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Server Busy Errors

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Whenever I get timed out, I figure that's God's way of telling me to go do something useful ;-)
 
wczimmerman said:
Think of this like an old analog dial radio. You turn the dial one way, then back the other to find that sweet spot that gives you the best performance. The last round of tweaks from overnight had the system absolutely hammered. So...turned things back today and things are closer to normal. TM and I are working on this pretty solid, so if you get a timeout or server busy error here and there-please be patient.
Click to expand...

FYI, this morning:

twtdatabaseerror.jpg
 
wczimmerman said:
Update:

Well...:headbang: we're getting there...

Think of this like an old analog dial radio. You turn the dial one way, then back the other to find that sweet spot that gives you the best performance. The last round of tweaks from overnight had the system absolutely hammered. So...turned things back today and things are closer to normal. TM and I are working on this pretty solid, so if you get a timeout or server busy error here and there-please be patient.
Click to expand...

I don't know what you guys did, but since you posted this I haven't had any issues with the forum. It was really crappy earlier in the morning though... time outs and server busy messages.
 
wczimmerman said:
In the immortal words of Monty Python, "I'm getting better! No, you're not. You'll be stone dead in a moment!"

That's kinda been the experience on this so far. Where we've tuned things it appears that it has in fact made it run better. This load spike issue seems to be getting less frequent, but it's still there.
Click to expand...

"You're not fooling anyone, y'know..."

wczimmerman said:
Update:

Well...:headbang: we're getting there...

Think of this like an old analog dial radio. You turn the dial one way, then back the other to find that sweet spot that gives you the best performance. The last round of tweaks from overnight had the system absolutely hammered. So...turned things back today and things are closer to normal. TM and I are working on this pretty solid, so if you get a timeout or server busy error here and there-please be patient.
Click to expand...

Or like jetting a carb using the "pant seat dyno"?
 
Tourmeister said:
Howdy,

:tab We are aware of the "Server Busy" messages and of the site simply not responding at all. We're working on tracking down the cause. We're sorry for the interruption of your addiction. For the latest info on what is happening, find the end of this thread ;-)
Click to expand...

1. Perhaps provide telnet access to one of the forum leaders who knows UNIX well. You can easily track in real time all processes in a little window.

2. Print out a web access log during around the time the site was having that issue. You can PDF it or post for others to view...perhaps in a private section for privacy.

3. You might consider moving the site to a Yahoo or Google free hosted groups. This will never have overload issues and there might be a way of importing at least part of the messages/content into it. This option is pretty good if the continued economics don't make sense. The other ST-Owners web site does this through MSN Groups.

4. You might consider buying a good web server and having a dedicated hosting option. There are many cheap options out there for dedicated hosting..perhaps outside of the US?

RB
 
wczimmerman said:
Update:

Well...:headbang: we're getting there...

Think of this like an old analog dial radio. You turn the dial one way, then back the other to find that sweet spot that gives you the best performance. The last round of tweaks from overnight had the system absolutely hammered. So...turned things back today and things are closer to normal. TM and I are working on this pretty solid, so if you get a timeout or server busy error here and there-please be patient.
Click to expand...

I'm not seeing server busy errors, I'm seeing "there is no such server" errors. (see Tim Kreitz example below - or above, as the case may be :)
 
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Do you want data about outages and down time, or are you guys Ok with that and we should just sit back and wait?

(I'm so used every example being documented at work, it's a habit)
 
:tab We are already doing much of what Red suggested regarding logging stuff and monitoring processes. Squeak, we pretty much know when every outage occurs. After last night I had over 1000 emails sitting in my inbox letting me know the site was not responding... hehe.
 
:hail::pray: :bigokay:

You guys have my total sympathy. I went through a similar ordeal with a Windows/Exchange server a few years back.
 
Tourmeister said:
:tab We are already doing much of what Red suggested regarding logging stuff and monitoring processes. Squeak, we pretty much know when every outage occurs. After last night I had over 1000 emails sitting in my inbox letting me know the site was not responding... hehe.
Click to expand...
I don't know if this means anything or is helpful but I had no access at all from 4:30 am till near noon yesterday. One brief time I did (later morning) I noticed other posts from throughout the am. I posted once then no access again. Denied! ;-)

So access was random? It was slow loading all afternoon and last night I didn't even bother. (too slow to load)

No, I'm not addicted but I had two PM's waiting for me.

Just FYI
 
TexasShadow said:
I don't know if this means anything or is helpful but I had no access at all from 4:30 am till near noon yesterday. One brief time I did (later morning) I noticed other posts from throughout the am. I posted once then no access again. Denied! ;-)

So access was random? It was slow loading all afternoon and last night I didn't even bother. (too slow to load)

No, I'm not addicted but I had two PM's waiting for me.

Just FYI
Click to expand...

Yeah-the system was held together with duct tape and bailing wire yesterday morning. TM and I worked for a couple of hours on this last night. Let's see how it does today.
 
I can't help myself...

open software... the rage... stable... installs and tunes itself... Like Apple... you don't need training... it's intuitive...

The alternative... pay money up front... pay the vendor to "help" you... look for help from your friends...

What's the difference? I can't see one. It's software and will drive you batty.
 
Well, I just had my first "server busy" error since yesterday's morning...
 
I just look at the server busy errors as my cue to get back to work :trust: :lol2:

sorry guy's couldn't help myself.....:giveup:
 
:tab Okay, so the new plan is to simply move to new hardware, install clean and up to date versions of all software, then move the site over. I don't have a schedule for this just yet. Right now I am pricing servers and colocation costs. Once we decide what we are going to do, it will still take some time to get it done. I'll post up the details once I know something definite.

