Until I can re-optimize the apache & mysql configurations, or we have the money to get another CPU and/or some more memory, we will have to deny access to the site when we reach 300 simultaneous users.
So, if you come to the site and it says “There are too many users online.” or something to that effect, go make some coffee … have some pizza … and then come back. Hitting refresh constantly won’t do you any good.
Thanks for your patience.
**edit: **I added some server optimizations, removed the 300 user limit, etc. Detailed responses from earlier are below.
would it be a possibility for people to donate a few dollars to a fund? Or have some kind of CD shirts for sale like “CD Web Forums… <insert catchy phrase>” or seomthing like that, maybe something for sale at the webhug or a webhug t-shirt, to help raise money for server upgrades, it seems right for us all to give back some how since we all gain so much from this site.
That must explain the outage of the server at around 2200 EST…The whole site was down (after I started getting database errors). As previously stated, is there a donation fund?
I would give a few bucks if my parents let me… I bet I could convince them. But hey! I can wait! I actually have nothing better to do (usually anyway) than browse the forums here, especially now that build season is over.
AGREED! This site is an incredible resource for all of us. How much $$ are we talking about? Brandon, I think you should definitely set up a PayPal account to accept donations. You do so much work for us already … you shouldn’t have to also deal with this type of resource limitation. Let us know how we can help!!
I agree, by these guests coming in here and just viewing they take away registered users ability to come in and ask a question or provide positive insight to these forums, I think that everyone should have to register to view the site.
There have been some good suggestions in here about donations and such. I do not agree that everyone should have to register to view the site, unless it is a very simple thing. It would reduce the number of people visiting, but that won’t just help us. Would it help if people closed any browsers with Chief Delphi when they left there computers? Because I know I have left my computer MANY times with chief delphi up in one or more browser windows. Also, would it help if I didn’t try to open 10 pages at once in tabbed browser windows? Those are some simple things that I do (as well as many others I am sure) for ease of use that I thought of that might help.
I totally agree with ya on this one. Registration should be mandatory, at this time in the season, to view most of the forums (maybe except chit-chat and others of the like). Of the times I’ve looked today there have been more guests logged on then registered members.
Maybe this really won’t solve any problem because then those guest might just log in if they have a username or go through and quickly fill out a registration using some “dumb” username and false information.
I’m not sure, it just seems that if you have to be logged in to view the forums then it could alleviate some of the stress on the servers.
Instead of denying guests all together, we just allow registered members to use the forums before guests do? i.e., a guest would get an error message before a registered member.
what about some system that based your priority of access to the server off of reputation? Like it would be guests with the lowest priority, and then registered users, and then go up as your rep went up…
I agree with Amanda totally on this one. Just because a guest doesnt register doesnt mean they arent part of a FIRST team or another interested party. To deny access to forums denies them a chance to learn about FIRST and the greater community. At the same time, internet privacy is an issue now, and although everyone on CD knows that their information is safe, the average visitor may not be aware of that fact. Many 188 members have no account on these forums but still check them every day and are clued into what is going on. Besides, just how often does CD hit it’s limit? I’d venture a guess of no more than 6-8 times per year, usually at this time right after build, in the middle of competition and after nationals. If its a matter of finance, it might be easier to do what Amanda suggested than to organize anything major.
I know this isnt what anyone had in mind, but theres no reason to keep the community of FIRST a gated one the Internet.
I know that a lot of other people on my team search ChiefDelphi for information (especially the picture galleries), but I’m the only member with an active account. Although I would kind of like them to register, it’s nice to be able to just quickly check ChiefDelphi from a school or otherwise shared computer without having to log in.
That being said, I wouldn’t object to temporary restrictions on guest browsing, or something similar to Amanda Morrison’s idea. I’d rather have the site only available to registered users than to no users at all.
This website was deisgned for the purpose of sharing of knowledge and ideas…i dont see how a guest is possibly benefitting or is fair to the other people who took the time to register.
I dont know anything about PHP, but i dont really think you could do this. For people that dont save their login information, they come onto the site as a guest before they’d log in…if the website would block out guests in favor of the registered user, they never would be able to get in until it has cleared out enough for them to get on and log in.
Then again, I could be wrong. Maybe Brandon knows some kind of trick that could make that happen.
Yeah, i am not sure how it works at CD, but you might show up as a guess even if you are set to auto login. I mean there could be that split 1/2 of a second before your logged on, lol. If not then all everyone would have to do is have there computer “remember them”.
I am definetly opposed to limiting anyones access to the site. What about people who are not members but might become one? Should a person have to register in order to evaluate the site (decide whether they want to register)? Additionally I also disagree with limiting access based on reputation. As most people reading this are members of a robotics team or club most of you probaly know what I mean when I say that I am totally fed up with most “class president” and “prom queen” type popularity contests. I dont want to turn this into a debate over the rep system, but while it is not just a popularity contest, it is based on the same principle, and I dont beleive it should be used to limit access to the site. Also new teams are the ones that need help the most, and they would be low on the priority list.
Personally I like the donations idea. So the number of people is 300. If each of those people donated a dollar that would buy an ok processory (I have no idea what is being used now but I assume an upgrade would cost more than $300). If one hundred of those people though “hey im feeling generous make it ten bucks” another hundred thought “hey what the heck five bucks isnt that much” and the last hundred decided they could afford a dollar easily enough that would come out to 1600 dollars (I think). Suppose another few people are very well off and figured they could chip in a hundred dollars. Pretty soon you are talking about serious money.
