2014-15 Season Recap Thread Disappeared/Deleted???
- Thread starter Admin
- Start date
So aren't you concerned that a thread can just disappear into thin air?
How often is the FTO server backed up? If there's a backup from late May or early June you might be able to retrieve the thread.
How often is the FTO server backed up? If there's a backup from late May or early June you might be able to retrieve the thread.
See what happens after the years of bellyaching and drama queenery about me a posting season recap thread during early April, as if that makes any difference? An unreliable OP takes over then deletes the entire thread!
Tony Crocker":1gibfhy8 said:
The forums' SQL database is backed up regularly. However, that backs up the entire database, not individual posts. Restoring from backup therefore means that the entire database is overwritten, so all subsequent posts (and all subsequent forum activity) created after the backup date will disappear. In other words, be careful what you wish for.
That said, I just checked the server logs and somehow, it seems that I did it:
Code:
Admin [IP addressed removed by Admin] 12 Jun 2015 03:56 pm Deleted topic “14-15 Season Ski Day Count” written by » EMSCAt the very same time there's another entry created by my actions when I deleted a spam post written by "addseo1115", a spammer who apparently can't even conceal the intent adequately demonstrated by their username:
Code:
Admin [IP addressed removed by Admin] 12 Jun 2015 03:56 pm Banned user for reason “Spam”» addseo1115It appears that the topic was deleted rather than just the spam post. Whether this was through my own stupidity, or whether it's a flaw in Tapatalk (which I was almost assuredly using at the time), I don't know. In any event, I sincerely apologize to all those affected.
So, I apparently "Crockered." I guess that makes us even for this:
Code:
Tony Crocker [IP addressed removed by Admin] 19 Jun 2015 01:36 pm Edited post “Jay Peak Summit: Most Snow in the Lower 48 in 2014-15???” written by » Admin
Marc_C
Active member
If you could restore the backup db to a different environment than production, then the SQL to extract that thread and then merge it into the production db is pretty simple (assuming one knows the table schema of the discussion db). The script might have to monkey with UIDs a bit but even that isn't too difficult.Admin":i81ifciq said:
Uhh, not exactly. I deleted ONE post, realized the error within minutes, reposted it according to what I remembered, and sent admin an e-mail heads-up in case I forgot something so he could fix it.admin":2d06fsdw said:
Admin deleted an entire thread with posts from at least 4 users (I think) on June 12 and never realized that he even made the mistake. One week ago I inquired privately in an e-mail titled "Am I Hallucinating, Getting Senile?" which James corroborated the next day and admin ignored until posted publicly here yesterday.
At any rate I'm relieved it was human error and not a software bug or a hacker.
I agree with this. Sometimes Tapatalk works about as well as an Internet browser, sometimes definitely not. The only feature it ever saves me is having to log in.MarcC":2d06fsdw said:
MarcC":2d06fsdw said:
I can't speak for James, EMSC, etc., but if it's lot of work to do the restore I have no problem with reposting my part of the lost thread.admin":2d06fsdw said:
With my lack of SQL knowledge it would require either hiring a developer or investing 20 or 30 hours of my time, by my estimation, still with no guarantee of success.
And I've been really, really bad lately at reading or maintaining my email.
Finally, regarding Tapatalk I've never had any problems before with using it to moderate, and if I'm away from my PC it's much easier on a mobile device to use that app. I don't even know if that caused or contributed to the mishap, it's merely speculation that it may have been involved. It could have simply been pilot error
.
And I've been really, really bad lately at reading or maintaining my email.
Finally, regarding Tapatalk I've never had any problems before with using it to moderate, and if I'm away from my PC it's much easier on a mobile device to use that app. I don't even know if that caused or contributed to the mishap, it's merely speculation that it may have been involved. It could have simply been pilot error
.
Marc_C
Active member
Yeah, I figured the test environment would be the big issue. Theoretically you could do it on a PC, but you'd obviously need to set up a db server; because of what those animals do, I'd opt to do it on either a machine that you'd be willing to do a full restore or disk wipe on after you're done or on a virtual machine.Admin":pxernvwo said:
I used the term merge pretty loosely - actually you'd be doing a select from the restored db and an insert into the real db. At it's most simple, it would look something like:
INSERT INTO table2.production.db
SELECT * FROM table1.restored.backup.db;
Here's where it can get complex:
This might need to be done with multiple tables on the assumption that the forum db is a normalized db. It might require join(s) or relaxing unique key constraints, manipulating UIDs - all depends on the schema. I'd be surprised if someone who knows SQL would estimate this at longer than 2 hrs for the basic development and testing unless there's something really funky in the forum db that I'm missing. Most SQL developers I know would do it for a couple of six-packs.
Still, there's the whole ROI question of recovering this one thread.
Agree, even if it's 2 hours of work, better for us just to recreate the thread.admin":2bredn5z said:
Given admin's workload at his day job, I think it would be worth his while to find such an individual who could be "on call" for more serious crises like last season's hack.MarcC":2bredn5z said:
Admin":2x6dopii said:
Fine. How about your social security number?