Server maintenance
In the last month or so, we’ve steadily accumulated so many daily visitors that our server setup just isn’t up to the task of dealing with all of them any more. This is why you’re seeing database errors so frequently.
Tomorrow (March 7 2012) we’ll be taking the website offline while we migrate to new servers with our friends at Mythic Beasts. The exact time that’ll happen depends on what Pete’s schedule looks like, but we hope the downtime won’t last for more than a couple of hours. Make the most of those database error messages now, because once we come back up again, you shouldn’t ever have to look at one again (at least on this website).
57 comments
spurious
All good news… :)
jbk
No more database error messages? Now we will have to keep a screenshot of it around to look at from time to time for sentimental reasons…
Great news! And best of luck with the upgrade tomorrow!
alexeames
Awesome. I clicked the main page link from your forum post and got…
Database error. I laughed and refreshed. ‘twil be nice to see the back of them. :)
liz
See if you can guess what happened in my browser when I went to try to put this post up on the main page the first time round…
SN
I think, that’s whats known as, “hoisted by your own petard” :lol:
mobeyduck
So you dont connect via ssh or some thing that you have your private high priority line when posting on the frontpage
Koen
Just visited gastronomydomine and got a database error… So there is still a place to find them after the maintenance.
Its nice to see the big grow in the community after the release! Lots of people might make the foundations education plans a big reality.
liz
Ha! Yes, both sites are on the same machine. Ho hum.
TheEponymousBob
Ahhh! So it’s NOT interest in the Raspberry Pi after all: it’s your lemon curd recipe that’s been melting the Internet.
Have you considered some sort of licenced manufacture?
Vanden Circkel
Liz, If your were really committed to the open source community and raspberry pies for every child, your site would provide full raspberry pie design schematics. Sorry. I’m off to join gastronomydomine
Vanden Circkel
eek… I’m off the join gastronomydominemod. Very off.
liz
You have caused two very tired people to guffaw. Thank you. :)
Michele Renda
You are doing a great job :)
sw27
To be honest, even during times when there are a high frequency of ‘database error’ messages, the website doesn’t seem that slow to me.
Is there not a ‘max connections’ (or similar) parameter within the DB that can be upped? This may increase the load on the web servers/DB, but as I said, it doesn’t seem that slow currently, so would not negatively impact the browsing.
It may be possible the even after the upgrade the same problem will occur if it is limit being hit, rather than a resource issue?
Good job on being so busy though! :)
simonIOW
Huzzah! Keep up the good work, and the trips to the pub.
Shish
Any change of some of some server porn? (Photos / statistics / etc). It’s of no great importance, but I am curious~ I’d also like to see the bandwidth graphs for 6am a few days ago :-P
mobeyduck
They tweeted that they wanted to make graphs and add the RS and Farnell statics in it
Shish
I made this, for retroactively turning apache-style logs into RRDtool databases / graphs; not the prettiest or most detailed output format, but it’s practically zero effort to set up~ https://github.com/shish/apache2rrd
Dayo Egbetola
Great to hear! Will the shop be back too with this upgrade? Is there any official word on using the shop for selling the Gertboard?
liz
No, but it’ll be back later in the month. Gertboard is undergoing revisions at the moment (I saw rev2 last week, and it’s looking peachy), but I hope we’ll be selling it through the store. I believe Gert’s plan is to sell it unpopulated because so many people wanted something they could solder together themselves.
AllyR
Looks like I need to go and sharpen my soldering iron then.
John Lyder
Thanks Liz for all your dedicated hard work. John
Jonathan Pare
Hi, if you need some help with the hosting / bandwidth, my company is willing to share one of it’s machine for free. Just send me an email and we’ll set things up.
[email protected]
Regards,
Jonathan
Lynbarn
“Make the most of those database error messages now, because once we come back up again …”
Ha – Brilliant! You should be in PR. Oh, wait … :)
Ken McCord
Are there mailing list issues? I registered and confirmed my email address two weeks ago, but have never received a single message since.
Dave
All I get is “Down for Maintenance” on raspberrypi.com. Not once have I seen a database error.
Dave
Ahhh ok I’m guessing we were supposed to order through Farnell?
steviewevie
That’s the store, which was only used for stickers before, not for the product itself. It’s raspberrypi.org that had the database errors, particularly on the forums.
