Is the SCF server having heart palpitations?

[Krazykanuk]

Every time I have tried to do a search for the last few weeks I get "server is busy, try again later" Is it just me?

Maybe I am doing something wrong...never know.

Thanks all.

[RGM81]

Directly from the boss himself:

Search Closed During Peak Hours
SCF has a custom script that turns off search when our server load gets too high. This script literally prevents SCF from crashing. The idea is to have a functioning SCF without search vice no SCF at all. Each time SCF crashes there is a chance of corrupting the database and losing potentially millions of posts.

Over the years I have upgraded SCF to provide enough resources to manage the traffic. We've gone through four server upgrades and I've added faster and additional disks. I've also developed custom scripts to help manage the server load. Long time members should be able to vouch for the performance of SCF. We haven't crashed for a LONG time and SCF performs much better than we did just one year ago.

Obviously, I'm not happy when I have to take away or reduce functions on SCF. Over the next few months I hope to find a permanent solution to our search issues. We will likely have to upgrade our database and also reduce the size of it. We have over 10 million posts and something will have to be done about the HUGE size of our database. We will also have to upgrade our server to continue to keep up with traffic and the addition of our Storefront/OPG system.

I'm posting this so people understand why search goes away during peak hours. Hopefully, everyone understands that it is better to have a SCF without search than no SCF at all during peak hours!

[centrehice]

I've never understood the need to "Save Everything". In 1997 when the internet was in it's infancy, a few forward thinkers were saying that by 2003, the greatest need in the computing world would be the need for storage.

90% of the posts made on this site can go right into the garbage can, sorry, but little commerce is dependent by what happens on here.

Simply gas any post in the system over a year old that has not been bumped. You should not have to re-invent the wheel due to storage issues, especially when the data being stored is less than marginal.

I have a 54 year old friend that has saved every message he has ever sent, or received on the internet. He's an independent business person, and has something like 1.4 million messages in storage. I think he needs to spend weekends at the Nuthouse along with medication myself.

[Krazykanuk]

Thanks for the update!