Author Topic: Posting here sucks (Read 1420 times)

magooch · « **on:** March 30, 2007, 03:21:49 AM »

Why is it that if it takes more than a few seconds to post on this site, you get timed out, or the page can't be found, etc? It seems that something isn't right and I don't think it's me.

Graybeard · « **Reply #1 on:** March 30, 2007, 05:18:29 AM »

Matt has commented at least a hundred times on it. Might not really be you but most times it's NOT us either. He did say that there is at times a wee lag between our two servers that can be at fault but most times it's just your internet connection to our server and NOT our server. We really can't do anything about that.

Most folks don't seem to have any such problems. I do at times but not regularly. Most times when I do if I reset my router it goes away which pretty much says it wasn't the site but my connection to the internet. I'm on Hughes.net satellite connection and that's almost as bad as dial up and at times worse. Matt is on cable and he just never has the problem.

About all I can tell ya is that if ya don't like us go away.

There are on average about 60,000 folks per week reading the site and the search engines are battering us to the max Matt allows them. That's a heck of a load. If we had enough advertising income to afford it I'd upgrade one of our servers but the income from the site just won't support it.

S.S. · « **Reply #2 on:** March 30, 2007, 05:54:28 AM »

I feel your pain Graybeard, I am in the process of building another server also..
It ain't cheap ! Crazy question, But what operating system does your server use ?
My old one is Windows 2003 server but this one will be Linux... Linux seems to be quite a bit more powerful and is also considerably cheaper to purchase. May be able to save some money there..

Graybeard · « **Reply #3 on:** March 30, 2007, 06:38:40 AM »

All of our servers are Linux servers and they are hosted by the second largest hosting company in the US.

I had a similar problem develop here just a few minutes ago. I got the "can't be found" page a couple times and then I got nothing but an endless delay as the page refused to load. I stopped it and reset my router and as soon as it reset I got fast service again. It was an inhouse problem in my network here at home which is what it generally turns out to be for me. I suspect that nearly all the time such problems are related to the user's computer/network or their connection thru their ISP.

Matt can look at the server performance data and they are never operating even remotely close to max at our busiest times. I just don't think that's what's happening. Now that deal he mentioned about a temporary (very few second's duration at most) disconnect between our servers "might" be at least some of it.

The way we're set up the database is on one server and the actual pages you view is on another in order to split the load between the two. Matt seems to think that rarely and for very short times those servers even tho physically sitting side by side fail to talk to each other properly and a short few second delay can result. When it gets high enough on his priority list maybe he can figure out why and what to do to fix it.

The search engines, needed to pull additional members to the site, put a very heavy load on us but we can't do without them so have to let them spider us. But Matt has limited them to a fixed number of connections at any given time, usually 24 hours a day they are hooked in at that max number.

Siskiyou · « **Reply #4 on:** March 30, 2007, 07:52:09 AM »

My work around is to create most of my post in Microsoft Word, and then paste it to the forum. As a safe guard I file it in my Graybeard Folder. That way if the system times out or I cannot get back to Graybeard for what ever reason my work product is not lost. It saves me getting frustrated. Because there are other interruptions, such as “dinner is ready.”

williamlayton · « **Reply #5 on:** March 30, 2007, 03:05:38 PM »

I don't know about all this server business or timing out stuff.
Generally when I have a problem it is because the little hamster takes a break from the wheel. I prod him, or is it a her, a little and when the wheel turns I come right back up.
Blessings

victorcharlie · « **Reply #6 on:** March 30, 2007, 03:29:28 PM »

could it be a band width issue?.......what size pipe do you have?

Siskiyou · « **Reply #7 on:** March 30, 2007, 03:49:39 PM »

I have been on cable for about 6 months. I thought I had good dial-up service but it does not come close to cable.

rockbilly · « **Reply #8 on:** March 30, 2007, 06:11:53 PM »

Ugh, still beat smoke single, rain today, it no work either................

Graybeard · « **Reply #9 on:** March 30, 2007, 06:40:43 PM »

Not a bandwidth issue, we're basically unlimited. We have this site on two stand alone dedicated servers. We have ALL the bandwidth on them and they don't restrict the use of it at all. Both have 1000 gigs of data transfer per month in the package so we don't pay extra until we exceed that and that ain't gonna happen in my life time. I think Matt said we're moving about 100 gigs per month.

Siskiyou · « **Reply #10 on:** March 30, 2007, 07:24:22 PM »

The issue that I had in mind with dial-up is old phone lines and a phone system that has on going problems. When it is working it is good. The cable lines in this area are new and more trouble free. Those are problems that Graybeard has no control over.

