vBulletin 4 and server move

[Fraser]

Hey everyone, it's talk to talk about upgrades. Yay!

We're currently running an older version of vBulletin. For security reasons (and because we always need the newest, shiniest toys) we're going to be upgrading to version 4.

I'm giving you a little warning, so you can check out the sweet new features:
http://www.vbulletin.com/index.php?do=features

It's a pretty big upgrade, so there are going to be bugs and new interface things that will take some getting used to.

I'm hoping to make the upgrade Saturday night, which is the slowest time for the forum. We'll be offline for a few minutes while is happens (if we're lucky), or hours if things go south, I can't get things working and have to restore from a backup. Yell at technical support, etc.

Once that's all going, we're also going to be potentially moving BAUT to a newer, faster server (didn't we just do this?). That's going to be a bigger headache, but it should remove the dreaded slow times and make the whole thing zippy forever.

As some of you recall, we do a freeze on the local database and move it over to the new server. This creates an identical twin of the forum. Either we can close the forum down and you all wait for your DNS to find the new location.

Or, more hilariously, we keep the old forum running, but the comments made after the freeze are temporary. They'll disappear when everyone is looking at the new location. But for a few brief hours, you can say the things you really need to say, knowing that BAUT won't store them.

Anyway, vBulletin upgrade Saturday night, Feb 13th. Server move in a couple of weeks, once I've done some testing with the new location.

[tommac]

I would hold off. I have already upgraded some of my boards to v4 ... and I think it is not worth it. It is still somewhat buggy and not really enough benefit for putting a board like this at risk. This is just my opinion. I personally am holding off until a few more versions come out before making the move.

Hey everyone, it's talk to talk about upgrades. Yay!

We're currently running an older version of vBulletin. For security reasons (and because we always need the newest, shiniest toys) we're going to be upgrading to version 4.

I'm giving you a little warning, so you can check out the sweet new features:
http://www.vbulletin.com/index.php?do=features

It's a pretty big upgrade, so there are going to be bugs and new interface things that will take some getting used to.

I'm hoping to make the upgrade Saturday night, which is the slowest time for the forum. We'll be offline for a few minutes while is happens (if we're lucky), or hours if things go south, I can't get things working and have to restore from a backup. Yell at technical support, etc.

Once that's all going, we're also going to be potentially moving BAUT to a newer, faster server (didn't we just do this?). That's going to be a bigger headache, but it should remove the dreaded slow times and make the whole thing zippy forever.

As some of you recall, we do a freeze on the local database and move it over to the new server. This creates an identical twin of the forum. Either we can close the forum down and you all wait for your DNS to find the new location.

Or, more hilariously, we keep the old forum running, but the comments made after the freeze are temporary. They'll disappear when everyone is looking at the new location. But for a few brief hours, you can say the things you really need to say, knowing that BAUT won't store them.

Anyway, vBulletin upgrade Saturday night, Feb 13th. Server move in a couple of weeks, once I've done some testing with the new location.

[Jim]

I'm hoping to make the upgrade Saturday night, which is the slowest time for the forum.

Huh. I thought this was a board full of nerds with nothing better to do on Saturday night than post to BAUT.

Another image, shattered.

[Gillianren]

I hang out with my RL nerd friends on Saturdays. We're going to a con the Saturday after that!

[Fazor]

I'm hoping to make the upgrade Saturday night, which is the slowest time for the forum.

Huh. I thought this was a board full of nerds with nothing better to do on Saturday night than post to BAUT.

Another image, shattered.

It's all those late-night Saturday Starwar'stravaganzas at the local multiplexes, I tell ya.

Man, we got trouble. Right here in BAUT city. With a capital 'T' that's next to 'S' that stands for Starwars.

Man I'm bored and burnt out. And one more day of work before the weekend! Scary.

[kleindoofy]

... Yell at technical support, etc. ...

Yay! It's PFY and BOFH time!

[Swift]

I'm giving you a little warning, so you can check out the sweet new features:
http://www.vbulletin.com/index.php?do=features

Unlimited Moderators and SuperModerators

Yeah! Now we can really over-moderate!

I want to be a SuperModerator!

Faster than a Viagra spammer !
More powerful than Planet X !
Able to leap multiple threads in a single bound !

Look, over in Fun-n-Games.
Is it a Newbie?
Is it an Establshed Member?
No! Its Supermoderator.

Yes, Supermoderator, that strange being from another forum, who came to BAUT with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal members. Supermoderator, who can change the course of might threads with his bare hands, and who, disguised as a Moderator, fights a never-ending battle for civility, cynicism, and the BAUTian Way!

[Fazor]

I'd rather be a Supper Moderator. "Wait a minute, I don't think that homestyle turkey with gravy is up to par. Pass it this way so I can check it first. Thank you."

[Tensor]

Once that's all going, we're also going to be potentially moving BAUT to a newer, faster server (didn't we just do this?).

