CCGF Moving to NEW SERVER!

[jonastio]

YO! I think I've got the server to a state where I can go ahead and move the forum over to it.

Here's the plan:

Mid-day tomorrow you might experience a few short outages while I move the database to the new server. This is in preparation for the move itself. While the site will be on the GoDaddy servers, the database will be on the new Amazon virtual server. I'll have to disable the forum during the period in which the data is transferred and imported. That'll last maybe 5 to 7 minutes. The SPOTTY outage might come while I'm figuring out firewall access. Rest assured that I'll figure it out quickly.

Why am I going through all that trouble? UPTIME, FOLKS! I hate outages MORE than you do! The plan is to have the forum functional on both the old and new systems, both operating off of the new database server. This is so your access won't be interrupted because your ISP is slow to update their DNS servers. Some internet providers can take up to a week to update DNS entries, which means you could be unable to access our systems for up to a week if I wasn't taking these precautions.

If ALL GOES WELL, tomorrow night I will be copying the files from the old system to the new. After that, I will be updating the DNS entry to point to the new server. Most folks will be using the new system by morning. By Thursday night of next week, I'll be moving the files from the old system to cold storage.

It is my hope that the entire outage will only last 10 minutes at most.

I'll leave comments open on this post for any concerns or questions you may have about the move.

[skip]

Good luck, and thanks for both the advance notice and the excellent support of our little community here.

[Dale Gribble]

Thanks for the hard work.

[substratum]

It's nice to have folks running the forum that are knowledgeable about computers and server-thingy stuff. :)

[Tack Driver]

Quit yappin' and get to work.

[chenzzo]

hopefully now I'll be able to actually log on from my PC at home.

[Cattle/Horses]

It's nice to have folks running the forum that are knowledgeable about computers and server-thingy stuff. :)

+1

Because I don't have a damn clue what Jonas just said, but I do have faith in him.

[Tack Driver]

+1

Because I don't have a damn clue what Jonas just said, but I do have faith in him.



+1

Because I don't have a damn clue about that stuff, but I have faith in Jonas


We know buddy.

[jonastio]

hopefully now I'll be able to actually log on from my PC at home.


What?! Send me your IP address at home and I'll get this corrected in short order.

just go to http://whatismyip.com

[jonastio]

I'm expecting this move will come with faster load times?


Nah. The whole point of this is to move it onto a slower server so you guys have to wait longer. :rolleyes:

[Josh]

Jonas you could also create a link using the IP and send it to everyone. Just thinking out loud.

[Rumbler]

Nah. The whole point of this is to move it onto a slower server so you guys have to wait longer. :rolleyes:


Excellent. Absolutely CLASSIC !! http://www.pic4ever.com/images/25r30wi.gif

, don't make us have to get Jlfar to spank you. You know that he would enjoy that farrrrr to much.;)

[jonastio]

Jonas you could also create a link using the IP and send it to everyone. Just thinking out loud.

That'd work if I didn't have the forum in a virtual host config in apache.

You know, because we also have www.capitalcitygunform.com that I've already moved.

[Cattle/Horses]

We know buddy.

Touché

[NJC]

Jonas,
Thanks for the effort and time. I really do appreciate it. Virtualization, uptime, multiple web front ends and shared databases are all elements of redundant and disaster resistant deployments.
In my previous life as a Cisco guy, this would have given me a wood, probably still would for Danman. Now I just think you are a geek, do you have a CCGF pocket protector ?


NJC

[Tack Driver]

I've determined Jonas is an "Exhibitionist Geek". He actually looks for opportunities to fly his geek flag high and proud.

[jonastio]

I am not ashamed of my geekdom. I fly that flag proudly. It makes me money.

NJC: The Cisco IOS is a beautiful creature.

[NJC]

I agree, but their GUI's , especially ASDM is a pain in the ass if you grew up on the IOS. I did a complete career change a few years ago and dont mess with that stuff much now.

[jonastio]

From what I understand, the PIX firewall management was a gigantic piece of shit.

[Triad]

Thanks very much, Jonas and Mike for using some of your proceeds to improve the site. Much appreciated by us all.

[jonastio]

Okay, got the system moved to the new database. You'll likely notice it's a little laggy. That's just kinda par for the course until tonight's move.

[jonastio]

This part is where it's super important that you folks let me know of any NEW issues you come across.

[WinterSoldier]

Y'all go ahead on. I'll stay on the old server.:o

[jonastio]

Welp, I don't notice anything particularly wrong going on. Everything seems to be in decent order.

Yay!

[jonastio]

OKAY! So I wanted to make a test run and changed DNS. Looks like there's quite a few people that have already made the change to the new system.

I've already noticed a problem. With the virtual server we're on, we don't have a set amount of computing power available to us. Sometimes it gets throttled back a bit so you might notice slowness for a minute or two. I'll see how much of a problem it really is, but I might have to upgrade the system to one with a guaranteed amount of system resources.

I'm sure you'll notice that the site has quite a bit more pep for the most part.

[Cattle/Horses]

Was trying to find the forum and got this.
http://ccgforum.com/upload/index.php

Jonas, Is this the other site you were talking about? LOL

[jonastio]

:P

You don't have to do anything new. It'll just move your system to the new forum.

[jonastio]

Okay, so that sucked. I don't think Amazon is going to work for us.

Found a new-ish system that a close friend of mine uses and is singing high praises of, and it's CHEAP. So yeah, I'm gonna give that a whirl.

