Terraria is up and running!

The Terraria migration has finished, and the server is up at the new address listed on the right side of the screen here. Go play!

Terraria Migration Underway

The Minecraft server migration went off without a hitch, and we have begun the migration of the Terraria server. I have taken it down in the meantime, and I will post here when I bring it back up, (along with the new address.)

UPDATE 1: New address is on the right side of the page, although the server itself will not be up for awhile yet.

And We're Back!

Server is back up at the new address, (found on the right side of the page here,) and everything should be pretty much just as you left it, albeit a bit snappier performance-wise.

Terraria server migration will be occurring sometime today, (the 30th,) although I do not have a definite time slot yet.

Server Migration Underway

We have begun the process of doing a live migration to the east coast datacenter that should help reduce latency and improve performance. At this time, the server is still online, however I cannot guarantee anything that happens in-world will be permanent beyond this moment in time, until the new server comes up.

We will have a new address shortly, and I will post here when the new address is up, so that you can get connected to the new server. Worst case scenario, I have already downloaded a copy of the world as it was about 15 minutes ago and I have it stored here on my local machine.

In addition, if the Minecraft server migration goes well, I will be migrating the Terraria server in a similar manner. Shouldn't be more than a couple hours, at the most, for all of this to happen, and we WILL have new addresses when the migrations are complete.
I'll keep this updated.

UPDATE 1: 2103

The move is underway, and the team thinks that it will take a couple of hours at this time. I will be up until at least 5am anyway, so I will keep updating this as I get more information. Keep in mind that while the Minecraft server is still up, I can make no guarantees about anything you do being permanent. It may be, it may not be; it all depends on when the transfer picks up the Minecraft files and shifts them to the other server. Just something to keep in mind.

Also, at this time, it looks like we will probably be migrating the Terraria server in a similar manner sometime tomorrow, rather than tonight. Thanks for all your support.

UPDATE 2: 0144

Still moving, as far as I can tell. I have requested an update from the team that is doing the move, and I am going to try to get this back online before 8 am local time if I can.

Terraria Sale Today

Terraria is on sale today; any of you Minecrafters who have been thinking about picking it up, should go check it out while it's only $2.49. Our Terraria server is up and running; address on the right side of this page, and you can get the password by contacting me.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/105600/

Opened Server Up; Added Chat Features

Big news; the server is now open for ANYONE to join, without being on the whitelist. Players who join and aren't on the whitelist do not have the ability to place or destroy blocks, and cannot interact with items, (chests, furnaces, etc.) What this does, however, is it gets you onto the server, where you can walk around and see what we have built, and talk to the players. Contact a mod in-game to see about getting whitelisted.

We've also added colors to our chat system. The colors are applied to a users name everytime they send a message. Each color is assigned to a specific user group.

White - NEW users: people who have not been whitelisted
Green - REGULARS: people who regularly play on the server and are whitelisted
Red - MODERATORS: people to contact in case of in-game issues or questions
Blue - ADMIN: me, the server owner and operator

So, with these new changes, (in addition to our economy added earlier,) we hope to see more people join the server. Come on over and see what we've created!

Economy and Chest Shop Added

We now have an economy and a chest shop mod. The information about how these work and how to use them is at the link on the right side of this page.

Future Migration

I recently received an email from our hosting company, telling me that they are expanding operations and will be opening business at a datacenter in New York, as well as the Dallas datacenter that they currently operate, (among others.) With this email came the offer to migrate our server to New York, free of charge. The hardware located in the New York datacenter will also be mildly faster than what is at the Dallas datacenter, so I believe that I will be taking them up on this offer.

Now to the important part, what does this mean for you? This means that there WILL be a downtime, probably several hours in length, in the near future. I do not have an exact date or time to let you know of right now, but I will inform you as soon as possible. There MAY be an address change, but I do not think that there will be at this time. After the move, the server itself will be more responsive, in addition to being closer, which will cut down on lag and latency.

Overall, this is a very good thing, and it makes me happy to see that our new host is already extending us the courtesy of A) Notifying us of downtimes and issues, (which our other hosts failed at,) and B) Offering us beneficial changes for free. They seem very customer oriented at this time, and I am glad to see that.

Minecraft Authentication Servers Down

Looks like the Minecraft Authentication servers are having issues, so you probably won't be able to connect until they get this fixed on their end. Server is still up and functional, however.

Updates

Minecraft server is currently down for updates; it should be coming back up within an hour or so. I will post here when it is back online. I will also be updating the Terraria server sometime tonight.

UPDATE: Forgot to post back as soon as I got the update done. My bad....everything is back up though, and has been for several hours.

TorvServ Expands into Terraria!

