Today’s Outage

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solarchat
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Today’s Outage

Post by solarchat »

The forum was out for a few hours yesterday and today because of a permissions problem caused by a corrupted line in the SQL code which was caused by the sql database exceeding the maximum size of 1GB. This is just the text of the post headers and content, not the attachments. 1GB is ungodly huge for a PhPBB forum and is a testament to how popular our group is. Our forum attachments storage has passed 40 GB in size and is the largest of any astro forum on the net.
In order to keep the forum running I had to delete about 40% of the older internal search index content. Network Solutions still has 14 months left on the paid hosting and I can’t afford to buy a new UNIX commercial hosting package currently with the 80% drop in nonprofit fundraising since the new 2017 tax laws in the US.
There is a maximum 1GB size limit on forums on Network Solutions and the search index makes up about 50% of our database. I choose to delete the search index rather than deleting old posts
Posts can still be searched on external search engines if you can’t find them on the internal search engine. I can also reconstruct the internal search engine when we get a larger hosting platform

It has cost about five hours of a consultant time so far to figure all this out and we are currently looking for a new host with larger size limits that won’t break the bank.
I’ve always believed in no silly restrictions on size or anything else so we will keep going the way it is but the forum will need to be re-hosted to a much larger and much more dependable service then network solutions in the next year in order to keep it running. This will be very expensive, probably in the $4500 range.

Sorry for the trouble. It’s just me working this nonprofit and I have also been in the hospital twice this week with back issues…lol great timing.

To the 100 or so people that donate every year to pay for the entire forum, I thank you and ask you to continue.

To the other people and especially those who profit off of this forum by selling their wares (please see forum rules), etc.… I would ask that you consider supporting the forum that supports you.

Our next fundraiser will be in October. Please consider a generous donation at that time or a monthly donation now so that we may keep our forum advertiser free, asshole free, and the friendliest most sharing astronomy forum on the Internet.


Stephen W. Ramsden
Atlanta, GA USA
Founder/Director Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project
http://www.solarastronomy.org
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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by Montana »

Thanks Stephen :)

Alexandra


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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by eroel »

Stephen:
Thanks for making it posible.
Best regards,
Eric.


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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by DeepSolar64 »

Thanks for all your work, Stephen.


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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by marktownley »

Thanks Stephen for sorting it.

Would be good if we had more people making donations, even if small monthly ones, it all adds up.


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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by Simon2940 »

I think the donation should be left open regardless and do your traditional push each year


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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by MAURITS »

Thanks Stephen for all your work.


Regards,
Maurits

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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by EGRAY_OBSERVATORY »

Hello Stephen, I hope so much that your "back issues" are being sorted and not causing you too much/or any pain. Best Wishes there..

Knowing how much time and expense - would have been caused by this "outage", perhaps those who use this fabulous website and fail to donate anything at all, might now realise that they are adding to the burden of SolarChat continuing to run as is.

We all (usually) have to pay something for our entertainment/learning and/or usage of so many (nearly all of) so many websites these days - in order to keep those running for whatever purpose, that to donate far-less than the annual-costs of booze/tobacco-products etc., etc., is not much to ask for.

Anybody/organisation who want to get a free-advertising of whatever products directly via SolarChat, should pay their dues to SolarChat for that privilege, as I for one do not like advertisements that so often cover the web-pages, where so-far SolarChat have not had to use paying-advertisers to support this website.
(I am not including those very-private individuals of us who want to buy or sell their own specific-items - but not for any commercial purpose)...

The " Solar Astronomy Shop and Swap" page on SolarChat and other websites should be used SOLELY for that purpose, albeit any commercial-activity - must pay SolarChat for the privilege on the above-mentioned page - please...

Exactly as Stephen has mentioned as:-
"Our next fundraiser will be in October. Please consider a generous donation at that time or a monthly donation now so that we may keep our forum advertiser free, asshole free, and the friendliest most sharing astronomy forum on the Internet."

So please keep the image/multiple-images-sizes and quantities-of, posted to a minimum where JPEG-ing is sufficient without losing detail etc., as:-
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=31518 refers and
definitely consider donating at least something to help Stephen pay for the administrating of SolarChat and also to keep the commercial- advertisers at bay...

Thank you Stephen for your excellent efforts.

Regards
Terry


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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by pedro »

Thanks again Stephen

beste regards


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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by arnedanielsen »

That's an impressive amount of both text and image data.

Good to have the forum back up and running!

Thanks for all your excellent work, Stephen!

Would also take the opportunity to thank the moderators as well as all the forum members for making this forum such a great arena for solar related information.

Best regards,
Arne


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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by Stardust5858 »

I'd like to thank you and the moderators for their invaluable work, time and energy. It's always been my mantra to help with questions about equipment and imaging techniques. Perhaps fund raising out reach could help in some way across the globe as we're an intercontinental bunch of people. Perhaps a solar fest?


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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by solarchat »

Thanks guys. We do fundraising twice per year and Im not comfortable doing any more than that.

I rely on people’s decency and volunteerism to do the job.
Sometimes its good, sometimes its not.


Stephen W. Ramsden
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Founder/Director Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project
http://www.solarastronomy.org
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Re: Today’s Outage

Post by Carbon60 »

Many thanks, Stephen, for all the time and effort that you put into keeping this up an running and to all contributors creating high quality content that makes this such a wonderful, worthwhile and fulfilling site.

I’m appealing to those on the sidelines who might not contribute to content, but nevertheless learn new information, tips and skills that help them progress in this hobby, and to those who simply enjoy looking at wonderful images of our Sun and our Sunlit Earth to please help support this forum with a financial contribution when the call comes.

Thanks again, Stephen and everyone.

Stu.


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