JCDoorman | Server News | Forum

Upgrade time is always a hassle and very stressful. There are plugins to be evaluated, tested, prodded, fixed, replaced, etc., etc. Fortunately, because we have a test server that mirrors Veterancraft, we can do 95% of those tasks without affecting the availability of our server to you.

But, there comes a time when we have to take the server down to perform full offsite backups, rip out the old and replace it with the new, and whatever else an upgrade process requires. The ol' timers that have been with us since the start know that this means the server goes into White-list mode and in turn they aren’t surprised to see the familiar kick message
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You are not white-listed on this server!"
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They know well enough to head to the forums to get the expected downtime; fire up the ol' Xbox, PS2/3, or whatever other time-sink they have; and, wait until the server is updated.

However, some of our newer members haven't yet learned this process and tends to result in the usual sorts of questions, especially if they haven't read our forums, and excessive attempts at connecting to an “un-connectable” server.

On an aside, you should always visit the forums before you start your "Minecraft day" for late breaking news, info, etc.

While they can’t do any harm by connecting to a white-listed server, connection attempts create log entries. As you may have heard me harp recently and several times before, some players just refuse to accept the white-list message and will repeatedly attempt - in excess - to log on even though they get the same result. A popular definition of “insanity” – which I don’t doubt some of you will jokingly claim to be – is repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This dysfunctional behavior results in logs cluttered with white-list kick messages, many times while I am in the middle of debugging critical plugin interactions. This certainly doesn’t bode well with me and might even cause additional upgrade delays.

With JCDoorman, we can create short custom messages that give a reason why access is restricted rather than just presenting generic white-list kick messages. At a minimum, this should dispel concerns that the client may not be functioning properly and not compel players to attempt additional logins.

However, JCDoorman also monitors the rate at which player make login attempts and will eventually limit the intrusiveness of those few that just don't get it.

Here is what is going to happen the next time we go into white-list mode for a server upgrade or other reasons. Rather than receiving the generic white-list kick message, you will be presented with a reason for the restricted access. For example,
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UPDATE IN PROGRESS. Check forums & tweets for more info.
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This should be a sufficient clue for anyone to go to http://www.veterancraft.net and check forums for update news and expected down times. Should you be one of those unbelieving players and attempt to log in again, you will receive a similar message.
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WARNING #1 UPDATE IN PROGRESS. Check forums & tweets for more info.
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This will be your first warning that you’ve already been told of the update in progress. Try it again, and you’ll get
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WARNING #2 UPDATE IN PROGRESS. Check forums & tweets for more info.
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After that, you take a gamble on how many additional warnings you might see. But tread carefully. If you exceed our warning limit, the system will ban you automatically. JCDoorman monitors the rate at which a player attempts to connect. If the login rate exceeds a set threshold, a ban is triggered.

The ban is not a permanent ban. But it doesn't go away automatically either like a temporary ban. You will need to post a ban appeal in the forums.