WE'RE BACK! Finally... So what happened?
A few days ago, hackers took advantage of an exploit on the R-Vision site and managed to take down not only this site, but a number of others on the server. While their goal was only to deface the sites by inserting a new front page for each website, they also tried to cover their tracks and in doing so wiped out a lot of files (instead of just the log files they had meant to)
Needless to say, this meant any recovery was going to take some time. Since we knew the site would be down for a while, we decided to go ahead and perform some much needed upgrading. So in exchange for a few days of downtime thanks to our hacker friends, R-Vision CC is back and better than ever.
So what exactly has changed?
First, we migrated the site to a new server. Both the database and web server are running on dual processor servers with 4 times the memory. You should find the forums, galleries, and other site features running much faster than before.
We also have installed some additional modules that help secure the CMS software we use even more to try and prevent hackers from being able to utilize newly discovered exploits.
We've also upgraded the Gallery software for Version 2. This is a MAJOR upgrade. Here is an indepth list of what's new in Gallery 2 compared to Gallery 1. The new database backend will help make the galleries faster and easier to manage. The new modules provide users with more powerful image manipulation tools and the new permissions system allows you to control who can do what to your albums in minute detail. If you are a power user that posts a lot of pictures, be sure to read the Gallery 2 Documentation Obviously ignore the installation stuff since it's already installed. Most modules are installed and activated. If you upload a lot of pictures, be sure to check out Gallery Remote
Besides that, the site should work just as before. However, this has been a significant upgrade, both from a user perspective (Gallery, etc) as well as on the back end (new server, databases, etc) So if you notice any problems, please use this thread to post your questions.
NOTE! One side affect of the Gallery 2 upgrade is that album permissions have to be reset. Paul is working to get them setup as quickly as he can, but it'll take a little time. So if you notice you can't administer some of your albums, that's why. If you really need to get some pictures uploaded, send nc_campers a private message with the name of the album to get updated and he'll bump it to the top of the list. Otherwise, most albums should have their permissions reset in the next few days.
Hopefully the withdrawl symptoms weren't too severe!