Yeah, about 18 months ago, if my memory isn't totally deficient. To remove the dreaded slow time and make the whole thing zippy forever.

That's going to be a bigger headache, but it should remove the dreaded slow times and make the whole thing zippy forever.

Forever = 15 - 18 months.

[Fazor]

Forever = 15 - 18 months.

Time dilation. The faster the server gets, the shorter we perceive 'forever' to be.

[Fraser]

Well, this is moving from a decided server into a cloud server environment where there's no upper limit to how far it could scale. So BAUT would be exactly as fast as thousands of other sites.

[Glom]

It has user reputation. If only the upgrade was done before I made the "How chemistry works" post. I got rave reviews for that.

[Tensor]

Well, this is moving from a decided server into a cloud server environment where there's no upper limit to how far it could scale. So BAUT would be exactly as fast as thousands of other sites.

Well, that explains everything. If you had only moved it to a dedicated server instead of a decided server. It probably decided not to not to serve quite as fast as it could have.

Actually Fraser, you have my sympathies (for the work during the move) and my sincere thanks for keeping this place up and running.

[kleindoofy]

... we're going to be upgrading to version 4. ...

I'm hoping to make the upgrade Saturday night, ...

vBulletin upgrade Saturday night, Feb 13th. ...

Shattered hopes?

[Otherworldly]

Yeah! Now we can really over-moderate!

I want to be a SuperModerator!

Faster than a Viagra spammer !
More powerful than Planet X !
Able to leap multiple threads in a single bound !

Look, over in Fun-n-Games.
Is it a Newbie?
Is it an Establshed Member?
No! Its Supermoderator.

Yes, Supermoderator, that strange being from another forum, who came to BAUT with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal members. Supermoderator, who can change the course of might threads with his bare hands, and who, disguised as a Moderator, fights a never-ending battle for civility, cynicism, and the BAUTian Way!

Good to know that it will be business as usual during the transition.

[LookingSkyward]

Ummm... nothing in the universe is 'Faster than a Viagra spammer' - to the best of my knowledge...

[HenrikOlsen]

Chrissy is. One of the major reasons why you don't see more spam is that Chrissy kills off the spammers before they get a chance to do anything.

[chrissy]

*Blushes* Thanks Henrik

Now I look trigger happy.

[kleindoofy]

... xxx kills off the spammers before they get a chance to do anything.

Unless, of course, they're selling handbags and say they want to make lots of new friends. Then they get the benefit of the doubt.

[chrissy]

Unless, of course, they're selling handbags and say they want to make lots of new friends. Then they get the benefit of the doubt.

If it was there when I was on line it wouldn't have passed the registering point.

[korjik]

*Blushes* Thanks Henrik

Now I look trigger happy.

Thats only a problem if you shoot the wrong thing.

Besides, it isnt like spammers are people.

:P

[Moose]

The First Law of Robotics should have been: "Thou shalt not spam."

[slang]

Well, rule 1 says a robot should not let a human come to harm. I suppose that should include financial harm.

[CJSF]

Slightly off topic, but did Asimov ever get into how a robot might understand or handle psychological harm done to a human?

CJSF

[HenrikOlsen]

There's one story in the I, Robot collection, it had a robot which could read emotions and was therefore capable of detecting emotional harm.
It turned out to be useless because it was unable to tell a truth that would cause emotional distress, so all everyone got out of it was what they subconsciously wanted it to say. I think the story is called "Liar".

[tdvance]

Liar was exactly the one I was thinking of. The robot only lied to keep from hurting people, but it all came crashing down....

[Swift]

May I suggest that we leave this thread for information about the vBulletin upgrade. If you would like to continue the discussion of Asimov's robots, either start another thread, or Report this post and a mod can split the discussion off into a new thread.

[Fraser]

So in reading a little more about vBulletin 4, I don't think I want to risk it on a live forum... I'm going to try some test installations first.

[tommac]

So in reading a little more about vBulletin 4, I don't think I want to risk it on a live forum... I'm going to try some test installations first.

Bravo ... great move.

[mugaliens]

Before upgrading to vBulletin 4, you may wish to consider using a hosting company wherein daily backups do not interrupt the forums for half an hour. I'm currently a member of half a dozen online message forums, half of which are vBulletin 3.8.x, which never experience this problem. Since 1985, I've been a member, admin, or moderated more than two dozen message forums, some of which were various versions of vBulletin, where this was never a problem. And yes, they were backed up as well. Backed up - not locked up.

BAUT's a first in that department. Hopefully it'll soon be a thing of the past.

As for vBulletin, I don't think it's been the culprit, either, unless you're electing to lock the entire forum during the backup - then of course it would be. No one else I know does that, however. If you're experiencing corruption issues if you don't, then I suspect the issue rests with the host's backend database server, and again recommend a different host, one highly experienced with vBulletin.