:tab I know this has been inconvenient and annoying for folks and I apologize, but we are somewhat constrained by financial concerns. This is why we have been trying to exhaust potential solutions before making this move. I want to get a server that has good performance and growing room. The move to the new server is going to be a BIG out of the ordinary expense. Thus it is not something I can do without serious consideration. Ideally though, this will have us set for a long time.

:tab So I would just ask that you please bear with us and be patient. And don't worry, we are not going to be hosting the site on some machine in India :-P
 
The last change we put in at 13:00 today seems to be holding things quite well. If this holds out, we should be good to run while we setup the new server.
 
:tab I'll be ordering the new server tomorrow (Wed). It will take about 5 days before it is ready. Ideally, WC will be able to head over to Austin and take delivery of it in person so that we can save the shipping time. It will probably take a week or so to get it setup and then we have to get it up to Dallas to the data center for installation in the rack. After we are satisfied everything is good to go, I'll take the site down, move it over, and then bring it back up. If all goes well (:pray:), it will be a brief downtime.

:tab As I mentioned earlier, this is going to be a significant expense above and beyond our normal operating costs. I could use any and all help that our members might be willing to give in covering that expense. To that end, I have decided to setup a separate server fund:

http://twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21467

You can also access it by clicking the "Support TWT" link on the NavBar at the top of every page.
 
The new server is in. It got to Wczimmerman's home last Tuesday. He's getting it set up. Then we'll get it up to the data center in Dallas. If all goes well, there will be a very short down time while I move all the files over to the new server. Once we bring the new server on line, we won't be changing IP addresses like last time. So you won't have all the issues with twtex.com pointing to the old site for some people and to the new site for others. It should be an instantaneous switch :pray: I'll post up to let you know when the site will be down for the copying of files.
 
Tourmeister said:
I'll post up to let you know when the site will be down for the copying of files.
Click to expand...

Will you two be coming up to Dallas to do this? We could have a little get-together & go eat or something... :eat:

I also offer my services for keeping Wizzerman under control... :lol2:
 
Tourmeister said:
The new server is in. It got to Wczimmerman's home last Tuesday. He's getting it set up. Then we'll get it up to the data center in Dallas. If all goes well, there will be a very short down time while I move all the files over to the new server. Once we bring the new server on line, we won't be changing IP addresses like last time. So you won't have all the issues with twtex.com pointing to the old site for some people and to the new site for others. It should be an instantaneous switch :pray: I'll post up to let you know when the site will be down for the copying of files.
Click to expand...
Great news! Will your server be dedicated to TWT Forum? Are you planning to lease out any of this new server's capacity?

Just curious as to why you are having to locate your server in a data center and not your home? My suspicion is that any problems we were having (not having any now) could have been with the data center or somebody was playing with software or config files either accidentally or deliberately.

What is the name of the data center you are using?
:sun:
 
Gilk51 said:
Will you two be coming up to Dallas to do this? We could have a little get-together & go eat or something... :eat:

I also offer my services for keeping Wizzerman under control... :lol2:
Click to expand...

:tab I don't know. Other than dropping off the server at the data center, there really isn't much that we need to do.

Quick-Silver said:
Great news! Will your server be dedicated to TWT Forum? Are you planning to lease out any of this new server's capacity?

Just curious as to why you are having to locate your server in a data center and not your home? My suspicion is that any problems we were having (not having any now) could have been with the data center or somebody was playing with software or config files either accidentally or deliberately.

What is the name of the data center you are using?
:sun:
Click to expand...

:tab The server we are on now hosts only TWT and the ST-Owners.com site. We will be moving TWT over first to make sure everything runs properly. Once we are satisfied things are good, we will bring the ST-owners site over. We will watch things for a while and if they stay good, then ST-Owners will share the server with us indefinitely. This will help tremendously with keeping our costs down. At this time, there are no plans to offer any other hosting services.

:tab There are several reasons for not having the server in my home. First is simply the data connection speed. Where I am, it would cost a fortune to get a decent speed connection for uploads, which is the bulk of the server's traffic. The data center is right in downtown Dallas at the hub of numerous high speed backbones and thus have redundant paths to the internet. This assures that I get a fast redundant connection to the outside world. Then there is the physical security of the server. I have two toddlers... NOTHING in my house is safe!! :lol2: They have secured and escorted only access. My power is less than predictable and I can't afford a UPS and generator to run the site for long outages. They have battery and generator backup able to cover extended outages with contracts for indefinite resupply of diesel for the generators. There is the protection of a hardened data center versus my home... They have environmental and fire control systems. They are located far inland so hurricanes aren't much of a threat and the area is siesmically stable. A tornado might be able to get them I guess... :shrug:

:tab The cost is also a big factor. It is just way cheaper to use a data center for colocation. We have been using SprocketNetworks.com and will likely stay with them for the foreseeable future as they are offering a good package. With Wczimmerman's admin services, we will no longer be relying on them for tech support beyond the physical needs of the machine (swapping cables, etc...). The new server includes on next day site hardware replacement from Dell, so we won't really need to rely on the tech support for any issues related to the server hardware.
 
Scott thanks for your reply. This sounds like a good approach to solving the problems we've had recently. Keep up the good work.
:sun:
 
As of about 4:00pm this afternoon, the new server is up and running at the data center in downtown Dallas. Now we get to work out the details for moving the site over. Once we have all that ironed out, I'll post a down time notice.
 
We're now running on the new server!! Now where's that, "Please be patient, I'm in training" button? Seriously, there may be a couple of hiccups here and there, but we were pretty thorough in our testing so hopefully this will take care of all of the issues.
 
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