Server upgrade

[Janice]

DOWNTIME ALERT! As we migrate data to our new server Specktra will NOT be available. This is TEMPORARY and estimated at anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. As many of you have noticed this week, the site has been very slow. Well I should say slower than the normal slow.

We've grown from $9.99 shared hosting, to a virtual private server, to a dedicated box just for Specktra. The dedicated server has been great, but it's time has come to be replaced with more powerful hardware. I've tried everything I can with the current box, from working with the techs at the host to bringing in private consultants who specialize in optimizing servers for vBulletin. Things will be fine for a bit, but inevitably slow down again. It's been painful, but I can't thank visitors enough for sticking around even when you get so frustrated you want to kick something.

Stefan at LiquidWeb has put together an upgraded server configuration to meet Specktra's needs. The new server will have triple the RAM, and more triple the processing speed. Being that Specktra is a BUSY forum, which is notoriously heavily database intensive, you might understand how important that is. The new setup should be able to handle Specktra's growth for at least a couple of years.

If you've ever considered becoming a premium member of the site, your support would be greatly appreciated right now and would go directly towards improving our community. When you become a premium member you receive many account upgrades that vary with the upgrade level purchased, and will not be displayed any ads while logged in.

Just a brief state of the union address, you are free to move about the cabin now.

 

[redambition]

for the geek factor, are you able to let us know what the processing speed of the new server will be?

 

[Janice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redambition for the geek factor, are you able to let us know what the processing speed of the new server will be?

The new machine's processor setup is Dual Xeon E5310 Quad Core (Clovertown).

 

[MAC_Whore]

Wow! Impressive hardware. That is soooo fast! I am just so amazed at that! Nice equipment.

(psssst, I have absolutely no idea what any of that means

)

 

[Janice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC_Whore Wow! Impressive hardware. That is soooo fast! I am just so amazed at that! Nice equipment. (psssst, I have absolutely no idea what any of that means )

I'm right there with you on this one.

I'm like, is it going to make the site faster? Yes? Alright, let's do it. =P

 

[COBI]

When is the switch expected to take place?

Thanks.

 

[Janice]

Well I thought it was going to be later this week, but the site is really speedy right now. I'm wondering if they already did it!? I feel silly for not knowing if they did.

/edit - not yet, but I can't wait for it to be this fast all the time!

 

[redambition]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janice The new machine's processor setup is Dual Xeon E5310 Quad Core (Clovertown).

oooooh.... nice!

and yes, those are fast little babies. the website is going to zoom along

 

[makeup_wh0re]

Is there a way we can pay for a premium acct by mailing in a money order? I don't have a bank account.

 

[duckduck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC_Whore Wow! Impressive hardware. That is soooo fast! I am just so amazed at that! Nice equipment. (psssst, I have absolutely no idea what any of that means )

Oh I think I know what it means! Here:

Someone seriously needs to send that along to MAC.

In other news, I'm now officially a silver supporter!

 

[aziajs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by duckduck Oh I think I know what it means! Here: Someone seriously needs to send that along to MAC. In other news, I'm now officially a silver supporter!

LOL!! Right!

 

[redambition]

duckduck - that's awesome

 

[User49]

Lol. I sometimes just love this site because the sense of humor that people have here is awesome. Love the little diagram lol!

 

[MAC_Whore]

duck duck,

Your photoshop adventures are hilarious! Too funny!

Thank you for becoming a Premium Member.

 

[MAC_Whore]

Janice:

Thank you for taking such good care of us. Specktra is a tremendous resource and a great place to be.

To all Members:

Consider sharing the love by becoming a Premium Member.

Aside from your membership providing you with some cool perks, it directly supports the upkeep and upgrades on the site. There are 4 different levels, so there's something for everyone's budget.

( I kind of feel like Sally Struthers, "For the cost of one eye shadow, you can feed the server for one month.")

Thanks!

 

[Janice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by duckduck Oh I think I know what it means! Here: Someone seriously needs to send that along to MAC. In other news, I'm now officially a silver supporter!

Oh my god, I literally LOL'd and almost fell out of my seat when I saw that.

Thanks for supporting the site.

 

[Janice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by makeup_wh0re Is there a way we can pay for a premium acct by mailing in a money order? I don't have a bank account.

Sure, I can do that for you, PM me and I'll send you my address.

 

[Dawn]

Very cute duckduck!!

 

[Sound Of Vision]

Good luck and thanks for taking care of us!

 

[starfruit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by duckduck Oh I think I know what it means! Here: Someone seriously needs to send that along to MAC. In other news, I'm now officially a silver supporter!

Sooo true, haha. It's actually kind of ridiculous!