Anti-Server-Load Measures

MarkG · October 23, 2002, 18:02

A list of actions we have taken and are taking beyond any adjustments in the server configuration

- In threads: Avatars, CivGroups icons and forum jump menu will be automatically be turned off and on depending on current load
- Avatars will not show up for guests at all times
- Other features(latest chat message, visitors online, etc) will not show up for guests at all times and for registered members on high load occasions
- Above a load level, pageviews counts of threads will not be increased
- Cache system implemented: guests will see cached versions of the forum index, forum display and thread display pages. Cache is updated every 5 minutes for the first two page types, and every 10 minutes for the last. Obviously, these pages may not show the latest data and feature like new posts and readed thread indications will not work
- Ads will not be loaded for all users across the entire site after a certain load level
- Registered members have priority: "Too much server load" forum message will show up on guests at half the load of the limit for registered members
- Colorization according to user group in chat messages have been turned off as it was found that it was done in a non-efficient way. It will be re-added again shortly. Meanwhile, the chat is now less server intensive

H Tower · October 23, 2002, 18:07

so no ads when too many people are on? Quick, everybody get your friends to start viewing as guests!

I guess you really know that you have a popular site when the server gets overloaded and you need to take these measures. Keep it up.

Dauphin · October 23, 2002, 18:42

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkG
- Ads will not be loaded for all users across the entire site after a certain load level

Why not append the "too many guests limits" with "Why not visit these site (insert links) while you wait for the traffic to clear".

I know you have links at the bottom but the invitation may give better results.

Ming · October 23, 2002, 18:55

I'm sure that we all appreciate that you are trying to do everything you can to help solve the problem.

Do what you can, and thanks...

Alex · October 23, 2002, 19:07

Yes, thanks for your efforts, Markos...

Frozzy · October 24, 2002, 00:02

Mingster and Alex are right on the money

ixnay · October 24, 2002, 00:18

Thanks for your efforts. We'll pull through this in no time (hopefully).

MarkG · October 24, 2002, 01:29

added
- Colorization according to user group in chat messages have been turned off as it was found that it was done in a non-efficient way. It will be re-added again shortly. Meanwhile, the chat is now less server intensive

ixnay · October 24, 2002, 01:32

I believe the Forum Jump dropdown box at the lower right of pages is rather server intensive; at least that's what I've heard from another forum that was having server-load issues. Perhaps getting rid of it for guests at times would help?

Rasbelin · October 24, 2002, 03:14

Thanks very much Markos and Dan for trying to ease the server load!

Skanky Burns · October 24, 2002, 03:56

Quote:

Originally posted by ixnay37
I believe the Forum Jump dropdown box at the lower right of pages is rather server intensive; at least that's what I've heard from another forum that was having server-load issues. Perhaps getting rid of it for guests at times would help?

If its a choice between the site being unreachable or having to navigate by going to the main-page, I would prefer to still be able to reach Apolyton. But all things being equal, I would much prefer the forum jump box to remain.

Getting rid of it for guests only.

DeepO · October 24, 2002, 05:33

Well, I posted this before, but those sigs sure take up a lot of bandwith (= server load?) as well. Why not taking them down in high load configuration? That can easily mean a few Ks on each page. And I won't miss them

DeepO

Wraith · October 24, 2002, 08:41

You know, some of us prefer to surf without cookies. I don't care about the avatars and whatnot, but actually having a reply option (with the log-in page redirect as before) for the guest-view pages would be nice.
Keep in mind that this would further reduce your load, since I'd get the reduced pages except when I went to respond to someone.

I'm also curious why you seem to need to use three different cookies for one login.

Wraith
"If I wasn't blind, paralyzed and almost dead I'd be wearing your sphincter as a shoe."
-- Cornfed ("Duckman")

spartak · October 24, 2002, 09:29

We should thank Markos and Dan for their efforts to keep the site up - not criticise.

Chris 62 · October 24, 2002, 10:23

It seems better today, yesterday was horrible, kept getting the server message.

Mark, what is causing this extra load?

Are you getting more hits?

I also noticed that pop-ups helped increase the load time, and they are a BAD idea.

Anyway, thanks for trying to improve things.

DeepO · October 24, 2002, 10:54

Maybe we need more pop-ups, so Mark can buy a bigger server?

DeepO

FrustratedPoet · October 24, 2002, 11:26

The news bar in the top-right corner of the screen has disappeared.

Is this a load-reduction strategy? Or a forum bug? Or what?

FrustratedPoet · October 24, 2002, 11:27

double post. sorry.

SpencerH · October 24, 2002, 11:45

Whats causing the problem anyway? Too many people, too much stuff, bad server? Just curious

MarkG · October 24, 2002, 12:09

Quote:

Whats causing the problem anyway?

increased traffic.

Martin Gühmann · October 24, 2002, 13:45

Is the number of current users and guest on the forums also very server intensive, I noticed it vanished from the forum front page, too. Actual this piece of information is actual for every user very valuable to have an idea of the current traffic. I think there is no need to recod this number everytime when the page is loaded, maybe intervalls of one up to five minutes is ok.

-Martin

Skanky Burns · October 24, 2002, 17:33

Do we know when this increased traffic is going to ease off?

Dauphin · October 24, 2002, 21:31

When people stop coming here.

alva · October 25, 2002, 00:11

Quote:

Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin
When people stop coming here.

You did law school, didn't you

j/k

Hey mark, whatever it takes to keep going

If there anything we can do (except stop coming here offcurse

)

- drop the avatars
- drop the sigs
(why am I trying to tell you something, you're MUCH better at???

)

Rasbelin · October 25, 2002, 00:51

Drop the avatars?

Drop the sigs?!?

Drop all the fun.

Alva, feel free to volunteer and drop all the gadgets.

Urban Ranger · October 26, 2002, 23:12

Maybe to shut off the chat room after a certain level of load?

Gramphos · October 27, 2002, 03:55

What about the country hack optimization I did for the memberlist? Why isn't it listed?

I do believe that 4 minustes SQL queries did take on the server load.

Sirotnikov · October 29, 2002, 13:16

I would also reaffirm an idea I saw here:

Instead of simple "high traffic load" messages, why not spice it up with: "why not visit this page" with references to Apolyton's non-forum pages, and news items.

If I see the forum is loaded, and then suddenly I notice an interesting news item in the "busy" page - I'd be happy to go visit it.

jdd2007 · October 29, 2002, 20:21

i think thats a good idea Siro

but i have a huge complaint. why, all of a sudden does it take 10 minutes to load a page? this never happened before, and has nothing to do with my internet. i cannot surf the forums at all. it never took anywhere near this long before! people are replying to threads at a normal rate it seems too, and i can hardly access them. one day, its fine: 3 seconds to load a page. next day, this page, even though i just pressed the back button, took THREE HUNDRED FIVE seconds. what happened here? i remember it just showed a simple 'server is busy' and we could post normally 5 minutes later

just curious, im not angry or anything.

MarkG · October 30, 2002, 10:33

removed

Quote:

- Above a load level, guests will see a text version of threads instead of the full layout

added

Quote:

- Cache system implemented: guests will see cached versions of the forum index, forum display and thread display pages. Cache is updated every 5 minutes for the first two page types, and every 10 minutes for the last. Obviously, these pages may not show the latest data and feature like new posts and readed thread indications will not work