Server Upgrades

Richie · 12th February 2008, 01:14

Just a quick FYI to let you all know that the server this websie is on will be upgraded Tuesday Night / Wednesday Morning starting from around Midnight UK time.

During this time there will be NO access to the website from 23:30pm UK time to allow 30 minutes to clear all web sessions and take backups of all database's before the upgrades get under way.

Total downtime should only be a few hours, so hopefully, if everything goes to plan, the website should be back online around 03:00 UK time.

If the upgrade goes "pete tong" then i'll do my best to fix it asap but I have another community website with 25,000 members to sort out first.

This website will also be moving to a brand new server by the end of Feb anyway, more power, more speed and more resiliance to failiures (Should they ever happen) with off site NAS backups from March.

So, bare with me, things should be faster and faster in the up-coming weeks.

Richie · 13th February 2008, 06:46

Hey guys/girls

Apologies for the extended downtime but the server upgrade went completely "tit's up" so hats off to those loverly folk at Cpanel.net

Managed to fix everything anyway, so now were running on all the latest software versions of PHP5.2.5, MySQL5, Apache 2.2+ and a ton of other stuff like php accelerators, optimisers etc...

Anyway, apologies again for the extended downtime, I'm off to bed now, see you all on Saturday at the miller...

Richie · 20th February 2008, 01:01

Right guys

Here we go yet again... Brand new server is ready, so, probably Wednesday night or Thursday night I will move the website to its new server.

This will probably be done Thursday afternoon early daytime to allow enough time for the new DNS to propogate by the weekend, reducing user downtime as I know you all love to logon over the weekend...

So, with any luck........ Thursday afternoon we will be running from the new server.

I will completely close the website on this server and leave it closed for good, so if you see the website is open, it means your viewing the website from its new home, if you see website closed, phone your ISP and tell them to update their DNS records ASAP, or get a better ISP.

I guess I'm lucky as my ISP updates DNS records within the hour, every hour (BT Business) but those of you using AOHell, may not see the DNS update for a few days....

Anyway, back to my broom cupboard now.. Sorry to bother you all...

Richie · 21st February 2008, 19:14

ok, upgrade all finished, I've left the old site on the old server closed and had everything migrated in about 20 minutes, including the DNS, and it seems several members are already seeing the website from the new server.

So, all finished..