Getting Better...
> Much better here this morning!
> Chr.
Here too!! 😀
PS: Christof, I mailed out your package today. I had it packed and ready to go before my mom got sick, but then didn't have a chance to mail it because I had to go tend to her, and then in all of the chaos I lost it in my truck!! o.O I found it the other day and shipped it out today. Please let me know when it gets there. Thanks!! :angel:
back to the "new improved" normal this AM.
thanks!
Ken
Server Update
So this most recent server problem has caused me to pull in some other experts to see what may actually be going on. As I suspected, this forum software is not made for a forum this large. It was built based on the idea that there might only be 1,000 registered users and 200,000 posts. As you can see by looking at the footer, we are far over those specifications.
So what happens now?
Well, quite frankly, I'm not exactly sure. We have pumped up the capabilities of the server, effectively DOUBLING our hard costs. We tried various upgrades until we reached a point where the site was speedy and had some room for continued growth. But the reality is that we have thrown a ton of hardware at a forum that really should only be using about 20% of the resources we've given it. But that is a weakness of the software itself. Short of rewriting the whole thing, we are kind of stuck with the concept of throwing craptons of hardware at a forum program that really shouldn't be using such a massive amount of resources. Keep in mind that we have modified and tweaked the software as far as we can take it, even beyond what the original developer did. It's damn near a complete fork of the original product. But we have basically reached our limit in terms of software and now we just have to keep throwing hardware at it as we grow. As you might imagine, that will get pretty expensive. We are growing rapidly and will have to find a way to deal with this.
One thought is to move to a more mainstream forum system that provides ongoing support to stay on top of things. Most forum software, however, has a completely different layout than we have here. Hence our conundrum. So, at this point, I'm looking at how we can move to one of these more mainstream forum systems while still maintaining this style of forum, or at least keeping it as close to this format as humanly possible. This means we'll probably have to do some custom coding or hire someone to provide these services.
Another consideration will be the existing database. I absolutely refuse to lose that and I don't want to compromise its integrity like a certain other forum did a few years ago. So I'll be looking into that as well. However, I'll probably need to hire an expert in database design to make that data come across seamlessly.
Anyway, as you might imagine, there's potentially a lot of work to be done if we decide to make this happen. In the meantime, the reality is that we'll have to deal with these performance issues here and there while we find the time to pull together a "Plan B". Please bear with us.
Server Update
Not that I know anything about forum software, but hey I won't let that stop me ...
Would it be feasible and helpful to archive posts more than 6 months old in some of the categories, provide a separate search mechanism for them, and remove them from the main database to make it more efficient? Another site made it too hard to search archives, so care would be needed.
The most important categories probably don't take up the most space; Land Surveying, Legal Issues, Construction, etc. probably have less traffic and are of more permanent interest.
But RIP, Sports, Contests, Buy/Sell, Humor, Site Issues, and others are usually of passing relevance-less likely to be searched for- or really not as beneficial for posterity. Thus an extra search step or longer access time shouldn't be a frequent burden to users.
Of course, I expect General Non-Surveying is a large category and many things that merit being categorized elsewhere get dumped in there. So that one would be a tough call.
Server Update
There is always the option of reopening Politics & Religion, then banning members until you get down to a workable number 😉
Getting Better...
Thanks allready,
I'll let you know!
Chr.
Server Update
😛
Server Update
> There is always the option of reopening Politics & Religion, then banning members until you get down to a workable number 😉
Server Update
Sorry everyone, I wasn't trying to cause worldwide panic! I got emails with offers to help reduce the database size by deleting their posts and many thoughts of wisdom. But really, the numbers I posted were just to make it clear that we have exceeded the intended capacity of the software. Even if we tried to trim some back, we'd get there again very soon. The site is growing pretty quickly at this point and something needs to be done.
To be clear, I'm not panicking nor am I asking for money. I'm just sort of thinking out loud and want to be transparent about what's going on. This situation is actually what I consider to be part of growing pains, which is an expected phase of any venture that is proving to be successful (or on it's way to success).
Just know that I have your wants and desires in mind (in terms of the forum, for those sarcastic beings out there who would comment otherwise, LOL) and will continue to work in that direction.
Server Update
thanks for the continued efforts.
the system is responding much better today, but my spelling has not improved
PS: as you know response time is rather important, many of us flit off somewhere else if it runs slow.
