Bug - can't move or can't harvest

[bkc56]

Tonight I noticed a bug on the main server that we've been seeing for years on the PK server. It happens about every 49 days if a server has not been rebooted. Main rarely (if ever) sees it because it gets rebooted more often than that. The current up-time on the PK server is 687 days.

 

The two ways I know that it manifests itself is with (1) an inability to walk, or (2) an inability to start harvesting. It can hit animals/critters too and you might find them frozen (not walking around) on various maps.

 

The fix is easy: log out and log in again. A server reboot will also clear it.

 

Entropy/Radu knows about the bug. We PMed about it in Jan '13. It's related to a 32-bit timer overflow (his words) and is hard to fix. Since it's so rare on main, it's not a priority.

 

 

Please note: I posted here on purpose to inform people. Since the bug has already been reported, it doesn't need to be in the bugs forum.

Edited November 10, 2016 by bkc56

[Entropy]

Yes, not a problem. Just log out and back. Usually I restart the server sooner than that, but now that I am busy with the Android client, it stayed on for longer than usual.

[Burn]

Ah, so that's what happens to the critters on Test server (462 days uptime) that causes them to stop moving. It's actually a little creepy seeing them like that, hehe. (And surprising on C2 seeing some move, since Lenny is still actively killing and resetting them.)

[revi]

Yes, not a problem. Just log out and back. Usually I restart the server sooner than that, but now that I am busy with the Android client, it stayed on for longer than usual.

Not a problem most of the time. It could get more than a bit annoying if it bites you during invance or invasion. It would be really bad when you're in instance as it would effectively remove you from the team, and might end the instance for everyone in a small team.

 

I appreciate that correcting the bug might be hard/impossible, but perhaps restarting the server every 5 or 6 weeks would work?

[bkc56]

...but perhaps restarting the server every 5 or 6 weeks would work?

 

It's normally not a problem on main because it gets updates often enough to not have an uptime of 49 days. I'm not aware of this ever happening on main before now (I've never heard anyone complain of, or mention it). I don't think it's a very big threat.

 

But yes, a regular "maintenance reboot" every 6 weeks would prevent a recurrence. But don't reboots carry the same risk of catching someone in an invance/instance/etc?

[revi]

I wouldn't expect such reboots to be automatic. As you said, updates tend to happen often enough anyway.

 

But of course they can catch instancers, just like updates can right now. But if the reboot is announced in advance, the risk should be minimal. Speak up and the reboot can be delayed, and don't start an instance after the announcement... Same for invasions and invances: they shouldn't be started after a reboot has been announced.

 

If such a maintenance reboot is planned after 6 weeks uptime, there still is about a week margin before the bug would bite.

[saxum]

Please do the reboots between days. We have had reboots while players are doing dailies,

 

A calendar should be implemented to do after last day of each game month it is booted.

[Burn]

It does occur to me that both Neno walking on mines, and the Unicorn moving off of the dung it drops, would both be affected by this. (Assuming Neno teleporting doesn't reset him.)

[sgik]

Since there are a maximum of 31 days in each RL month, just reboot the server at the same time of day on the first (or last) day of the month, whether it needs it or not. If everyone knows that the server will be rebooted at that time, they can plan their activities around it.

[Starlite]

Its kinda fun hunting frozen mobs, we do it all the time on the pk server )))))