Hamilton Serial number lookup problems

[Jim Haney]

Something is stuck in this Lookup. It keeps trying to open the link and then cuts you off saying you have tried too many times and has a 5 minute warning before trying again?

 

[Dave Coatsworth]

Also can't log into the main website this morning. I've sent an inquiry to HQ.

 

[Jim Haney]

This doesn't speak very highly of the NAWCC technical team, of if a contractor the ability to make them accountable.

Hard to Believe that the NAWCC web site is out of service over the Holidays.......

 

[Bila]

Appears to be anything relating to the main site, no access, don't you just love "IT" engineers, the majority promise a lot, but deliver a little

 

[Jim Haney]

When the problem is solved,I believe that the members deserve a full explanation of the cause & cure too see if this unexcusable IT service can be eliminated in the future.

 

[steamer471]

Same here. Get error code 429 then locked out

 

[musicguy]

I also just tried to look up a watch tonight and could not. I agree
it is frustrating.


Rob

 

[Steven Thornberry]

I also just tried to look up a watch tonight and could not. I agree
it is frustrating.


Rob

And yet, I was just able to access the Waltham Serial lookup records.

 

[Jim Haney]

Where are they located, The same place as the Hamilton serial numbers?

 

[John Matthews]

Steven - I cannot access it either. Is it related to the work on single login?

This is how I attempted

1. open main site
2. select company records from the research drop down list
3. click on Hamilton Serial Number Search - this is where it starts to go wrong ...
4. resulting page ...
   
   
5. if you open in a new page you get this
   
   
   
   
6. enter a serial number 1234567
   
   

I checked the number was valid ...

I checked Chrome ... you get this at 4.

John

 

[Steven Thornberry]

Steven - I cannot access it either - I suspect the reason that you can is related to your status as an administrator. Is it related to the work on single login?

This is how I attempted

1. open main site
2. select company records from the research drop down list
3. click on Hamilton Serial Number Search - this is where it starts to go wrong ...
4. resulting page ...

I said nothing about Hamilton records, which I also cannot access. My position as Administrator extends only to the Forums. I mentioned only Waltham. In reply to Jim's inquiry:

Company Records - National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, Inc. (nawcc.org)

 

[John Matthews]

I said nothing about Hamilton records, which I also cannot access. My position as Administrator extends only to the Forums. I mentioned only Waltham. In reply to Jim's inquiry:

Company Records - National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, Inc. (nawcc.org)

Yes - Steven I changed the post while you were typing having discovered that [ctrl]+[rtn] saves the post - I was trying to insert a un-numbered line into a numbered list and I should have used [shift]+[rtn]

John

 

[Jim Haney]

And yet, I was just able to access the Waltham Serial lookup records.

This make no sense, why would you post this, it has nothing to do with the problem? and has caused John much wasted time..........

 

[Steven Thornberry]

This make no sense, why would you post this, it has nothing to do with the problem? and has caused John much wasted time..........

Jim, I was simply pointing out the inconsistency in being able to access the Waltham records and being unable to access the Hamilton records. You should take it up directly with the HQ IT guys.

 

[Jim Haney]

You did not answer my Post #9. The Waltham Records ? They are not in the same NAWCC site as Hamilton, so what is the point?

 

[Dave Coatsworth]

The difference is that the Hamilton database requires permission to access whereas the Waltham does not. It seems the problem is with the access to permissions, not the site itself.

 

[Jim Haney]

Dave,
The NAWCC site is down so any access is not working. If you go to the top here in our Forums, under Research and then down to Company Records, same thing no access, so how can anyone access the Waltham records thru the NAWCC site?

 

[Dave Coatsworth]

Jim,
The main site is not down. You probably have it set to automatically keep you logged in and it is failing trying to do that. If I access nawcc.org from my iPad where I am not automatically logged in, I can get to the main site and then to the research/company records page. From there, I can get to the Waltham lookup and use it just fine. The Hamilton lookup fails because it is trying to authenticate the user at that point.

 

[Dave Coatsworth]

A note on the main website states that they are working on the problem today, 12/26.

 

[Jim Haney]

Dave,

Thanks for the explanation. So everyone who is locked in the NAWCC site because their Log in info is saved can not access the site unless they chose another device that is not signed in.......

 

[Dave Coatsworth]

I suspect this is controlled by a cookie, so clearing your cookies will probably also allow you to access the main site; You still won’t be able to access members-only pages like the Hamilton SN lookup, however.

 

[John Matthews]

Dave - I do not think that is the answer with regard to access to the main site. I set my login as permanent on all devices and browsers I use. The only time when I am unable to login is when there are system problems. (h/w and/or s/w).

John

 

[Tom McIntyre]

Dave explained it correctly.. I would appreciate some screen snap shots when people are describing the site not working.

I have no problem logging off the main site using the button in the right side of the top margin that is labeled. Once I have logged out I cannot login again because the login system is broken.

Any of the material on the main site can be read unless it has a gateway (pay wall) that checks the information in the users browser against the membership database.

