ParanetOnline

The Site => Site Suggestions & Support => Topic started by: iago on April 13, 2010, 01:07:04 AM

Title: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: iago on April 13, 2010, 01:07:04 AM
I got onto the VPS control panel for this machine and changed out what software it's using for handling name service, as I've had a hunch that the site's frequent apparent outages have been due to the nameserver software losing its mind.  So far, I haven't run into any outages since I did that (around this afternoon), but I am not hitting the site super-frequently. How's it working for y'all? Let me know.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: JRBobC on April 13, 2010, 03:54:01 AM
So far so good thus far.  I imagine everything will come down in a couple of weeks when people start to drift away from discussions on Changes.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: laura118b on April 13, 2010, 04:55:58 AM
I haven't noticed as many problems at night, it's been daytime.  But I'll give an update after lunch tomorrow.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Priscellie on April 13, 2010, 01:17:37 PM
The site was down for at least a few minutes earlier this morning.  I caught it at 7:34am.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Kali on April 13, 2010, 02:05:19 PM
Couldn't access it this morning, just a few minutes ago (~9:50 am Eastern).  It's never down for more than 10 or 15 minutes, tho.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: iago on April 13, 2010, 02:11:27 PM
Ah, too bad. I feel like the new nameserver is nimbler, but the server seems to have problems all the same. Meh.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: jtaylor on April 13, 2010, 02:38:30 PM
It was just down for me for 4 minutes or so. 10:37 AM EST.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Shecky on April 13, 2010, 02:42:37 PM
Still stuttering at times.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: ToddM326 on April 13, 2010, 02:46:21 PM
Being able to get to the forums has been spotty.  I just figured it was because of the new book, and that it would die down soon.

Is there also a disproportionate number of new user accounts since Changes came out?
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: JRBobC on April 13, 2010, 03:21:55 PM
It's a bit sluggish.  Though I do not know how much of that is the site and how much of it is my addiction to tabbed browsing.  It is mildly annoying, but meh, this to shall pass.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: meh on April 13, 2010, 03:23:15 PM
I just figured it was because of the new book, and that it would die down soon.

Don't get your hopes up: neuro hasn't read it yet.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: iago on April 13, 2010, 03:23:45 PM
The crashes we're experiencing intermittently appear to be due to memory errors. Too much stuff getting loaded up all at once, I suspect. I confess I wonder if our policy of keeping every old post is going to screw us in the long term.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: svb1972 on April 13, 2010, 03:32:46 PM
The crashes we're experiencing intermittently appear to be due to memory errors. Too much stuff getting loaded up all at once, I suspect. I confess I wonder if our policy of keeping every old post is going to screw us in the long term.

Almost certainly will.

You might need to think about having an offloaded 'old posts' different forum.
Iago, are you hosting? or colocating? or something.  IE: is the box yours? and do you have access to another one.  Or is this a hosting service and they gave you an account.

If it's the former, you might want to think about moving the database that the forum runs on to a different server.  Therefore splitting the "application" load from the "Database" load.  Although, I've never gotten a SQL querry error so it sounds like you're not using a BB that uses a database backend.


That's another possibility.  Consider switching to a more robust BB server.
I've built web server farms before.  If you could use some help figuring something out, send me a PM :)

I assume though, you know lots of geeks who also have done stuff like that, so.. I won't get offended if you don't.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: iago on April 13, 2010, 03:38:06 PM
Iago, are you hosting? or colocating? or something.  IE: is the box yours? and do you have access to another one.  Or is this a hosting service and they gave you an account.

I'm on a VPS -- it's a step up from shared hosting (and an order of magnitude more expensive), but I don't *think* it's all the way to a full physical server of my own.

Quote
If it's the former, you might want to think about moving the database that the forum runs on to a different server.  Therefore splitting the "application" load from the "Database" load.  Although, I've never gotten a SQL querry error so it sounds like you're not using a BB that uses a database backend.

Yeah, not an option, and fraught with its own architectural perils too.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: laura118b on April 13, 2010, 03:58:47 PM
Maybe you could prune back more on what gets saved.  Skip Mac's and it's child boards. 
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: laura118b on April 14, 2010, 11:50:31 PM
Speaking just for myself, the problem has gotten much better.  I haven't had it go "missing" on me once today.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: iago on April 14, 2010, 11:52:43 PM
Speaking just for myself, the problem has gotten much better.  I haven't had it go "missing" on me once today.

