Server and Software Upgrades; Scheduled Downtime

Scheduled Downtime

We are migrating to a new web server since our current server is severely dated. This process should be nearly seamless, but there may be some downtime tomorrow, Friday, at 1 a.m. CST.

Xenforo 1.5 Software Upgrade

We recently upgraded to the latest version of Xenforo. This release offers more features, stability, and security. In the coming days I hope to highlight some of these after I take care of other maintence. If you notice any potential bugs, please report them.

Server Hardware Upgrade

We've been running on the same server software and hardware since 2008. Our server's software is still supported, but we're running very old versions that may be inefficient and will reach end-of-life within the next year. We are running a server with old specs, including a SATA hard drive, and our host no longer offers anything similar to what we are using. Our server's a legacy server.

In reviewing hosting options, I found a few options that give us much better server hardware for similar prices. For about $20 extra per month, we can run an up-to-date Dedicated server ($185/month), rather than an outdated VPS ($167/month).

This new server is a huge improvement and should keep us running efficiently without the need to upgrade again for several years. It has a better processor, much more RAM, and an SSD drive. These improvements should translate into a secure, stable, efficient, and faster website.

After the server migration process is complete, I will examine our server's software applications and likely make improvements there as well.

Edit: 2am EDT, 1am CST

 

It actually hasn't happened yet, but that was probably the web host running tests.

 

@GingerCoffee Voting ends Monday, correct? If so that should be fine. Downtime should only be about three hours unless we encounter any issues.