Sorry about the downtime: We blew a circuit.

[Skinner]

We added a fifth server earlier today in order to better handle the expected traffic spike from today's VP debate. I'm happy to report that the servers were handling the traffic very well. But...

The problem is that our web host blew a circuit. Or, to be exact: The massive spike in traffic to the five DU servers caused our web host to blow a circuit. So we were stuck waiting until the technician showed up to get the power back.

We are hoping to add a sixth server before election day. We will also try to address the blown-circuit issue so this won't happen again.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

David Allen
DU Administrator

[Bicoastal]

1. For the first time in my adult life, I'm ashamed to belong to DU.

Just kidding, David. We love ya! :thumbsup:

[truthisfreedom]

56. Use two circuits, not one power strip. 8^P

[sixmile]

2. I smell a RW conspiracy

Damn hackers

[Gold Metal Flake]

3. TWO gerbils on debate days!

Gotta double up on the powah generation.

[grantcart]

4. Oh what a relief - I thought I broke it.

[Curtland1015]

5. Now we know what it's like to be a freeper.

:P

[complain jane]

39. LOL

[Dem_4_Life]

50. LOL

:rofl:

[Bryan]

6. Glad to know you guys are all over it

I'm sending you a donation next payday to help with that new server. We don't want this happening again on D-Day.

[1corona4u]

7. I just though it was due to people posting stupid one liners!!

:-)

[Sparkly]

8. But it's never happened before and it's about you, not us, right?

[Genevieve]

9. It was sad without you!

[Yavin4]

10. You Sound Like Scotty from Star Trek

I'm giving her all she's got, captain.


Then, Kirk would say something about the crystals.

[Sal Minella]

42. Right! "She can't take much more, Captain!"

[spanone]

11. good to be back....i hate it when that happens

i'm sure you do too


:freak: :hi:

[bridgit]

12. dang circuits anyway...

:rant:

[Doityourself]

13. Awwwww....but we're back!

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Wow.

I thought it was all the freeper heads exploding! :rofl:

[Bryan]

15. Edit: server hiccup

n/t

[cliffordu]

16. You crazy kids do great work. As a former IT rat I am impressed beyond

belief.

:headbang:

[boppers]

17. $mf?

$mf is....

[The Backlash Cometh]

18. We love you boys, anyways, Skinner.

Thanks for giving us a home.

[crispini]

19. I love you guys. I think it's so much fun we keep growing! nt

[sudopod]

20. "I can't do that, Dave" -- the Server commenting on the debate. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. Thanks, Skinner. We know you're doing better than anybody else out there.

[THUNDER HANDS]

22. you better add another five servers for election day

[DainBramaged]

23. Yup, I could become even more unstable than usual if I couldn't get into DU

[Ilsa]

24. Ya'll are awesome! nt

[Dinger]

25. If I Can't Get On On Nov. 4th,

I won't keep trying for over an hour. I'll go elsewhere.

[intheflow]

26. No worries.

This doesn't happen very often. I remember it during 2004, but this is the first major outage since. I say that's a pretty good track record. :thumbsup:

[Lifelong Protester]

27. Thanks for being on it

I figured this might happen, even so, I can't believe how much I count on you all and this site!

Appreciate your sweating it out for us and getting us up and running

[AspenRose]

28. So maybe there IS something to that "Mercury Retrograde" thing after all!

;-)

[NightWatcher]

29. needed: additional fund raiser(s) to buy ten more servers before Nov 4th

[Cha]

30. Yes, I'd been trying for quite

a while to get in..glad everything is okay now.

[neverforget]

31. That's okay. We're FIRED UP! BOO YAH!

[Dinger]

32. Not Me. Took The Wind Out Of My Sails, Totally (nt)

[Starry Messenger]

33. Skinner.

The only thing that hampers my enjoyment of this website is the thought of what a balls-ache it is for you guys to maintain. It must have seemed like a fun idea all those years ago! Oh well, I hope we keep you entertained sometimes at least. Thanks for all your hard work.

Regards, tired ceramics teacher who appreciates all the behind the scenes tap-dancing.

[Skinner]

48. Yes, it can be tough sometimes. But most of the time running this site is great.

I love my job.

[Sal Minella]

60. Have you had earlier successes answering Employment ads that say "Masochist needed, must be able

to a absorb verbal abuse from thousands of hysterical people simultaneously?"