Mario
Always good news with you guys, thank you! Thank you Liz!
oztrailrider
Good luck with the server upgrade. Glad to see money being invested right back into the charity, great work!. I sure hope you get some rest soon, you have all been working so hard.
Dave
Why don’t you prepare the website on the new server than change the ip on the dns?
liz
That’s what we’re doing (Pete’s already done it once and checked it), but we also have to move the database.
steviewevie
Thank you so much, everyone involved in this. We really appreciate your hard work and the time you give up for us.
Jonathan Stade
I was benchmarking a new WordPress install today for an emergency broadcast system for the university I work at. On a dual quad-core server with 24G of ram, and half an hour of work to go through the options in the W3 Total Cache plugin, I was able to increase performance from max 65 transactions per second to over 900 transactions per second, continuously serving 58000+ visits per minute with a <0.5 second average response rate. And I haven't even configured Minify or tuned my mysql server at all. Yes, I have fairly beefy hardware, but definitely look into scaling tools, they can make a massive difference in WP installs on even modest hardware.
liz
We’re using that already, but unfortunately we can’t use it for the forum (for obvious reasons!)
Jonathan Stade
Also feel free to contact me if you want to chat, you have my email address.
Tomas
Are you migrating to a cluster of RaspberryPies? :)
Tomas
Are you migrating to a cluster of RaspberryPies? :)
Joe Blow
Thanks very much – 99% of my blog comment posts have failed and forum page loads have resulted in database or HTTP 500 errors.
We greatly appreciate all your hard work, team!
Jongoleur
Give us a shout when its done… ;-)
But what will we have to talk about when database errors are history, I wonder?
cregg
so, I just ordered my first R-pi B :) am I ever excited!!!!!!!! any sugg on what I should beusing as a setup for OS and what applications should be used for home net streaming I would like to have my R-pi take care of all my music as in have music stored on NAS grab and manage music from the PI to my home theater.. tks!!
cnxsoft
Have you already upgraded? I can’t get database errors anymore (and I’m trying hard).
liz
I suspect Pete has achieved the impossible and has managed to move the database over without having to take the site down. Can’t get hold of him at the moment, but I’ll let you know!
Ash Stone
Hey guys. Placed my order for a pi, keep up the great work! Have you thought about launching a magazine for the pi? As a charity it may bring in a bit more cash as mark up would be reasonable. It could be in keeping with your educational mantra but also allow a showcase for people to present their projects/ share step by step tutorials. I know there is an online wiki which would encompass this but with the demand for information on the pi, I think this would work a treat. I would love to help get this on board.
Comments greatly appreciated…..as long as constructive.
Thanks for your time
Ash
Stuart Lea
A book!…the last couple of weeks alone would make for interesting reading!
Edek
That’s AN EXCELLENT IDEA! I love it!
What about 6 Issues per year for 60 euro’s?
News about upcoming pi’s, modding, software and distro news!
Ash Stone
Exactly my thought. Give it an even bigger sense of community, provide more income and appeal to those who learn better off hardcopy than via screen!
Edek
There were BBC Micro magazine’s, so why not a Raspberry Pi one?
And put Posters in it! A Pi Humor section and best program contests!
ashley basil
And then the film, but who would you cast?
As
Eben
David
Liz
Bad Troll
etc
JamesH
Jason Statham (obviously)
Oscar (from Sesame Street)
Cameron Diaz
Alan Rickman (he’s always a troll)
liz
Jason Statham (absolutely no question here – anybody else would be *wrong*)
Michael York (when younger)
Modesty prevents me from answering
Steve Buscemi
ashley basil
Ezra Miller Bad troll 2 ?
We Need to Talk About Kevin (film)
Ed Briley
Wow, I just found out (realized) that Jeri Ellsworth works for Newark/Element 14.
Everyone that does not know who she is should do a web search for her name. I was not really happy about Raspberry Pi licensing their product away, but I have no complaints now, knowing that it will be partly in her safe capable hands.
liz
Test ( just checking everything still works after bringing the site back up again)
Mike DX
Well, I don’t rate their hosting much, I can’t even get their order page to respond…
Justin
Is the store still down? Because I keep getting a “Down for Maintenance” message when I try to order.
Lynbarn
Yes, Liz has previously said that the store will be reopening “in mid-March”, when the RPF’s first paid employee will be starting, to manage the store. I believe the plan is to sell various items of merchandising, including the stickers.
Comments are closed