I am more than willing to bend on a time limit but having eight counties (12%) down presents a big hit on our Project. This also illustrates the potential problems that can occur when a single individual has accumulated this many county Projects. In an earlier response to Ellen, I noted that the page owner had placed a USGenNet redirect to explain the problem. If anyone has suggestions for handling this problem I am certainly willing to listen to them. Derick S. Hartshorn State Coordinator, NCGenWeb Project At 10:55 AM 12/16/02, you wrote: >Hi Derick and all, >I don't believe Derick asked for our advice... maybe I'm wrong. >But we don't seem to be able to resist... myself included. > >Derick is absolutely right that the resources that are not available >should be made available asap. My quibble with Derick is that >two weeks is not enough... I'd say a month (it's a hectic time of >year) > >My other unsolicited comment/plug is that Rootsweb has been >there thru thick and thin and I am one of those who favors using >Rootsweb whenever feasible. > >Admittedly I have not thought of a backup plan if Rootsweb goes >down... too horrifying to imagine. But, as Derick mentions, it >should not be difficult to find another site temporarily. > >George of MA and CT > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Ellen Pack" <e.j.pack@telocity.com> >To: <STATE-COORD-L@rootsweb.com> >Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 7:52 AM >Subject: Re: [STATE-COORD-L] NCGenNet server problems > > > > Derick, have you considered putting up a notice on the state home page > > explaining the problem so the researchers will at least know what's going > > on, and that it's a temporary situation? You know, express regret, server > > folks working as quickly as possible, thanks for patience, etc. > > > > You could direct visitors to http://www.californios.us/usgn/ a page where > > updates are posted. > > > > Most computer users are accustomed to running into down servers, and would > > understand and appreciate being informed. It would be a terrible shame >for > > the state/researchers to lose all that accumulated material, not to >mention > > a lot of experienced and hard working CCs, because of a situation over > > which no one has control. > > > > I apologize if you've already put up such a notice, but I couldn't find >one. > > > > Ellen Pack > > MS SC > > > > At 10:12 PM 12/15/2002 -0500, Derick S. Hartshorn wrote: > > >The NCGenWeb Project and its members are being severely harmed by the > > >inaccessibility of pages hosted by USGenNet. > > > > > >I have sympathy for USGenNet and their members but Project patrons trying > > >to access our pages through the USGenWeb Project county page > > >(http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncgenweb/county.html) are not currently being > > >served. I have received several complaints, as have our ASC's, and >others. > > >Most folks have expressed displeasure at not having a single county > > >source, for some particular Eastern North Carolina county. They have > > >reported that the ALHN pages (served by Fred Smoot's server), the AHGP > > >page (also served by Mr. Smoot's server) and USGenNet (Mr. Smoot >himself), > > >were down and waiting for new hardware replacements. In addition Diane > > >Mason Kelly, (President of Webroots.org, founder of ncroots.com and CC of > > >several Eastern NCGWP counties) had all her NC GenWeb Project pages down. > > >She fails to explain the entire down-time problem but does present a > > >lovely Christmas page at www.ncroots.com. She sent a post to our Project > > >indicating USGenNet hardware problems--nothing else. Nothing to indicate > > >when her NCGWP sites would become re-actived. Her Burke County link > > >(http://ncroots.com/Burke/) to the Burke Co. Data Base > > >(http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncburke/burkedat.htm) seems to be a pretty > > >honest appraisal of the entire situation. I do disagree with several > > >points made but overall, it seems to be quite accurate. > > > > > >Nobody from the USGenNet has ever contacted me regarding the estimated > > >down-time, let alone offered an apology for the inconvenience they have > > >caused our Project so I have no idea how long our affiliated NCGenWeb > > >Project pages will be out of service. > > > > > >It is the responsibility of each page owner to provide for server space > > >from whatever individual or entity they choose. Nevertheless, it is the > > >responsibility of that same page owner to provide for contingency plans > > >when the unexpected occurs. > > > > > >I am forced by the current situation to issue a notice to page owners of > > >any and all USGenNet-hosted sites within our NCGenWeb Project. Measures > > >must be taken, and taken immediately. Effective midnight, December 31st, > > >2002, any pages not active in the NCGenWeb Project shall be declared to >be > > >abandoned and will be retained by the NCGenWeb Project to be available >for > > >adoption and/or re-assignment to an appropriate, knowledgeable and > > >reliable page owner. > > > > > >I believe that two weeks is ample time for the situation to correct >itself > > >or for the CC page owners to find alternate server space. For that >reason, > > >I trust that the NCGenWeb Project will be on even track in 2003 and that > > >each and every one of you will enjoy a blessed holiday season and reflect > > >on God's blessings on us all. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Derick S. Hartshorn > > >NCGenWeb State Coordinator > > >nc@usgenweb.org > > > > > >Visit the NC home page at: > > >http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncgenweb/ > > > > > > >

> I am more than willing to bend on a time limit but having eight > counties (12%) down presents a big hit on our Project. > This also illustrates the potential problems that can occur when a > single individual has accumulated this many county Projects. > In an earlier response to Ellen, I noted that the page owner had placed > a USGenNet redirect to explain the problem. The page owner didn't put up the redirect to explain the problem. It was put up by USGenNet for all the pages it hosts, for the exact same page exists for each county in TN hosted there and for the state page as well. > If anyone has suggestions for handling this problem I am certainly > willing to listen to them. > > Derick S. Hartshorn > State Coordinator, NCGenWeb Project ------------------------------------------------------via webmail---- Tim Stowell tstowell@chattanooga.net

At 11:12 AM 12/16/2002 -0500, Derick wrote: ><snip> >In an earlier response to Ellen, I noted that the page owner had placed a >USGenNet redirect to explain the problem. I'm sorry, apparently I missed your earlier response, so I'm unable to comment. What I'm saying basically is that this is not a problem that effects only one state, or even one project. But even if it did, it's not a time to place more pressure on good CCs to do something they may not be able to do. It would, however, be a good time to support and assist them. Place a notice on the state page, offer to help CCs find alternative temporary or permanent space if they desire, encourage them to place notices on their county lists, help them fend off complaints from researchers, and so forth. Times like this people need help, not a short "or else", and especially not at this busy time of the year. I know you're concerned about the state, and rightly so, but think of it in the long term. I know you don't want to lose the sites and data temporarily, but would it be better to lose it all permanently? Ellen