TorvServ has now opened up a new server, in addition to the Minecraft server. This one is dedicated to providing an always-on Terraria server. The rules for this server as essentially the same as they are for the Minecraft server; basically don't be a dick and play well with others. The address for the server is on the right side of this page, and the password can be had by contacting me personally.

As you can probably guess, the cost of running two servers is definitely more taxing on the budget than running just one. For this reason, I would like to ask you to consider donating some money towards keeping these servers online with the Paypal buttons on the right. Right now 90% of the hosting fees are coming out of my pocket, and while I do enjoy providing other people with a place to come together and play, it would be very helpful to get a couple of bucks a month from some of the players to help reduce the load.

Happy crafting.

New Host Online; Minecraft is Up!

I have burned some midnight-to-almost-4-AM-oil to get our server back online. I have configured the new host, and it is now up and operational. The address to connect to it is on the right hand side of this page. I added as many people as I could remember to the whitelist, but I did not have a copy of the old version, so I may have missed some people. If you should be on the whitelist, but you are getting the denied message, shoot me an email and let me know so I can get you added.

The dynamic map is up as well, (still at map.torvserv.com,) and I have the rest of our plugins configured and operational at this time. This includes PlgWarp, Lockette, Dynmap, and a few others for administrative purposes.

And as a point of interest, the map that is currently on the server was generated from the seed "in memoriam hogwarts," in honor of our recently lost map. I know that we put a lot of work and a lot of time into making that world what it was...I only hope that we can continue forward with that same dedication and spirit of adventure in this new world.

As always, let me know if you have any issues.

New Host Found

I still have not heard back from our old hosting company. I have canceled my payment profile with them, and I do not expect to hear back from them at this point.

I have found a new hosting company, and I have created an account and sent in my first payment for another VPS. I am currently waiting for it to be set up, so I can begin setting everything up and testing. The minecraft server will unfortunately have a new map, and it will be located at a new address. I will provide more details as I obtain them.

Critical Service Outage

Earlier today, the server stopped responding to requests. I was unable to reach the host OS remotely. I logged into the web control panel, and the server was in an Offline status. Thinking that it had crashed for some unknown reason, I proceded to power it back on. It did not come back online, and was still not accessible.

I submitted a ticket to the hosting company, and requested that they investigate and bring the server back online. I received a response a short time later stating that there did not appear to be any operating system installed on the server. This means that I do not have access to the map files that made up our server.

The normal schedule of backups has been interupted lately as I waited for Bukkit to be updated. Since Bukkit was just updated recently, I have not had time to move any of the current backups off of the server hard drive and onto my local machine or other storage. All the current data was, at the time of the crash, located on the server hard drive.

I have requested that the hosting company attempt to open the server disk image and recover those backup files. I have not heard back from them since this request. Everyone cross your fingers and say a brief prayer. I will keep you updated.

UPDATE: The hosting company has responded to tell me that the IP address I gave them, (the one you can all see listed on the right side of the screen, and in all of your Minecraft server lists, and in the multiple subdomains that I have created,) is not my server, and that my server is at a different address and has no OS installed.

Needless to say, I am correcting them.

UPDATE 2: A transcript of my conversation with support is below.

-------------------------

Support:

Hello,

I could see no operating system has been installed in your server(173.254.255.43).

Please go ahead and try installing OS via the control panel that has been provided to you.

Let us know if you need any further assistance.

(You will notice that the IP address is not the one we use)

Me:

This server has been running just fine for several months now; what happened to my OS? I had files on there that I need. Is there any way you can view the disk image and attempt to recover data from it?

Support:

Hello,

Please be informed that the server IP address(109.169.80.172) which has given by you is not in our solusvm database.

And I could see the server with the IP address(173.254.255.43) under your email account.

That server 173.254.255.43 has no OS mounted. So,Please go ahead and try installing OS via the control panel that has been provided to you.

Let us know if you need any further assistance.

Thanks for your understanding.

Me:

I have been running a VPS under the IP address of 109.169.80.172 for several MONTHS now. I have DNS records pointing to it that have worked up until today, I have settings saved in 3 or 4 programs that point to that address, and they have worked up until today. I have users who have used THAT IP address to connect to the server for months now. That IP address WAS my server for the past several months. I have no idea why it is no longer showing it as such, but that IP address was my server, and I want to know what happened to my server and my data, and I want to know immediately.

Support:

Hello,

Sorry, I could not find this server with the IP address 109.169.80.172 in our solusvm database.