[jonastio]

Okay, things should ACTUALLY be evening out now. Sorry about the crap today, guys.

[Rumbler]

I'm hitting 'www.capitalcitygunforum.com'

And it is screaming fast. Hell the forum page loads faster than Google's search page.

[jonastio]

Yeah, I need to get with you on that. Amazon was a bad fucking idea. I'm sorry I even went there.

So a close friend of mine who is uber-nerd gave me a heads up about a place that rents edge vm's. http://www.edgevm.com
$15 a month gets me 1GB memory, *2* 3.2 GHz cores, 50GB drive space and 2TB of data transfer. At that rate, we should be able to live off of those donations for at least 2 years.

*TUNE OUT, TECH SPEAK AHEAD!*
Resources are guaranteed by a hypervisor ticketing system so we're not going to have to worry about another VM crowding us out.
I don't forsee needing an increase of resources for quite some time. Honestly, the system is STUPID cheap and super effective for our size forum.

[jonastio]

Not ONLY did Amazon's resource availability SUCK ASS and lock up the entire system for over 15 minutes, but once I restarted the VM, the goddamn public IP address changed.

So for those folks that weren't able to connect AT ALL for an hour or so today, I'm really sorry. I'm pretty pissed off about it.

[jonastio]

One last thing: If anyone wants to chit chat, I'm going to be in the chat tab for a bit. Now that it works.

[skip]

I'm liking the new header and logo.

[YankeeFingergasm]

Is it fixed? Seems brighter, faster more awesomer....or is it some placedo effect?

[jonastio]

It's fixed!

[YankeeFingergasm]

It's GLORIOUS

[jonastio]

Yeah, I get a few seconds of lag every few page loads. Dunno if that's the server or the hosting service. It's one of those things that's going to take time to troubleshoot.

[TargetShooting]

Yo Yo, fast!

[polebarn]

Very nice so far;like the bold title font. It screams "we ARE CCGF!" Much faster now.

[substratum]

It's blazing fast on my iPad and iPhone at home on Comcast. Much quicker on Verizon, too.

[Tack Driver]

the chat

Fuck chat.

[Tack Driver]

Yeah, but there's lewdness in the chat

Debauchery...........and shit.

[0utlaw]

Didn't realize how slow it was till it got so damned fast! Good job Jonas

[WinterSoldier]

Oh, I duuno... I've been bored poopless ever since I've been limited to one user name. Many, many names... that's interesting. One name: BOOOOOOOOOR-ING! Might as well play footsie with the fascists on TGF...

[Rumbler]

I didn't realize you couldn't change your username. I have rather enjoyed your creativity with that in the past.

Even though as often as not I have to google it to learn what it signifies.;)

[WinterSoldier]

Well... I SUPPOSE that I could sign up for multiple-multiple-multiple accounts... but the usual response to that sort of thing on most forms is, well, er... generally a thermonuclear option.

AND besides... if I had full-blown multiple accounts, all of my multiple selves would perforce have to attack each other, and pretty soon the whole forum would be about flame wars between me, and me, and me, etc.:confused:

[WinterSoldier]

I haven't been 'round much lately but I have been pursuing matters many of which I'm sure you would highly approve of because I've been stuck on the number .45 in various and sundry weights and velocities and just having an outright enthusiastic .45 orgy, all of it rather considerably over and beyond the mere .45 ACP. I mean... did you know that you can stuff a 560 grain lead weight into a .45 shoulder cannon and pretty much lob it from stem to stern through an elephant, should there happen to be one around and if yer not too Republican-isch to do that to him, or her (I ate a monkey's hand once... boiled, with salt, now mind you... even I have standards, so I'm pretty sure I would just as soon shoot a girl elephant as a boy elephant if I was going to shoot an elephant at all...;))... Anybody seen any elephants 'round here'bouts lately? I keep clicking my fingers because I've heard that keeps 'em away... but one can never be certain that such magical tricks really work...

[jonastio]

I *actually* spent time trying to figure out if there was a plugin to allow YOU to do that. Alas, I was unable to find anything.

[Rumbler]

'course being the simple minded slug I am, I checked the permissions closely and don't have the option to allow the users to change their own username. Though Jonas and I can change them - that is pretty easy.

[Rumbler]

By the way, the site isn't fast now. It is sudden. :)

[YankeeFingergasm]

I'm not getting email notifications any more. I think it started with the last switch. I've checked my permissions and they seem to be correct. Suggestions?

[HarleyBrent]

I'm not getting email notifications any more. I think it started with the last switch. I've checked my permissions and they seem to be correct. Suggestions?
Me either

[Rumbler]

I'm getting notification of PMs I received.

'guess I'm special. :p

[FLT]

Naw. Just a Diplomat . ;)

[HarleyBrent]

No I think he's right about that "Special" thing :p

[YankeeFingergasm]

I'm getting notification of PMs I received.

'guess I'm special. :p

Via e-mail or just within the forum itself?

[jonastio]

Not in your junk mail folders either?

[Rumbler]

Via e-mail or just within the forum itself?


Via e-mail. I never get them within the forum. I cruise with pop-ups disabled.

[YankeeFingergasm]

Not in your junk mail folders either?

NEVER and yes I double checked them.

[Hank]

Codos on the upgrade, for me it's all been great!!

[jonastio]

It looks like I've got the e-mail thing licked. I've not gotten any bouncebacks since I corrected the hostname setting on the server.