Very interesting. Thanks for the datapoint. :)
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: meh on April 14, 2010, 11:52:53 PM
Had two memory errors yesterday, and one zzzzt-out whilst posting today, seems stable now.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: jtaylor on April 15, 2010, 12:08:41 AM
I haven't noticed any problems today either.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Starbeam on April 15, 2010, 12:33:09 AM
Yesterday had a memory error and an "internet explorer cannot open this page" at work(IE8), and last night Safari had trouble, said it couldn't find the server.  Haven't noticed anything today on either computer.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Murphy's Stunt Double on April 15, 2010, 01:39:39 AM
Problems loading in around 7 am Mountain time this morning, but humming like a bird for the rest of the day.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: jtaylor on April 15, 2010, 02:26:36 PM
Got this at 10:25 AM EST:

Fatal error: Out of memory (allocated 524288) (tried to allocate 311296 bytes) in /home/jimbhic4/public_html/bb/Sources/Subs.php on line 1765
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: LavinChen on April 16, 2010, 08:28:46 AM
in the last half of hour had a bit of the problem of the sort "Internet explorer can't find the server"
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: MouseWynne on April 16, 2010, 08:38:06 AM
Same here - twice since about 0800Z.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Murphy's Stunt Double on April 16, 2010, 02:33:24 PM
FYI - Every night about 11 EST, the site does fritz because the server is doing its daily back up. Usually lasts about 10-20 minutes. That one's normal and you should expect it to happen.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Kali on April 16, 2010, 07:40:57 PM
Well, I've identified (sort of) at least some of my problems.  DNS IP propagation.  Every now and then when I can't get to the site, I find I also can't ping jimbutcheronline.com, though I *can* ping the IP addy.

Except from my local Starbucks, where I can never get jimbutcheronline.com to resolve, though the IP address does. That was an amusing conversation with the barristas. 

"You guys need to flush your DNS cache."
"Huh?"
"The server is hanging on to an old IP address, you need to repop it."
"Our what?"
"...  Let me have an iced venti two Sweet-n-Low green tea."
"Coming right up."
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Amber on April 16, 2010, 11:32:47 PM
I have seen an apparent reduction in the number of "Cannot find this page" errors that I get.  It's not gone entirely, but it does seem to be less than the last few weeks.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Warden John Marcone on April 17, 2010, 01:58:45 AM
Happened three times between 11:00 and 2:00 CST today.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: laura118b on April 20, 2010, 08:01:04 PM
I'm getting some memory errors again, but they clear up quickly now.  If it helps here was the board load when it happened.
82 Guests, 85 Users (2 Hidden)
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: laura118b on May 04, 2010, 05:17:01 PM
I'm going to guess you know already, but big problems again today.  I've had problems with the themes loading, memory errors, can't connect to server, and can't find server.  Just thought I'd let you know the kinds of fits it's throwing today ;)
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Murphy's Stunt Double on May 04, 2010, 05:20:17 PM
Yeah, for me, no special flavors of fire, just couldn't get in for about 20 minutes
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: meh on May 04, 2010, 05:24:49 PM

I had one mem assignment faiulre and several "she canna connect Capn's"
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Aakaakaak on May 04, 2010, 05:26:52 PM
Should we be keeping a clock on these things? I dropped today too. Probably around the same time.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Murphy's Stunt Double on May 04, 2010, 05:36:32 PM
I had one mem assignment faiulre and several "she canna connect Capn's"

Perhaps you should study more... ;)
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: meh on May 04, 2010, 05:39:09 PM
Perhaps you should study more... ;)

at my age it's holpeless.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: ToddM326 on May 04, 2010, 06:32:35 PM
Yeah, for me, no special flavors of fire, just couldn't get in for about 20 minutes

I could not either, and proceeded to wander around the house mumbling until I could get back onto the forums.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: Amber on May 08, 2010, 04:07:06 AM
This should maybe have its own thread...

The banner for the RPG flashes superfast and then turns into a link.  I'm running Chrome.  Don't know if that makes a difference.
Title: Re: How's the site doing this evening?
Post by: meh on May 08, 2010, 03:51:24 PM
This should maybe have its own thread...

The banner for the RPG flashes superfast and then turns into a link.  I'm running Chrome.  Don't know if that makes a difference.

I have the forum options set to 'show no avatars' and have a blank space there in FFox.    Would that help your forum access speed?