The Waltham Serial Numbers do not require membershipn nor does HorologyThe Index or the Labels and Printer project anlong with many other tabulated data Those were developed by members who wanted them shared freely.

Most of you know I do not think it is good business to have the severe limits on access that we currently have on critical parts of the content. However the BOD and many of our managers beleive it is the only way to provide good value for membership.

We do not hire Engineers to work on our staff. We have never had the assets to do that. We try to hire bright and enthusiastic people and teach them how to manage our technology.

 

[Bila]

Here is a screenshot of the message when trying to do a Bulletin search

 

[Bila]

Another for the Hamilton Database.

 

[Tom McIntyre]

Everyone should be able to log out or clear their cookie on the main site.. If they do that they will be able to see any content that is not protected. That was why I asked for a screen shot. You need to locate the logout button to avoid the errors seen when trying to open the Hamilton database.

In particular the Waltham database link under facotry records should display and take on eo that database.

Our iMIS consultant should be able to repair the login but he may not have been available over the holiday period. If our regular consultant is no longer available there are many qualified consultants listed on the iMIS site.

 

[John Matthews]

Tom - I provided all the screen shots in #10 above.

I think there is something odd regarding the protection on the main site. As a member I expect that the publications that are one of the main benefits of membership to be protected.

At the moment I can access this page and download these pdfs.

But if I try and access the Past Issues - I get this ...

and then this in a new tab/window

This then provides access to past bulletins.

So I do not believe that the explanation is down to cookies.The problem is most likely down to someone has changed the protection system and hasn't tested it sufficiently so that some access sequences no longer work smoothly.

It is the protection/security checks that are broken.

I suggest one of the administrators proxy as a registered/non-member and test the sequence of screens I have just posted.

John

 

[Tom McIntyre]

John, I was trying to get a consistent state for everyone who wants to discuss this. You need to show the top liof the screen with the gray background menu bar. If it says logouot, you are logged in and will encounter the software error if you try to access anything that uses the paygate to check your status. The paygate appears to be broken.

I do not know what the work schedule is this week for Columbia, but we may not have this fixed before 2023.

.............................. Also
Trying to login when you get the message from the paygate, sets a cookie in your browser and will continue to redirect you to the too many attempts message from the broken piece of software. You will need to delete your history/cookies to restore normal operation.

 

[John Matthews]

Tom -are you saying if I logout that the sequence in my post #27 will be different?

John

 

[Bila]

So what you are saying to put it in a nutshell Tom, is that any paid-up NAWCC member has no access to the content that they pay their membership dues for and only have the same rights regarding content as a general visitor/guest or registered forum user.

The interesting part for me is who was playing when this got broken, was it during any software upgrade (Contractors or Staff), or during the work being done to integrate the 2 log-ins to one between the Forum & Main site

 

[Tom McIntyre]

I have no idea but I did not know of any work that was going on.

We are moving our forum software off campus soon and the staff are considering a similar move for the rest of the in-house computers.

Hopefully all the maintenance will be professional and we will only need to monitor how well it covers our needs.

 

[Dave Coatsworth]

Quick update... The problem is being worked on by our consultants. You should now be able to log into the main website. Also, accessing back issues of the bulletin is working again. The Hamilton serial number lookup is still broken and I have let them know about that.

 

[Bila]

Quick update... The problem is being worked on by our consultants. You should now be able to log into the main website. Also, accessing back issues of the bulletin is working again. The Hamilton serial number lookup is still broken and I have let them know about that.

Apparently they have now broke something else, just tried and now either my user name and/or password is not valid, this is getting a bit ridiculous

 

[Bill Stuntz]

I expect to be flamed for this, but here goes:
Has anyone noticed that it's a holiday week? And that thousands of people are stranded trying to get back home due to the storms & Southwest's meltdown with >60% cancelled flights? How many staff members and/or consultants are stuck somewhere? And there's absolutely nothing that the MB admins/mods can do to fix the problem. They have no control over the main web site. My experience has been that productivity is always way down during the holidays. Things always take longer than they should at this time of year.

 

[Jim Haney]

It is all good, i got into the Hamilton serial numbers.........

I would really like to know the cause of all of this BS.. every member has the right to know what caused this major screw up so we can vote to remove whoever is unqualified to do their job or find better consultants.

 

[Bila]

Still can not get onto main web site, my credentials are supposedly incorrect (and by the way they are not). I thought I will just reset my password seeing I still not have had a response from anyone to my queries, and you are not even able to do that either, pretty pxxx-poor state of affairs.

 

[Bila]

Yesterday I was logged-in to the main web site, after so called advise from here to log-out and clear browser data, today I can not log back in, so you fix one problem and stuff-up something else, who is in charge with regard to the in-house servers and the like and who oversees any outside Consultants/Contractors work

 

[Bill Stuntz]

there's absolutely nothing that the MB admins/mods can do to fix the problem. They have no control over the main web site.

The only things the admins here on the MB can do is report problems to whoever it is who gets things done on the main NAWCC web site - which is completely independent of the MB. They have about as much power over the main NAWCC web site as the barista at your local StarBucks has over SB's corporate policy.

