Server Migration

[wimg]

Dearest Members and Visitors of the Fountain Pen Nuthouse,

 

Database problems fixed, time for a server migration.

 

Since the database problem and related issues are all fixed, we can now start with the second part of the greater maintenance plan, namely,  the migration of everything to a new and fresher server. The ticket has been created, and the Server Migration Team has been made aware of this.

 

Basically, it is a multi-step process:

- First of all a complete copy will be made from the old server to the new one, all databases, software, files, and the entire setup. This will likely taken three to five days.

- Once that is complete, FPN will have to go off-line for a short while, in order for a final synchronisation to be carried out, while no alterations can be and will be made.

- Then the ip-addresses are moved from the old server to the new.

- Once that is all done, we will be able to test and check whether everything is as we would expect it to be.

- And finally, when that proves to be ok, we will be able to put FPN back on-line.

 

As usual, as far is possible and/or necessary, we will keep you all informed via a special page, or via the message on the login page. However, we do not expect to be offline for very long. Probably significantly less than a day.

 

Warm regards,

on behalf of The FPN Moderator and Admin Team,

Wim

 

[LizEF]

Good luck to you and the support team!  Migrations are always "fun".

[A Smug Dill]

Thank you again @wimg for the hard work and making it happen.

[Mercian]

14 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

Thank you again @wimg for the hard work and making it happen.

⬆️ What he said!

👍

[Maurizio]

Thank you for your continued good work. You make all of the pleasure we get from this forum possible. 

[kestrel]

5 hours ago, wimg said:

Dearest Members and Visitors of the Fountain Pen Nuthouse,

 

Database problems fixed, time for a server migration.

 

Since the database problem and related issues are all fixed, we can now start with the second part of the greater maintenance plan, namely,  the migration of everything to a new and fresher server. The ticket has been created, and the Server Migration Team has been made aware of this.

 

Basically, it is a multi-step process:

- First of all a complete copy will be made from the old server to the new one, all databases, software, files, and the entire setup. This will likely taken three to five days.

- Once that is complete, FPN will have to go off-line for a short while, in order for a final synchronisation to be carried out, while no alterations can be and will be made.

- Then the ip-addresses are moved from the old server to the new.

- Once that is all done, we will be able to test and check whether everything is as we would expect it to be.

- And finally, when that proves to be ok, we will be able to put FPN back on-line.

 

As usual, as far is possible and/or necessary, we will keep you all informed via a special page, or via the message on the login page. However, we do not expect to be offline for very long. Probably significantly less than a day.

 

Warm regards,

on behalf of The FPN Moderator and Admin Team,

Wim

 

Sounds like the high tech version of a brain transplant.  Good luck and thanks for all the work and time.

[Misfit]

Thank you for sharing the update on what’s next. Thank you for this forum. 

[Aysedasi]

Good luck and many thanks 

[wimg]

Thank you all!

 

In the mean time, the initial copy/synchronisation has been set in motion.

As indicated, this happens while the site is live, so there will be no effect on visiting, browsing or using FPN.

 

Warm regards, WIm

[InesF]

Thank you @wimgfor the information.

All the best to you, to the server team and to all users! 😊

[Penguincollector]

Thank you for both the forum and the update!

[Sailor Kenshin]

What they all said!  🌺 👍🏻

[alkman]

I have full faith in the migration team, but as always if there is something folks really don't want to lose, make a personal copy for your own records. Good luck and godspeed with the migration @wimg

[wimg]

No real need to worry, leave that to me. I will have a full back up of the site on my local workstation, on a separate disk, and separate copies of the database and software as well. I will make sure we have everything with regard to back-ups and copies up-to-date prior to the final synchronisation. On the server we also have more than 1 backup of the entire server.

 

Generally, a server migration really is a minor exercise, other than the fact that it is a lengthy process. The only thing that requires an upgrade is the database software, and that will be done tonight, with plenty of fallbacks. Anything else is just a plain copy. And we will retain our ip-addresses, so nothing will change from that PoV.

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

[XYZZY]

I notice that every device that I read FPN from is asking for me to re-login this morning.  Does that mean that the migration is done?

[Paul-in-SF]

I did not have that, I was still logged in today when I came to the site. 

[Sailor Kenshin]

16 minutes ago, XYZZY said:

I notice that every device that I read FPN from is asking for me to re-login this morning.  Does that mean that the migration is done?

 

Same here.  

[inkstainedruth]

Ditto for me.  I logged in in the late afternoon, and have had no issues (it's now about 20 after 6 PM, EST where I am).

My understanding is that the site will not go down for another day or so, and then be up ASAP.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[wimg]

3 hours ago, XYZZY said:

I notice that every device that I read FPN from is asking for me to re-login this morning.  Does that mean that the migration is done?

No, that was for the database upgrade.

 

Anybody logged in at the time prior to the actual upgrade process was logged out, we couldn't take the risk of losing anything because one of the members was still logged in or active and posting while we were doing the upgrade.

 

The option was to either try and do the upgrade beforehand, or downgrade after the migration. We had to to that 2 years ago, due to incompatibilities between the older forum software and the newer database version, but that took over 3 days to do. It was supposedly not possible but we did find a way around it.

 

However, a database upgrade normally only takes a few hours to do if the software works with it. In both cases we were told it should work, and it did this time, but not 2 years ago. Anyway, we are running now with a newer version of the database software. First greater step for the migration :).

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

[A Smug Dill]

1 minute ago, wimg said:

Anybody logged in at the time prior to the actual upgrade process was logged out, we couldn't take the risk of losing anything because one of the members was still logged in or active and posting while we were doing the upgrade.

 

Thank you for the explanation! Very clear and concise.

 

Thank you again for all the work you're doing for the community's benefit.