OT: Server during games

DaBruinz said:

Guys - I've talked to Ian about this. The problem is two fold and, unfortunately, both require the same thing to fix it. And that is money. The servers need more RAM and they need more disk space. But to do that, the site needs money. Ian put out a call for donations and all Ian heard were a bunch of crickets, for the most part.

That's one of the reasons Ian also put up the poll.. To see what "extras" he can cut to help with the issues.

This site requires US to support it. Despite being a "LIFE" member, I've made it a point to make a donation every year because I know that the site needs the money to run. Ian needs others to step up..

I'll be honest. I'd be all for Ian cutting guest access on game days.

EDIT: BTW, @Ian - Could you post the like where to donate??

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I know I am somewhat of a new member but I donate every year for the pats supporter title to give back to this amazing site but I had no idea there was an "extra donation" link.

Show me a link, I would be more than happy to donate more.

HeadHunter said:

Show me a link, I would be more than happy to donate more.

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Either that or cut guest access like suggested.

Wrath Mania said:

Agree with everyone, this board is useless during games.

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Then step up and help fix it..

I found the link..

Account Upgrades

Thanks @DaBruinz made a contribution and now I am a supporter officially.

@Ian - I think if you put a link in the top header, in between "FORUM" and "USERNAME" that says something like: "Make a Donation / Become a VIP" , it would go a long way to helping the constant questions on how one does this..

I apologize to everyone and I'm definitely aware of the issue we had last week and obviously tonight, which I know was a pain and made things difficult during the game. I was in discussions last week working with the server company after the problems during last week's game and then tonight when Gronk went down, everything definitely went haywire, so it's obviously time for a change. We've agreed on a new configuration but I couldn't get it done before tonight due to the holiday, but the new one should hopefully solve things moving forward as it's way ahead of what we're on right now. The next step will just be figuring out how to make it work budget-wise and the timing of it. But rest-assured I am working on it and hopefully I'll have more of a firm answer in the next few days. The last change got us through about 3 years. Hopefully this next one accomplishes at least that.

Ian said:

I apologize to everyone and I'm definitely aware of the issue we had last week and obviously tonight, which I know was a pain and made things difficult during the game. I was in discussions last week working with the server company after the problems during last week's game and then tonight when Gronk went down, everything definitely went haywire, so it's obviously time for a change. We've agreed on a new configuration but I couldn't get it done before tonight due to the holiday, but the new one should hopefully solve things moving forward as it's way ahead of what we're on right now. The next step will just be figuring out how to make it work budget-wise and the timing of it. But rest-assured I am working on it and hopefully I'll have more of a firm answer in the next few days.

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The NFL needs to apologize. The NFL officials need to apologize. You, Ian, have nothing to apologize for.

Deus Irae said:

The NFL needs to apologize. The NFL officials need to apologize. You, Ian, have nothing to apologize for.

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Regardless, it's frustrating for sure but I'll figure out a way to get it done. Unfortunately the other problem is it's probably going to involve some downtime to move everything over (this database is pretty massive now compared to the first time), so I'll have to figure out the best way to get that done that will impact us the least.

DaBruinz said:

That's one of the reasons Ian also put up the poll.. To see what "extras" he can cut to help with the issues.

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Also, the poll was just part of a redesign I'm working on, as none of the "extras" that the site has affect performance and I did the poll for the sake of finding out people's thoughts to hopefully work on improving everyone's user experience. Just wanted to clear that up if there was any confusion.

The bigger issue is the fact the drives need to be replaced with larger ones because they're nearly full and one of the boxes needs additional RAM, but after looking at things it just made sense to bite the bullet and switch it out completely to something newer with an upgraded processor and everything else we needed.

I posted this link a little over a month or so ago when I noticed we were starting to have issues for anyone who wants to help out:

Donate to PatsFans.com - LINK

But hopefully if all goes well this will be done soon and things will settle back down again...at least for a few more years

Hoping to donate but have a lot on my plate this month. I usually alternate between here and Reddit(which also went down for the last 2 minutes/overtime today) for game threads so downtimes aren't too bad. It's frustrating but understandable.

Considering how much time and effort Ian puts into this site I don't think anyone should be blaming him.

Made my donation now. I appreciate all the work you do for this site Ian so thank you! Now to go off and plan my attack on NFL Headquarters....

Tom meets Kaepernick said:

Made my donation now. I appreciate all the work you do for this site Ian so thank you! Now to go off and plan my attack on NFL Headquarters....

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Be careful. NFL Homeland Security is watching .

Brewskies said:

Be careful. NFL Homeland Security is watching .

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I'm having a vision of Goodell standing there with our T1 line bent double like a garden hose and laughing like a maniac.

Wrath Mania said:

Agree with everyone, this board is useless during games.

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It's amazing how some of the most vocal criticisms come from those who haven't donated a single cent.

I'm not saying you have to pay to be here. But if you're not really helping the problem, you can still contribute by shutting the **** up with your ridiculous *****ing. It's one thing to voice a concern; it's another to be obnoxiously whiny about it and take it to ridiculous extremes.

It's a lot of time, energy, and money to maintain this place. Ian does a ton to make this all happen. Thankfully, he does. I certainly wouldn't want to tolerate assholes like this constantly *****ing about a free forum.

It seems that this whole forum has grown exponentially over the years, and every year there is discussion about making it better or more capable..not sure what the traffic was last night as only checked in at half time, but had no issues posting..

Ian has done a remarkable job on this part time endeavor.... this site has only gotten better over the years... so sometimes it will crash during high volume times.. it is what it is a really great resource that sometimes has problems. No biggie.. confident that Ian is working on making it better.

If money is the issue, post a separate thread dedicated to the need.. most of us will throw in some cash..