April at Statfold Barn.  I think it's a response to Covid, some organisations remaining nervous of big shows and getting sponsorship reduces the risk to an individual modelling club.  To be fair to Warners, they used to have three shows, they still have three shows with Peterborough replaced by Bristol, whether Peterborough comes back is down to the new owners of the showground.

[Woodenhead]

I just found out today that the GWR.org.uk site appears to be hosted on RMWeb when I went to look at the layouts on there and it timed out going to RMWeb

That's a major shame as GWR.org.uk is a really good reference for GWR modelling.

It's not hosted by RmWeb, some people have simply used RMWeb content to showcase the layouts rather than set up a dedicated page on the GWR site - but as seen with fotopic, using someone else as the host for images can backfire later on and leave holes in your website.  Unlike fotopic, RMWeb will be back.

[Tank]

I know that Andy was looking into a new host when I last spoke with him, and he'd found a new one to transfer to.  It could be that he's bitten the bullet and gone ahead with the transfer.  I imagine it's a MAJOR headache to do, as forums are very complex compared to just a website.

[Woodenhead]

@Tank I think he mentioned the image file alone was a Terabyte of data, that was last week.  I think the host change preparations are underway but whether the outage now is related to that or just the existing host having fallen over I don't know.