[Ichingcarpenter]

34. 'We apologize for the inconvenience.'

OK..........sorry for the anger..... but


the excuse this morning when it failed didn't pass the snif taste.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

35. Not to sound like a techno geek but.

Blew a circuit sounds like a power problem. Adding another server won't fix that.

Did you mean to say your servers were overloaded by the amount of traffic?

[Elad]

43. Yes, it was a power problem.

We added a new server to help alleviate the load. This drew too much power and blew the circuit earlier this afternoon. Our web hosting provider told us that they removed some non-DU related equipment from that circuit, and we didn't experience any problems the rest of the day.

When the traffic spiked tonight, the servers handled it fine. What happened is that they drew more power than the circuit could handle again. When traffic spikes, the hard drives, CPUs and other components work harder, thus requiring more electricity. While we saw the results we wanted in that the servers were not crashing, the circuit apparently was unable to handle the increased load and blew once again. Because it was after business hours, it took longer than normal to get our web hosting provider to get a technician to the NOC to flip the circuit breaker back on.

We expect that our web hosting provider will provide us with enough electricity to support the hardware that we purchase from them, and we will be working with them to make sure that over the next few days changes are made to provide enough power to our servers, including the 6th server we hope to add before election day.

So Skinner is correct that the servers handled the traffic fine, as we hoped they would with the added hardware. The problem is that we were not provided with enough power for 5 servers running at full capacity, which is an issue we are taking up with the web hosting provider.

I hope that clarifies.

[Ichingcarpenter]

44. Why the other story line... when it failed today?

I apologize but you said you trip a cord today.


Anyway its over....... so be it.

Forgive me for my anger and I'm over my frustration


BTW...... it seems that mail from a moderator are not saved
when I acknowledge it..... why is that?

[Elad]

45. Iching, here is exactly what I said earlier:

We added a new server to our load and the extra power tripped a circuit breaker, causing the site to go offline as power was cut off.

Some equipment was moved off the circuit so hopefully it won't be a problem anymore.

Here is the link:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7283136&mesg_id=7283195

That is exactly what Skinner stated, and exactly what I just stated, only in a much more short-winded way. The extra server we purchased drew too much power and blew the circuit. The story has not changed. I have been very kind in ignoring your angry remarks towards me tonight. Please cut it out.

[Ichingcarpenter]

49. Done ...

Sorry..... over it.

[Jersey Devil]

36. How many times have I told you to stock extra Nooblin?

But NOOOOOO, you wouldn't listen!

[Trajan]

37. It is a blessing ....

Like when the TV goes on the fritz - You do something else .... hopefully something productive ...

[anneboleyn]

38. It was horrible waiting for DU to come back up! arrgh.

[CTyankee]

40. Don't worry about it! You're fine.

Come on, folks, be nice. Stuff happens, ya know?

We love you Skinner. You make this wonderful virtual community live each day and we would be so bereft without it!

Thank you for your terrific website and for our chance to get our many splendored things off our minds!

[mscuedawg]

41. Sh*t happens...heck, it made us WATCH the debate!!!!

[HeeBGBz]

46. So did I

Thanks for coming back

[dave29]

47. Proof yet again: the surge did not work

.

[Dem_4_Life]

51. Thanks for all of your hard work!!!

:applause:

[dgibby]

52. Thanks for the info

On the good side, I was able to clear out my e-mail.

On the bad side, you will be getting a bill from my therapist!:rofl:

[workinclasszero]

53. I wondered what happened

Yikes election night is gonna be a meltdown!

[Bryn]

54. Hey, Skinner

after several tries to access to your website, a blank page came up with this message

"......bridge to nowhere...." I thought someone hacked into my computer!

I am not joking! !!!!!Series!!!!!!

[SeattleGirl]

55. I was mighty frustrated!

But thanks for letting us know what happened, Skinner.

What a pisser that it had to happen when it did!

[PVnRT]

57. I figured EarlG was just downloading a bunch of porn again

:hide:

[SoxFan]

58. Don't talk about the leather midgets!

Damn it, we can't tell you people anything!

[Bucky]

59. Was there some high-pitched whining tone coming over the radio waves that damaged the server?

I can't imagine what could have caused such a phenomenon.