Hi all,

Well, from what I can see on the management side, it looks like we are in need of a new server. Our current server is a hand-me-down and is about 4-5 years old. Although it has been a great server, the technology is limited and we need to make a move to an enterprise-class machine.

There are various reasons for something in the enterprise-level, but, most of the reasons have to do with manageability and disaster recovery. The enterprise machines will support things like remote management, redundant power, redundant operating system (RAID), lower profile, lower power consumption, etc. While I am sure you will see a small performance upgrade, my BIGGEST reason for the new server is reliability.

Most of you have seen the website go down every so often. While I can't say that a new machine will fix all of the problems, it will allow me to start with a fresh operating system and some new supporting services. Simply put, not all of our issues with crashing are hardware related, but, I really want to start with a machine that has absolutely ZERO hardware problems.

That said, our new machine is set to arrive next week. Here's what we are installing:

HP ProLiant DL360 G5 Entry

Rack - 2-way - 1 x Dual-Core Xeon 5130 / 2 GHz - RAM 1 GB - SAS - hot-swap 2.5" - no HDD - ATI ES1000 - Gigabit Ethernet - Monitor : none - 1U

I've added two 72GB hot-swap 2.5" SAS disks that will be used for our operating system. They will be installed in a RAID1 or hardware mirror. If we have a drive failure... the site will NOT crash in this configuration.

I also have a need for more memory. But, I am tapped out. It would be nice to have at least 4GB of memory (it comes with 1GB) and two more hard disks to hold our backups.

If any of you feel inclined to help with this cause, we could use the donations. Or, if you would rather purchase some memory, hard disks, or whatever... we'd appreciate the donations. You can use the "Support Us" button from the top menu.

I don't plan to move the club over to the new server for a few weeks, but, please let me know if you have questions or concerns.

-- Mike

geez stephen, you must be posting in this thread to raise your post count! jk

Nah, I don't pay any attention to that. I just always thought Alfadog was the top poster, behind Bambikiller.

It does make you number 1 Stephen. Your posts are among the ones I look forward to reading the most. I for one have learned more than a few things from you and also from the rest of the membership. That's what makes this site so valuable to me. The vast knowledge and willingness to share it. OK, a little bit of kissing up & I picked up 2 more posts.

Well, Bambikiller (R.I.P. Carl) won't be posting anymore and Keith (2ManyZs) got mad and left this site a long time ago so he shouldn't be on the list either. I guess that does make me first on the active list. I had no idea.

The list was based on recent activity (hence the omission of Bambikiller and 2ManyZs). Alphadog was on the buble with last post in 2007...

One of the best forums I ever joined, deservs the donation.

can I get a Rainbow color if I donate again??

I wonder if I will see my nickname red after a post this reply:rolleyes:

As far as the therapy comment goes, well, been there done that, didn't do a darn thing for me. However, I'll have a 200gb HDD I can send to ya after taxes come in, and I'll be donating here soon as soon as I get paid...

Justin

Hey Mike! I'm jelous. Can we monthly subscribers have a color too? How about.... GOLD!

Hey Mike! I'm jelous. Can we monthly subscribers have a color too? How about.... GOLD!

Haha, actually you CAN get a red color if you do the monthly subscription. I think you are on the old system directly with Paypal, so, it doesn't reflect here.

You can do this by canceling the existing subscription directly from the Paypal website. Then, come back here and click on the support link and choose the option for monthly "recurring" support. This will then change your account status and your username will go red.

I'll see if I can change the status of recurring monthly supporters to another color, but, it will be red for the time being.

-- Mike

Are we running on a new server now ?

zdisease

Are we running on a new server now ?

zdisease

Not yet. I ran some software upgrade yesterday. Server equipment is still coming and it should be in the next few weeks.

Mike, looks like you watched episode 3 of star wars the other day, I know I did. Love the avatar though.

Thanks for the explanation, Mike. I wondered. Would you prefer I changed my account status? I don't care if you don't. All that red is just too much bling for me!