PlanetCatfish.com

Good, I find it was better too. I'm still looking into the other points I raised, but I'll move this topic to the resolved forum for now.

Jools

I'm still having lots of problems overhere when trying to enter the forums. The other toolbar options work nicely, but getting into the forum is very slow if not impossible.
When I succeed I'm able to read 3 posts (average); after that it's waiting again (and eventually logging out....).

I know, the issue isn't resolved, but it is limited to the forum as I've no decoupled the front page from the forum database.

I am awaiting an update from the web hosting company.

Jools

Forum availability now very sporadic.

mummymonkey wrote:Forum availability now very sporadic.

Yeah, thanks, but that's what we've been saying... I've been monitoring it and it comes and goes every 20-30 minutes. It's never actually down, just VERY slow.

Jools

After the usual, it seems OK when we check it type of coming and going, our webhosts have now said the following:

dreamhost wrote:Yes you are correct as the load has been going up and down. I have disabled a database that was causing a problem and the load has dropped a bit.

We will continue to work on the problem and truly apologize for the inconvenience.

So, it should help... I also tried running different versions of PHP but it made no difference.

Jools

Just took me forever to load this thread and see what was going on. But when I returned to the main page things seemed back to normal. I clicked on a few threads and they snapped right up.

1 meg cable


Don

I can confirm the slow to load problem with pc for some time. Other sites load normally but pc often times out. Other times it is fine and I find this occurs at no particular time. It just is slow sometimes and others not.
High speed connection in Washington State, USA.
It is presently working great while this morning it timed out.

Thanks, yes, but as you'll see from the posts above...

a) It is a database server problem, nothing to do with where you are, what connection you have or what software you have.

Also, here's more info...

b) It is totally intermittent, current thinking is that another database on the same database server is sometimes very busy and so slows it down for everyone on that server including us.

c) The web pages are not on the same server as the database, so non-database pages load perfectly. It is only when data is pulled from the forum database server that things slow down.

d) The catelog database isn't on the same server as the forum, so the catelog can be perfectly OK but the forum is slow or unreachable.

e) Short of moving server, there is nothing I can do beyond getting annoyed at the web hosts.

Jools

The main Planetcatfish page, and the cat-elog now load quickly, but often I can't get to the Forum, or the forum is excruciatingly slow. It's been inaccessible this entire morning, for instance.

As you posted in this thread you probably have seen Jool's lastest post.

Jools wrote:Thanks, yes, but as you'll see from the posts above...

a) It is a database server problem, nothing to do with where you are, what connection you have or what software you have.

Also, here's more info...

b) It is totally intermittent, current thinking is that another database on the same database server is sometimes very busy and so slows it down for everyone on that server including us.

c) The web pages are not on the same server as the database, so non-database pages load perfectly. It is only when data is pulled from the forum database server that things slow down.

d) The catelog database isn't on the same server as the forum, so the catelog can be perfectly OK but the forum is slow or unreachable.

e) Short of moving server, there is nothing I can do beyond getting annoyed at the web hosts.

Jools

Is it possible to run "top" to see who's causing the load on the DB-server, or is that not meaningfull?

I have read two posts all morning, and not for lack of trying...

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Mats

May be time to shop around for a new ISP. I plan to soon dump Dreamhost myself.

Dinyar wrote:May be time to shop around for a new ISP. I plan to soon dump Dreamhost myself.

Dreamhost has slipped in terms of quality of service, sure, I don't know if it is a blip or a slow slide as yet.

I estimate downtime at 3 weeks for the migration to a new ISP. If I do it (and I'm close) it would be a thought out thing and not knee jerk. I am also not keen on closing our doors during the US and GOC conventions as well as Planets 10th Birthday!

I am looking into hosting the databases elsewhere as a more easily achieved contingency plan.

Jools

Also, I am moving this out of "resolved" as while the intial issue was fixed, the real issue of database availability isn't.

Jools

Moving this was probably a good idea, as it seems like there isn't a problem at this time...

But I'm sure we're not over it until ti's been working for some time...

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Mats

Yes, I'd agree. I've been working away on the site with no problems for an hour now. Sadly I really do think it will slow again, maybe in 5 minutes, maybe in 5 hours.

