Server Upgrade Coming!

[Skip]

Final approval has been given to upgrade the ICMag webserver.

We hope to complete this after the holidays.

We'll have a faster server with a lot more storage, which should remedy some of the issues we've been having with response times.

I'll keep you posted in this thread with the transition schedule and any downtime we might have.

I'd like to thank all those who contribute to the webserver fund, as that is what is making this upgrade possible.

The new server will cost more per month than our current one, so keep those contributions coming!

 

[dank.frank]

Good news Skip!!

I'll be sure to send in some Stank Bros freebies in the first quarter of 2013...

Thanks ICmag and crew for keeping us above the curve!!



dank.Frank

 

[Skip]

Sorry we couldn't get to this sooner as we'd hoped. We're still debating whether or not to upgrade the software too at the same time. Over the last few months we've optimized the performance of the site, which has allowed us to handle the increasing traffic, but it's now overloading again, as everyone has noticed...

 

[TheArchitect]

Just wait till its legalized, you folks are going to be in it knee deep lol.

 

[MrSterling]

Cut the Toker's Den. That ought to free up some resources.

Seriously consider putting it on the chopping block if it makes sense. That's gotta be a huge portion of forum dedicated to discussion off-topic from growing. It's a breeding ground for conflict between members. On top of the bandwidth it has to be pulling it makes the rep system absolutely worthless for judging someone's reputation as a grower. We have a bunch of posters walking around like the cock of the walk giving terrible growing advice with enflated egos from collecting rep in the Toker's Den chatting and playing word association threads. It's fine for us older members who know better, but what about new members?

I just feel it's bleeding into the purpose of this forum too much. Too much of the ic these days is drama, and people arguing politics and tin foil conspiracies. None of the other non-cannabis garden forums I visit have these problems, and it's because the Tokers' Den and other off topic areas encourage the worst of our community to come out of the woodwork and believe their craziness is true because they found the dozen other paranoid stoners who think Obama is a space muslim who is going to take their guns.

 

[Skip]

Cut the Toker's Den. That ought to free up some resources.

Seriously consider putting it on the chopping block if it makes sense. That's gotta be a huge portion of forum dedicated to discussion off-topic from growing. It's a breeding ground for conflict between members. On top of the bandwidth it has to be pulling it makes the rep system absolutely worthless for judging someone's reputation as a grower. We have a bunch of posters walking around like the cock of the walk giving terrible growing advice with enflated egos from collecting rep in the Toker's Den chatting and playing word association threads. It's fine for us older members who know better, but what about new members?

I just feel it's bleeding into the purpose of this forum too much. Too much of the ic these days is drama, and people arguing politics and tin foil conspiracies. None of the other non-cannabis garden forums I visit have these problems, and it's because the Tokers' Den and other off topic areas encourage the worst of our community to come out of the woodwork and believe their craziness is true because they found the dozen other paranoid stoners who think Obama is a space muslim who is going to take their guns.

Thanks for your feedback. I tend to agree with all you said. However, most cannabis sites do have an off-cannabis forum. One thing to realize is that there are tons of people who stay logged in all day, and many post in the TD to pass the time while waiting for responses to other threads.

While the TD forum does use significant bandwidth, it's also the most popular forum and it would upset a LOT of good members if it was removed.

What causes more division on this site than anything else is politics. That's why we don't allow political threads unless they are directly related to cannabis.

UPDATE: The new server has been ordered and should arrive today. It will probably take our hosting company a few days to get it setup on site and configured. So we are still on target for the new year!

 

[MrSterling]

Thanks for the reply Skip, it's appreciated.

 

[wildgrow]

Skip, as members what can we do to cut down on the resources? Im talking about things like resizing pics, etc.

 

[Skip]

Skip, as members what can we do to cut down on the resources? Im talking about things like resizing pics, etc.

Yes, resizing pics b4 uploading is a big help, and eases the server load. Logging out when you're finished or going to be away for awhile also helps.

Right now it seems the big problem is delays in posting replies or editing a post, at least on my end.

I've been reviewing the slow queries log, which tells me which requests are taking too long. I've rewritten a few queries to make them faster.

We also have an issue with spammer bots that create hundreds of extra sessions on the site. I can prevent them from registering (very successfully), but they still hit the site and use resources. That's why we've been aggressively banning IP#s lately, causing problems for some members. This is only a temporary issue as we discover which IP#s are being used legitimately.

 

[FOE20]

kewl Skip!.....good to know the SF helps...I build boxes so hope ya get a rockin box..
and keep it alive as this place is def cherished by some of us indeed brah...keep it rollin
FOE20

 

[TheArchitect]

. On top of the bandwidth it has to be pulling it makes the rep system absolutely worthless for judging someone's reputation as a grower. We have a bunch of posters walking around like the cock of the walk giving terrible growing advice with enflated egos from collecting rep in the Toker's Den chatting and playing word association threads. It's fine for us older members who know better, but what about new members?

Could reputation in the tokers den be disabled for all users? Or at least disable the effect it has on the bar or points when rep is given for a post in the den?

 

[Skip]

Could reputation in the tokers den be disabled for all users? Or at least disable the effect it has on the bar or points when rep is given for a post in the den?

No can't do that. But what we can do is deny users credit for posts in the TD, so it doesn't appear in their post total. This is especially effective with newbies since it delays their promotion to member if they don't post in other sections of the site. We may have this in effect for the Introduce Yourself forum, not sure.

But this has nothing to do with the server upgrade.

 

[Hank Hemp]

High y'll, can't this be in this order grow, smoke and social site? I like "rapping" with my people from all over the world. Most is reefer related but we're stoners and you can't know were that will lead. Just my thoughts, thanks for reading.

 

[Skip]

High y'll, can't this be in this order grow, smoke and social site?

It seems that's how it is...

 

[oldpink]

good news on the server upgrade, the old box is getting a bit cramped

 

[krunchbubble]

Is it upgraded already?

Seems like it 20X faster today...

When i look at my PM's, it does not take 45 seconds to load, its almost instant. NEVER been that way before for me....

 

[Skip]

No it's not upgraded yet. You're seeing the results of some custom coding I've written today to block spammers.

Some of it is working good, other parts still need a bit of tweaking I see...

When i look at my PM's, it does not take 45 seconds to load, its almost instant. NEVER been that way before for me....

Try moving your old PMs to a new folder. You'll be amazed at how fast it will be!

 

[Avinash.miles]

ty skip

 

[radvancan]

Heya,
Thanks for the good news. I have a question, Is planned to increase the number of shot´s and smile´s in the post ?
I think that would be enough for the contribution of 10 shot´s or smile´s. Just in the Grow It & Show it sub-forum..

Thank´s for your answer
&
Take Care

-radva-

 

[razor ridge]

so will we get some better chat room software?