Me:

I have enclosed below the text from my original Registration/Welcome email, in which I was given the initial login and server details for my VPS.

~~~ The above described information was enclosed here; it clearly shows the IP address our server was on, and makes NO mention of the IP address that the Support personnel brought up earlier in this conversation ~~~

As you can clearly see, I was given a server on IP address 109.169.80.172. This server was functioning perfectly up until today. Please now explain to me, in EXCRUCIATING detail, how you have managed to LOSE an entire server and ALL of the data that was on it, in a matter of a few hours. If you are not able to do this for me, please connect me to your manager. Also, please keep in mind that you do not need to simplify your explanation for me; I am a Network Operator in a Tier III data center for the largest healthcare company in the United States. I help manage a data center of over 2000 servers and the networks to over a thousand remote facilities across the country; you do not need to worry about comprehension on my end.

I await your rapid response.

Support:

Hello,

I am escalating this to our senior admin to assist you further.

-------------------------

At this point, I am still waiting for the Senior Administrator to contact me back about this issue. 

Bukkit Updated!

CraftBukkit has been updated, and I will be re-installing all of our mods later today. Currently, the only one running is Dynmap, so throughout the day you should be able to see the map at map.torvserv.com updating itself with our terrain.

You can still play in the meantime, but keep in mind that I will be restarting the server several times later today in order to  get all of our other mods working.

Happy Crafting!

Torval

Server Status

The server is currently running the 1.0.0 version of Minecraft, following the release of the full version from Beta. At this time, all add-ons are disabled because Bukkit has not been updated to allow for mods yet. This means no map, unfortunately. I will keep monitoring the progress of the Bukkit Dev team, and will re-install the mods as soon as I am able. In the meantime, enjoy all the new features like potions and enchantments!

Map Poll

Alright, I would like some opinions. I am thinking about taking down the Earth map and the Hardcore map. It seems like I am the only one playing on them for the time being. I'll leave this poll up for awhile, and I'll take any opinions given, (use the comment section below,) into consideration. If I don't hear from anybody within a week or so, I'm taking them down.

Gearing up for the full release of Minecraft; getting ready to start building Adventure-mode maps for people to play. That should help keep you guys busy. Let me know if there is anything else that needs doing or that you would like to try out.

1.9 Pre-release Version 5 Server

I have setup the Secondary server again, this time as a 1.9 Pre-release Version 5 Server.

Now, to connect to this server, there are special steps you will have to take. First off, download THIS file.

http://www.mediafire.com/?73xi2t2ovi23hfz

Its hosted by me, and its safe; I swear. Now, place it somewhere handy, (probably right next to wherever your Minecraft.exe shortcut is.)

Run it; when it starts up, you will see a slightly modified version of the Minecraft launcher. Scroll down, and on the left you will see a button that says "Show All" under the heading, "Download More Jars."

A list appears; do NOT click the top link, (Do NOT click "Download the latest beta as minecraft.jar,") as this will overwrite your current Minecraft version.

Scroll to the bottom of that list, and click on the link titled "Minecraft Beta 1.9 Pre-Release 5."

A downloader appears; when it finishes downloading the file, close the downloader window.

Now, in the launcher, click the little drop-down titled "Jar File" near the Username and Password boxes. This is where you select the version of Minecraft that you which to run. In order to connect to the new Beta 1.9 Pre-Release server, you will have to be running Pre-Release 5. In order to connect to our main server, you will have to be running 1.8.1, (which will be titled "minecraft.jar" in the drop down list.)

You can just run this launcher, (and after downloading the appropriate jar files,) you can merely select which version of Minecraft you wish to run.

The address for the pre-release server is over on the right hand side. As of right now, there are no mods running on it, due to CraftBukkit restrictions. This means no maps, and no locking chests. Go play!

You will also probably have to use the default texture pack for 1.9 for the time being.

Workaround Found

I've found a workaround to the connection issues, so you should be able to play on the server just fine at this time.

Authentication Issues

It looks like the central authentication servers for Minecraft are having issues. This may cause you to be unable to log into the server. It is not an issue on our end, however; it is with the central Minecraft.net servers. I'm working on a work-a-round at the moment, and will update when I can.

Worlds Collide...

Worlds have collided. Previously to this, I had three separate Minecraft servers running on my private server. Two of them, you all knew about, and the third was sort of a test environment that was largely restricted to special parties. This created a large amount of overhead processing power, in order to run all processes in triplicate. Obviously, this is not a very efficient system.

So I changed it. Now, all three of those worlds are running on the SAME Minecraft server, which is at the address of the Main server. So, now down to the important part....

You can remove the links to the Secondary/Freestyle server that you have in your Minecraft application; the only one you need for now is the Main server link. I may re-implement the other server again at some point, but for now we will stick with just the Main server.

When you sign into the Main server, you should type /warplist. This will give you a list of all the places you can warp to by typing "/warp WARPNAME"

If a warps name is preceded by an M, (such as MCentral,) it is the Central warp on the Main server.

If preceded by a T, it is a warp on the Tunnels server. (Currently, no warps are implemented on the alternative servers.)