 

[Bila]

The only things the admins here on the MB can do is report problems to whoever it is who gets things done on the main NAWCC web site - which is completely independent of the MB. They have about as much power over the main NAWCC web site as the barista at your local StarBucks has over SB's corporate policy.

Thanks for you replies Bill, at least you have, but someone must be in-charge of overseeing the tech operations of the main servers. Who has been currently working on them to get the Hamilton database stuff on-line? Someone is doing something and whatever that is, they are stuffing-up more stuff as they go along.

Some-one in the Moderating team here must have contact with HQ to liaise with the correct person working on the servers. Or is this another one of the hush-hush things that the upper echelons here and at HQ do not like to talk about and play a deaf ear too

 

[Bill Stuntz]

I suspect that the fact that it's Christmas has something to do with it. And the winter storms. Much of the US has been pretty much paralyzed. AFAIK, Tom McIntyre probably has the most contact with the main web site. I know that they've been trying to implement a single logon for all the NAWCC sites, as well as upgrading the MB to a new version of XenForo & (I think) move it to the cloud. I had to resign my admin position a couple years ago, so I don't have any firsthand knowledge.

 

[Bila]

I suspect that the fact that it's Christmas has something to do with it. And the winter storms. Much of the US has been pretty much paralyzed. AFAIK, Tom McIntyre probably has the most contact with the main web site. I know that they've been trying to implement a single logon for all the NAWCC sites, as well as upgrading the MB to a new version of XenForo & (I think) move it to the cloud. I had to resign my admin position a couple years ago, so I don't have any firsthand knowledge.

Thanks again Bill for the reply, I am aware of the severe storms and the problems they are causing over in the US, also I know about the single log-on work to be done and the upgrade to the new software. This does not though address the current issue of someone tinkering. Whether that be Staff or Contractor's, it is very obvious someone is having a play and causing as much damage as what they rectify. I would like to know who is involved and who has the responsibility for oversight of it

Regardless if you use Volunteers, Contractors or Paid Staff there must be a point of Contact and someone to oversee the work. If there is not, all that happens is the Buck-Passing between people and their areas of duties. All this leads to is a shambles which is what we currently have now and it has happened previously as well, yet apparently nothing has been learnt from previous experiences.

If the above is not the case then will someone give me the details of who is overseeing this and I will make direct phone contact with them.

 

[Tom McIntyre]

I think there is a related discussion on the agenda for the upcoming BOD meeting. Perhaps the discussion there will help members understand the situation better.

If you really want to discuss NAWCC Business and NAWCC personnel (which I would not recommend), then you should start a discussion in the members only discussion area.

This area is for getting help with Forum problems.

 

[Bila]

I think there is a related discussion on the agenda for the upcoming BOD meeting. Perhaps the discussion there will help members understand the situation better.

If you really want to discuss NAWCC Business and NAWCC personnel (which I would not recommend), then you should start a discussion in the members only discussion area.

This area is for getting help with Forum problems.

A pretty easy question Tom, I do not need the run around, who has been tinkering with the server, I see the same response as you have given me was not given to others asking about why the main servers were not operational for certain content.

A basic question of responsibility for Tech and direction to the contact number and it can not be answered.

I will post the question in the Members section and lets see if I get a sensible answer or the run around there as well

 

[John Matthews]

I did not take Tom's advice to logout, nor did I make any attempt to clear my cookies. I thought it was bad advice. I wanted to see if the problem would be resolved without changing my profile and my login status.

If there is a problem with a system it should not be in the hands of the users to find a solution, or a work around, and generally they cannot fix the problem. If there had been a significant (planned) change which necessitated action to change user's login status/procedure or clear cookies, I would expect that all users would have been notified of the actions they needed to take. In such a circumstance without taking those actions, there would have been far more widespread impacts on system availability than the ones we have experienced. The problems had the signature of a change that had unexpected consequences, because of a lack of understanding of the dependencies.

Without changing anything on any of my devices, the Hamilton Lookup and the Past Issues of the Bulletins now works .

John

 

[Tom McIntyre]

A pretty easy question Tom, I do not need the run around, who has been tinkering with the server, I see the same response as you have given me was not given to others asking about why the main servers were not operational for certain content.

I think it is inappropriate to identify particular employees or consultants in a public discussion. It is difficult enough to hire qualified people to work in Columbia without the job exposing the employee to criticism here.

If employees want to participate here, the Forum Admins and Moderators have no objection, but the BOD or the NAWCC management may want to restrict that activity.

 

[Bila]

I think it is inappropriate to identify particular employees or consultants in a public discussion. It is difficult enough to hire qualified people to work in Columbia without the job exposing the employee to criticism here.

If employees want to participate here, the Forum Admins and Moderators have no objection, but the BOD or the NAWCC management may want to restrict that activity.

Thank you for your response Tom, and I agree with parts of it, but there has to be someone doing oversight and they must be up front and center to field the questions and be willing to take the positive as well as the negative responses, otherwise they are in the wrong game.