I've got a huge backlog of work, the last thing I want to do is migrate the site across ISPs, so I'm going to cross my fingers very hard and chase up the support guys.

I know it's crap for you guys, but I took today off work so that I could work on the site. I've not been able to achieve much and it is VERY fustrating.

Jools

Are you able to "ssh" into the DB-server? If so, you could watch it using "top" to see what is using how much CPU-time (or memory if you press "m"). You should be able to see "other peoples" processes too - but maybe it all happens in the data-base where it's not visible who is doing what...

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Mats

MatsP wrote:Are you able to "ssh" into the DB-server? If so, you could watch it using "top" to see what is using how much CPU-time (or memory if you press "m"). You should be able to see "other peoples" processes too - but maybe it all happens in the data-base where it's not visible who is doing what...

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Mats

I can't, but even if I could, I pay good money for web hosts to work out this kind of stuff and (although it is the pragmatic approach) I object to spending my time on this kind of thing.

I'll keep everyone informed when I hear back from them.

Jools

I don't know if it's related, but it seems to me the forum is at its slowest when the spam materializes, e.g. this morning. Could the spammer be hammering the forum?

Mike_Noren wrote:I don't know if it's related, but it seems to me the forum is at its slowest when the spam materializes, e.g. this morning. Could the spammer be hammering the forum?

I don't think so.

The forum database use isn't that high. If that was the case we'd be knee deep in SPAM but as I've said elsewhere, the SPAM that does materialize is posted by humans, therefore they're as affected by the performance issue as you or I.

You might also have noticed that, in the last week, we've had a third less SPAM than "usual". I think that is because the human spammers are also getting turned off by the issue.

All that said, it doesn't mean that it's not another database on the same physical server that's not getting abused and pulling the whole machine down. That is what I've asked our web hosts to investigate.

Jools
PS I'm going to add a few new anti-SPAM measures in the future but I'm not touching ANYTHING until the performance issue is resolved.

All databases have now been migrated to a shiny new server the dreamhost chaps set up just for us (for now...). Time will tell, but it looks pretty zippy to me? Anyone think otherwise?

I will leave this issue open for a week for positive and negative comments.

Jools

Yes, I haven't had any delays for a bit. When did the server move take place?

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Mats

Still very slow here

Much better since yesterday evening.

it's on and off here.

if it communicates, it goes pretty fast (like skipping from post to post or scrolling through contents), sometimes pics take a while to load, but that's perfectly normal I think.

however: it's not the 'speed' that's the problem; it's the server (?) or host refusing to budge I guess.....because all goes fast and well and then it's "waiting for planetcatfish to respond" wich can take well over 5 minutes if it's bad......

the browser times out again and again when that happens.

so IF there's communication it's fast, but often there IS no communication and then everything is just frozen solid.

it's an "on/off" issue somewhere, not a regular slow or speedy issue.

Dinyar wrote:Still very slow here

I've been testing it every hour since 09:00 and there are no apparent problems. Not sure why you guys can't access it and indeed why it's fine for some of you and not others.

The on/off thing makes no sense either. Keep reporting!

Jools

Warning: mysql_connect() [function.mysql-connect]: Can't connect to MySQL server on 'cms.planetcatfish.com' (4) in /home/.heathcote/webcat/planetcatfish.com/scripts/clog_connect.php on line 12

Warning: mysql_select_db(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL-Link resource in /home/.heathcote/webcat/planetcatfish.com/scripts/clog_connect.php on line 15
Couldn't connect to database: Hello first post, this is the message I get sometimes when the site grinds to a halt.Thanks Acid John.

Warning: mysql_connect() [function.mysql-connect]: Can't connect to MySQL server on 'cms.planetcatfish.com' (4) in /home/.heathcote/webcat/planetcatfish.com/scripts/clog_connect.php on line 12

Warning: mysql_select_db(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL-Link resource in /home/.heathcote/webcat/planetcatfish.com/scripts/clog_connect.php on line 15
Couldn't connect to database:

that's what I got as well, about 1 minute ago, after a 4 minute wait......

Had another case of "not able to connect" - but it's in my opinion 100x better than it was on friday [it took most of the day to read two posts...]

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Mats