Site Maintenance for next 2-4 weeks

JmpMster

Owner Emeritus
#1
There is a LOT of stuff going on behind the dark Oz curtain that goes in front of the server and admin areas of our site now. Much like in the Wizard of Oz, if you were to pull back the curtain, you would find it is not a great all powerful wizard, but rather a some overly busy admins and a couple developers that are doing a lot of work on the server and "housekeeping" on this site. Things like running down dead links and lost images and lost embedded media from over a million forum posts that have accumulated over the years, getting the forum ready to transition over to an upgraded version of the software we currently use, implementing the software apps needed for the new Mobile app that will be coming out in the next few weeks and is currently being loaded onto server - updating and improving server security , etc etc etc...

As all this takes place behind the scenes there may be very occasional very short time periods of slow response times or loading delays while resource intensive background tasks run. in addition, some of the changes we need to "try" to see if they are an improvement , make no difference, or actually decrease performance. I will say I am certain 90% of any issues you might experience are just typical internet issues of too much traffic into your local ISP and poor phone/data connections, but it is possible some very small delays will be caused by the background tasks as we approach launch of site upgrade and mobile app.

When it is time for the final switch over we will actually be down/closed for maintenance for anywhere from 6-24 hours. All the upgrades are being done on a cloned development site on this same server (so right now there are in fact 2 complete "sf"s running on this server- one that you all are using and one that is being used by @Freya , myself , and a couple developers to de-bug and set up the new site prior to switching it over to here. This may cause some slight slowdowns in busy times. Ultimately, when the new upgrades are rolled out there will be improved performance, many more options , and just a nicer site plus the mobile app so I am asking for patience and understanding for a short time to enable the upgrades in the near future.

Thank you to all for continuing to support all of our members and being there for each other when it is needed.

- Ben
 

Petal

~*Mod Extraordinaire*~
Staff Alumni
SF Supporter
#2
Thank you admin for all the work you do. It's appreciated for sure. Just 1 question though, do you have any idea which date the site will be down for 6-24 hours?

I look forward to seeing and participating in the new SF :) I cannot say thank you enough. And for those of you who use apps, i'm sure this will be exciting for you.
 

Freya

Loves SF
Admin
SF Author
SF Supporter
#4
Thinking about it now... i'm sorry if that was a totally dumb question, i'ma tech dummy so don't know if you will know or not, sorry. :oops:
It's not dumb but we don't know yet. I do know it will be a weekend day because I need to be available all day and so does Ben so it can't happen on a day I am at work. It might well go down on a Friday night and come back again on the Saturday night. But not until we are completely ready. A minimum of 2 probably 3-4 weeks from now. There is still a lot to do and I am away on business all next week.
 

Petal

~*Mod Extraordinaire*~
Staff Alumni
SF Supporter
#6
It's not dumb but we don't know yet. I do know it will be a weekend day because I need to be available all day and so does Ben so it can't happen on a day I am at work. It might well go down on a Friday night and come back again on the Saturday night. But not until we are completely ready. A minimum of 2 probably 3-4 weeks from now. There is still a lot to do and I am away on business all next week.
Thanks so much for the detailed response, that is great to hear. I am honestly so thankful to SF and everyone here who helps shine the light on those who need it, thanks for your hard work going into SF and make sure you give yourself a break too, good luck on your business trip and I hope its not too stressful. <3
 

OfLoveAndDeath

Of ❤️ and ☠️
#9
Thank you guys for all the hard work that goes into this sit and its maintenance and upgrades. It's truly wonderful to know that you're all putting in so much hard work. I hope that the new upgraded version of the site works without difficulty and that the mobile app is the result of a successful launch. We all admire each and every one of this sites admins and the difficult and sometimes tedious work you do for the site and ultimately for all of us and the people who hopefully find this site/app in the future. Good luck.
-Rose
 

Freya

Loves SF
Admin
SF Author
SF Supporter
#11
I wonder if the maintenance is going to start this weekend.
It's not. I am still building. The financial situation round here has meant a lot of DIY site design (and I am so very not a web developer) which was derailed a little by a business trip and some crazy work things I couldn't get away from.

I am HOPING that we might be ready next weekend but it is a matter of coordinating some paid resource, the guy who can sort out chat and other pieces all together at the same time. We are pretty darned close now though :)
 

ClassicsFan

Well-Known Member
#12
It's not. I am still building. The financial situation round here has meant a lot of DIY site design (and I am so very not a web developer) which was derailed a little by a business trip and some crazy work things I couldn't get away from.

I am HOPING that we might be ready next weekend but it is a matter of coordinating some paid resource, the guy who can sort out chat and other pieces all together at the same time. We are pretty darned close now though :)
I'm hoping it's going to start next week also.
 

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