Posted on 01/22/2017 7:39:52 AM PST by Walkingfeather
Ok so I dont own freerepublic only Jim does. But we support it. Can there be an official report why on one of the most important days of crossing the finish line FR was down? Can that be explained please? Maybe we need to hold a special fundraiser to have a alternative data site and professional server managers that can handle contingency issues? This is by no means a criticism of Jim. But it was like being locked out of our own celebration at the club we belong.
Facebook sucks.
I am sure no one felt worse than Jim did. The choice of words for your header might have shown more grace.
I do agree with that.
Something only the truly righteous and virtuous are unaware of.
I applaud your virtue and righteousness and also your ignorance.
I would probably back off your tone, and instead offer this: Yes, this was one of the most important times for FR to be up. And yes, there can be improvements to prevent a recurrence. Some of them include: Having a full-on, replicated rollover server, or installing the system in the cloud.
They both have risks: The first one, that the rollover fails anyways, and the second, that the cloud provider shuts down FR on a whim.
To understand why JR might be strenuously opposed to the second option, you must understand the history: The reason this very forum even EXISTS is that AOL shut down JR’s Whitewater discussion group in 1997 or so. I’m sure he’s not interested in being under anyone else’s thumb again.
The only way to develop for the second option and allow a quick change to another cloud provider is to code with Repositories and Data Transfer Objects, unit-test and use such mock-providers as Moq. This sort of development post-dates the time frame that FR was built, so there is likely no such level of seperation between business and data layers.
I definitely would like to see some catastrophic-failure planning. Short of the shutdown of the internet outright, FR should always remain on.
I say this all without anger or recrimination whatsoever, and with only a tone of ‘How can we make FR more durable’?
Are you giving an extra donation to FR to fund an equipment upgrade?
Wouldn’t THAT be more helpful than a “rant”?
lol... I bet that went over well!! you musta been Brass. I couldn’t even imagine getting away with sayin something like that as an MM3!...
I hate Facebook. So it isn’t a good substitute.
Do all sites crash like this? Is this just a thing that could always happen? Don’t other sites also have that many people watching on a big day? I have no idea. I’d like to understand it better.
Bolts fall out, it’s an imperfect world.
Thanks for your explanation. I really don’t understand how these things work. And this is an amazing site. I don’t want it vulnerable.
Stop complaining.
That's an interesting bit of history I was unaware of.
Yes, I was disappointed and used FB as the primary site. I understand Jim does the best he can with what he has available with what funds he has to manage this with. I am grateful for what I have and what Jim provides to me. I guess I am overdue for a donation and will do so. I am grateful for what I have and thank God daily for everything from waking up to this website that keeps us informed so much better than the MSM. We have a new President and I am optimistic that things will improve politically.
We don't know what caused it. That's strange.
Many of us are concerned about the site. Many of us figured it had been taken down by some anti-Trump group. I sure hope that's not the case.
The rollover server would be like this:
1) Same equipment, right down to the same brand of keyboard. If there are two servers serving MYSQL and a single server serving http requests, mirror that all. Same, everything.
2) Replicate the MYSQL databases so that changes persist among the SQL servers. Mirror everything across two layouts.
3) Mirror servers never actually serve anything. It just sits in waiting, switched off.
4) A very small computer sits there with a small routine that pings Main servers. If main servers fail to respond, Mirror servers are directed to power up and take over.
5) Occasionally do a rollover test. Make sure it all works as planned.
Oh, and
1-A) Same software, right down to the same brand and version.
I hate those PHP-based forum websites. I actually like the FR format because it’s easy to see what the latest posts are, and it’s easier to decide whether to click on something, or not.
Guess I’ll have to get a MyFace account.
Wow! Take a chill pill, baby. I was a bit puzzled and disappointed to find the site down, but it took about a minute of thought to figure out it was probably that the site was overwhelmed by demand on such a momentous day. I actually found other stuff to do. Patience was rewarded and all is forgiven. It really wasn’t that hard.
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