I got da gametime database blues

Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by TitanJeff, Sep 11, 2009.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

    30,461
    11,489
    1,769
    I spent a lot of time leading up to last night's game optimizing the server/forum to avoid the database errors we got last night. Once we moved over the 2,000 visitors mark, the server load would spike until the errors started and booted off may of you. Once we hit 2,500... meltdown.

    After consulting with my server host, I'm left with two options. One is to max out the RAM which I plan on doing this week. That may help some but we won't know until our next game if it is a cure. That's a $50 a month fix. The other option, and probably the better one, is to go to a dual processor. I'm pricing that but it probably doubles our current server bill and will be cost-prohibitive.

    If anyone has a friend in the server biz who might be a big Titans fan, let me know. ;)
     
  2. Gunny

    Gunny Shoutbox Fuhrer

    51,445
    8,160
    1,359
    Is there a way to cut off access to non-registered members during game time?
     
    • High Five High Five x 2
  3. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

    30,461
    11,489
    1,769
    Gunny, my man, that very well could be the answer. I'd have to do it manually but it can be done.

    We'll give it a shot next Sunday morning. :yes:
     
    • High Five High Five x 1
  4. Gunny

    Gunny Shoutbox Fuhrer

    51,445
    8,160
    1,359
    I think better at midnight.
     
  5. nickmsmith

    nickmsmith Most poverty RB core.

    14,624
    6,441
    869
    I like that idea a lot.
     
  6. RTH

    RTH Meh...

    18,039
    4,788
    939
    Yeah, I agree... boot the guests in favor of the members. I was one of those that couldn't get on here last night, only sporadically.

    It seemed throughout the 4th quarter, I couldn't get on here and discuss the game with my fellow Titan fans... and that actually increases the fun of watching the game. :yes:



    Now... this may be a moot point in the upcoming games, since I live in the Cincinnati area and I won't be able to see that many Titan games. But it does allow me the opportunity to go on here and receive decent updates and other fans' reactions! :thumb:
     
  7. Smash

    Smash 2017 Survivor Winner

    4,092
    1,221
    659
    What's the current costs?
    And what are the needs? - CPU, RAM, disk size, bandwidth, OS, DB etc?
     
  8. MJTitans

    MJTitans Chris Whitley look him up

    1,831
    346
    309
    Gunny's suggestion would probably be the easiest. I'm guessing you're paying for a single dedicated server - with linux, php and a mysql database?

    Before you put too much money into hardware, it would probably be worth looking a bit into some maintenance possibilities. Do you know if you have any DB maintenance jobs that run on a schedule? If not, that could make a huge difference.

    It might also be worth looking into other game-day options... Having 2000+ users constantly hitting refresh to check new messages is pretty heavy. I'm sure you've seen the changes Kuharsky made to the ESPN AFC South chat - where you're browser just pulls down the most recent posts automatically. That's a lot lighter on the server, since it only has to hit the database to get new messages (instead of all the data on the page, i.e. active members, unread post counts, etc...) and then the web server also doesn't have to constantly reload images, and everything else on the page. I'm not sure if vBulletin has an option like that - but maybe instead of a game-day thread if you implement a special game-day chat that could cut down dramatically on the DB load.

    I used to work work a web design shop in Nashville... http://www.digitaldoginc.com/ Larry Blankenship is the CEO. I don't remember if he's a Titans fan, but it might be worth just checking if they can help with hosting. When I was there they outsourced their hosting to a partner - but if they don't have something in-house he might be able to hook you up with another contact. It's been I guess over 10 years since I've worked there, but he might remember me - you can tell him Matt Howard referred you.

    Post here or feel free to PM me if you want me to look through any of the error logs to help figure out exactly where the main problem is, or if you need help looking into anything else..
     
  9. The Mrs

    The Mrs Crush on Casey Starbucks!

    2,530
    150
    0
    Ohhhh, that cold blooded!:cry:
     
  10. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

    30,461
    11,489
    1,769
    Exactly. One processor.

    vBulletin does do various things like pull in RSS feeds every 10 minutes or so. I turned all that off though during the game and it didn't help much. Things like backing up the database is done at 2 a.m.

    vB, as far as I know, does not have such a option but there is a hack that does it. I've tried it before and couldn't get it to work. I'll be sure to check into it again as it sounds like it could be a logical solution.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  • Welcome to goTitans.com

    Established in 2000, goTitans.com is the place for Tennessee Titans fans to talk Titans. Our roots go back to the Tennessee Oilers Fan Page in 1997 and we currently have 4,000 diehard members with 1.5 million messages. To find out about advertising opportunities, contact TitanJeff.
  • The Tip Jar

    For those of you interested in helping the cause, we offer The Tip Jar. For $2 a month, you can become a subscriber and enjoy goTitans.com without ads.

    Hit the Tip Jar