If preceded by a P, it is a warp on the Planetoids server. (Didn't you read the parenthesis above?)

So, go ahead and "/warp MCentral," and you will see the Portals you can go through to get to each of the other worlds. Walking through them loads you into the new world; there are also return portals at the other end that will take you back to Main.

Note: your inventory does not transfer over from world to world. What you have in Main will not be in your inventory when you get to Tunnels. However, when you go back to Main, you will still have everything you had when you left it originally. The same goes for the others; you have a different inventory for each world. This is to stop people from going through to a creative world, (which will be implemented at some point I'm sure,) spawning a bunch of stuff, then traipsing back through into a Survival world. We don't want that, for obvious reasons.

Also, the map, (map.torvserv.com,) now hosts the files for ALL of the worlds, so they are not all at separate URLs. Just go to http://map.torvserv.com, and float over the right sidebar; you will see the options to view the maps of the other worlds.

Anything else? No? Well then, here is a Youtube video from Apocalyptica's Album "Worlds Collide," (to go along with my heading,) and while it plays, go get signed into Minecraft and start crafting!

Brief Outages

The servers may be bouncing around a bit tonight. Big changes coming...watch here for details when I wrap everything up.

Changes Again...

Alright, I've made some more changes to the Secondary Server map. You should REALLY go check it out....its quite astonishing. A very unique map...I think you'll all like it. Check out the map: http://map2.torvserv.com

I think you'll see how interesting it is. Enjoy.

Donation Time

So, its the middle of the month...time to check those pockets for loose change and see if you can't scrounge up five bucks to help keep the servers up and running. I appreciate the help with all of this, and I'll continue to do my best to make it worth your while, as well. When the adventure mode comes out, your donations will also help fund the time necessary to create cool "adventure maps" with scenarios and dungeons and whatnot for you to fight your way through. In the meantime, however, I'll try to keep putting up interesting challenges and maps on the Secondary server.

New Map for the Secondary Server

The map on the secondary server has been replaced. Now there is a custom scenario; you will spawn into a bedrock room full of equipment. You gather your wits and your supplies, and then travel through into the nether. The only way back from the nether is to die...how long can you survive?

Now Implemented: Warp System for the Masses

I have implemented a Warp system so that the users of our main server can get around more rapidly without having to ask the Mods for teleportation commands. It is very simple to use. The commands are:

/warp WARP_NAME - Warps you to the selected warp point
/warplist - Lists all available warp points

Users are not currently allowed to set warps; this is on purpose. The point of the Warps is not to drive the rail lines into obsolescence, but rather to help cut down on travel times from place to place. I don't want to have a world where EVERYTHING has a Warp, because I feel that would negatively impact the game experience. You would never walk anywhere, you would just Warp from place to place all the time.

Currently, there are 4 available Warp points. I will be monitoring their use and expanding as I see fit. The warps currently available are:

Hogwarts - Takes you to the rail station at Hogwarts castle
Lair - Takes you to the main floor of the Lair on top of the mountain
Central - Takes you to the top of the Central rail station near the original spawn point
Port - Takes you to the Port

So, for example, if I want to Warp to the Lair, I would type:

/warp Lair

So, the way I see things working, you can Warp to the point that is closest to your destination, and then use rail lines to get the rest of the way. It's as easy as that. Enjoy!

Systems Test

I just want to see how many people actually come to this page and read the information here. I'm curious...so I'll be conducting a rather informal poll.

If you read this, send me an email with the subject line "I read it," and I will give you 3 diamonds in-game next time I catch you online.

Rules: you are NOT allowed to tell anybody else who plays on the server about this deal. They are only allowed to discover it for themselves. Also, there is a deadline; any emails received after noon on Monday will be disregarded.

Cheers. ;)

Possible Network Issues

Separate from the issue I mentioned earlier today; we are experiencing some odd errors where one or more players may be mysteriously disconnected from the Minecraft server. Other players may remain connected to the server, but the players who were disconnected cannot reconnect for up to a minute. During this time, their internet connection appears to work just fine otherwise; just the server is unavailable. Its an interesting issue, and I just now managed to get a packet-capture of the network stream as the issue occurs. I am in the process of breaking down the packets to figure out where the issue is.

Brief Minecraft Authentication Server Outage?

Looks like we just got out of a brief Minecraft authentication server outage. At least, that is the nearest I could figure out the problem to be. Everything was working just fine on our back-end, and my client was properly configured, but I could not connect to anything via the Minecraft client. It appears to have cleared up now, but I don't know how long the issue persisted; so if you had trouble getting in today, this was probably why.

New Info/Donations Page Now In Use!

I have replaced the old Info/Donations site with this page. It is much simpler to manage, and will allow you to set up an automated monthly donation, so that you do not have to remember to donate every month. I have programmed in several different options for donations, (including a manual, one-time $5 donation in case you don't want to do it automatically,) but if you do not like any of the options available, let me know and I can implement a different one.