The dial up service in the area my son lives in is fifty percent of what I had. He moved to cable years ahead of me.

magooch · « **Reply #11 on:** March 31, 2007, 02:26:25 AM »

First of all, I didn't say it stinks. That was somebody's idea of editing. Second, it seems strange that this is the only website where I have these problems.

I didn't bring this up to simply be critical, I thought it might point out a problem. Anyway, since this is one of my favorite places, I'll hang in there and just deal with it.

Dusty Miller · « **Reply #12 on:** March 31, 2007, 04:52:31 AM »

I too have more trouble navigating around this website than others but after the last fix it is much better and certainly not worth making a big fuss over.

victorcharlie · « **Reply #13 on:** March 31, 2007, 05:40:54 AM »

I haven't had any trouble at all in several months. I'm a cable modem user though.

Graybeard · « **Reply #14 on:** March 31, 2007, 05:52:46 AM »

After talking with Matt last night he is now thinking maybe we do need to move our servers but I'm not sure how easy that's gonna be. There is a huge amount of data on the server and the mechanics of moving from one host to another boggles my mind but he has some insider info on where things are going with our current host and while they are huge it seems hosting sites is but a tiny part of their business and getting smaller.

Matt and I will be doing some more talking on this in the next month or two.

kyelkhunter3006 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 31, 2007, 06:34:43 AM »

I've got the cheapest dial-up I could find, and I use an older lap-top that I paid a buddy a $100 for (he's a computer tech). My wife says I waste too much time on the Net, so I can't waste too much money doing it (obviously, she has no idea just how much stuff I buy on-line).

Anyway, I was having trouble with several sites, and thought that it might be the version of Internet Explorer I had. I downloaded a newer version and installed it, and I haven't had a single problem with any website since. Might be something to try for those who are having issues.

Savage .250 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 31, 2007, 10:05:18 AM »

A while back i experienced some problems, then my hard drive took a dive. Replaced the HD and now all is smooth sailing....................................till something else goes a rye.

powderman · « **Reply #17 on:** March 31, 2007, 03:56:56 PM »

GRAYBEARD What do you mean by router?? POWDERMAN.

Graybeard · « **Reply #18 on:** March 31, 2007, 05:47:14 PM »

We have four computers hooked into our home network. Three are here in the computer room, two on my desk and one on my wife's desk. The other is in our youngest son's room. Our signal comes in via Huges.net satellite, I have the HN7000S modem and the cable from it goes into a box called a ROUTER. All it does is split the signal to all of the computers in our home network. Ours are hard wired to it and my son's computer is hooked wirelessly since he's in another room we didn't run a cable to him but are using a wireless connection for him. For some reason the router that handles that splitting of signals locks up from time to time and Matt won't fix it so I just put up with reseting it from time to time when it locks up on me.

S.S. · « **Reply #19 on:** April 01, 2007, 10:23:09 AM »

Some of you folks need to try LINUX instead of Windows. I recently installed it on one of my home computers (I use it at work) and it is unbelievable how much faster it made this desktop P.C... It attaches to and browses the internet considerably faster also.
Click on an Icon and the program opens almost instantly. No waiting like with windows.
Also, Look at using a browser called FIREFOX instead of Internet explorer.
MUCH MUCH better browser

pills · « **Reply #20 on:** April 01, 2007, 05:40:17 PM »

+1 on firefox.

jgalar · « **Reply #21 on:** April 02, 2007, 03:38:27 AM »

I switched to FireFox awhile back and have no problems posting/viewing here. If I use IE than I would agree with the "posting here stinks" statement. Haven't a clue as to why there is such a difference.

powderman · « **Reply #22 on:** April 02, 2007, 04:08:28 AM »

Where do you find linux and firefox??? POWDERMAN.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #23 on:** April 02, 2007, 05:31:36 AM »

Mozilla Firefox 2.0 is a free download, I use it sometimes, but prefer IE, and don't have a problem with either here. Thunderbird is a great email program, also free.

Tim

http://www.mozilla.org/download.html

deltecs · « **Reply #24 on:** April 14, 2007, 01:45:33 PM »

I don't have a problem with the site's posting. I use a satellite Internet connection and it seems to work for me. This connection doesn't tie into the Internet until it is received in Atlanta. I'm sending it from Alaska. I'm using IE too. Methinks that Internet delays or lost packets may be an excuse to blame something else.