Welcome to the new server!
A new home! We were over there and now we are over here! Does it feel any different? A whole new server, how exciting! Actually, it is a complete mirror so you shouldn't see any difference at all, just kidding!
It took longer than I anticipated due to some wrinkles in some obscure settings that I had to work through with customer service - several times! Not fun. I could feel everyone's eyes on their computer thinking "Ok, Jerry, you said about noon!" Murphy's Law prevails.
Here is a recap of what just happened. We renewed our Internet hosting account with GoDaddy for 3 years and in the process doubled the capacity and performance of our server (2 CPUs > 4 CPUs, 4gb of Ram > 8gb, 100gb of storage > 200gb). We also added a web firewall, an additional premium service that keeps many, many bots and hackers outside of the server. This also improves its performance since it doesn't have to respond to all those requests.
Here is a screenshot of a server metric that shows the difference. I originally subscribed to this firewall back in May when we had a storm of hackers or something that caused the server to nearly stop in its tracks. I'm not sure how this graphic will show up, maybe click on it to make it larger, but notice the difference between the orange ('unique visitors') and yellow bars ('number of visits') in April and then in June (the firewall was implemented mid-May). A hyooog drop in those numbers! This is why I wanted to add this firewall service to our 3 year renewal.
Some people who are familiar with this business may wonder why decided to stay with GoDaddy, generally thought of as a premium, retail hosting provider. We could have saved money by choosing another service provider but I managed to take advantage of a good discount by purchasing a new server instead of renewing our old one and doing a little extra work. Another important consideration is customer service. The GoDaddy customer service is not in India or the Philippines - it is in various locations in the US. And there are many, many representatives on call at any one time. When I call them they answer in a minute or three and I get an American. A very unusual feature is that they provide their email address to contact them and in their various call centers they are allowed to call out. It is very rare for any call center to allow their people to call outside of their facility or network. I have asked representatives to call me when they are available to work through an issue. This is very unusual - and valuable! I consider it insurance for me or a future webmaster who might need extra help.
So we doubled the size of the server, renewed for 3 years, added a premium firewall service and saved about $200 on the total cost including my fee for the effort! And add to that the new forum software that performs much better than the old system! No more complaints about 30 or 60 seconds to wait for a post and no more spammy posts from foreign hackers in the forums.
Life is good once again.
Jerry
Jerry
I fly (and ride) to free my mind from the tyranny of petty things. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Super thanks, Jerry, for your many hours of research and then the implementation of this much-needed upgrade. You excel with your detailed planning, making a difficult transition look easy.
Jan Daub
USCA President
I can say that the new server is much more responsive and rapid. Excellent!
Illegitemi non carborundum est!
Posted by: @thane-lewisI can say that the new server is much more responsive and rapid. Excellent!
Yes Jerry @webmaster, this new setup is very fast, and smooth. Like a Kansas City Lawyer!
Thanks Amigo. We are definitely enjoying the fruits of all your hard work and diligence. Sincerely appreciated. 🍻
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Comment on the new look Web page.
It's a relatively minor niggle for me and maybe just old eyes and fat fingers on my viewing pad.
I do find the thumbs up button hard to make out.
If I give as I am want to do, a thumbs up.
It basically changes from grey to a light green.
I'm never 100% sure I've got right without a close look to check it.
Anyone else get paranoid about this?
Posted by: @brstrComment on the new look Web page.
It's a relatively minor niggle for me and maybe just old eyes and fat fingers on my viewing pad.
I do find the thumbs up button hard to make out.
If I give as I am want to do, a thumbs up.
It basically changes from grey to a light green.
I'm never 100% sure I've got right without a close look to check it.
Anyone else get paranoid about this?
Yes, Bruce.....I agree with you on that.
I have suggested that they remove the red/orange thumbs down. It's not necessary, or needed. If a person doesn't like a post, just move on. But giving a person the opportunity to give a thumbs down, shows a negativity, and causes social issues.
Have a larger THUMBS UP.....and nothing else.
Two Million Mile Rider...All 7 Continents
Exploring the World in Comfort
I just hover over the grayed thumbs up and click on it. That keeps me from sliding up and hitting the thumbs down by mistake.
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
The trackpad on this computer is sketchy and sometimes clicks where I wasn't intending.
Illegitemi non carborundum est!
Fixed the thumbs up! Thanks for the reminder Miles! See my separate post for details.
Jerry
I fly (and ride) to free my mind from the tyranny of petty things. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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