NSC being busy / the new server [Merged]

[Normal Rob]

I don't mean to be a killjoy but i have been finding it very hard to access the big board since the switch. Very often when i try to get in the whole thing freezes. Sometimes I do get in (like now) but I get the same problem when opening threads or coming back to the main board after reading one...

 

[Johnny Byrne superstar]

I have had no probs at all......

 

[Bozza]

117,000 pages served yesterday - probably the busiest NSC day ever.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

I got a few "server is too busy, at this time we give priority to our registered members" messages yesterday. I mainly access NSC from work so had forgotten to log-in. Is this a new feature now we are so busy on here?

 

[Frutos]

I got a few "server is too busy, at this time we give priority to our registered members" messages yesterday. I mainly access NSC from work so had forgotten to log-in. Is this a new feature now we are so busy on here?

I think it's something Bozza introduced for exactly that kind of situation, meaning that if you're logged in, you shouldn't get any "server busy" messages as you basically get priority for site access, while anyone not logged in has to wait until the site quietens down to gain access.

 

[Bozza]

I think it's something Bozza introduced for exactly that kind of situation, meaning that if you're logged in, you shouldn't get any "server busy" messages as you basically get priority for site access, while anyone not logged in has to wait until the site quietens down to gain access.

Exactly right.

There were a few server load peaks yesterday. On this software it's possible to set a server load limit such that, when it is reached, people will get the 'server busy' message. A few people reported that they were getting that yesterday lunchtime so I turned the feature off completely. Which meant either the server would be able to cope or it would die completely.

Although the server dying is not good, obviously, I am curious to know what the break point of our new box is.

Anyway whilst I was doing that I had a quick search about for any board modifications I could make related to this. One that I found seemed ideal - it meant I could set a server load limit to trigger 'server busy' pages to guests only. So I downloaded it, installed it and tested it and it seemed to do the job very well. I tailored the message so people understood what was going on. All of which meant, of course, when the server got busy later there were quite a few people trying to register quickly!