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Upgraded our forum software today to » YaBB 2.2.1 (released March 5th). This version fixes all the problems associated with the not-yet-ready-for-primetime YaBB 2.2 release (Nov 2007).

I use the term "upgrade," but it's actually more accurate to call it a "fresh/clean installation" of YaBB 2.2.1, followed by importing all the Members and Messages from the old Y2.2 forum.

Last time I did this (on January 22nd) it was a disaster .. as the file-transfer (from old to new directories) choked, and we lost over half our members and 3/4'ers of our posts. I stayed up 'til 4:30, and spent the whole next day restoring files from a back-up.

This time however, everything went without a hitch. I asked the techs who run our new VPS server what they thought would be the best way to transfer such a large number of files (~10,000).

They suggested I log into the root/shell access (using PuTTy) and use the Linux "copy" command from the command line.

It went so freaking fast that I thought something was wrong. But when I looked, all our members, and their posts were there, all accounted for. Boy, was I stoked!

Was hoping to delve into the new Movable Type blogging software I installed last week (MTOS), and begin configuring it, ..

.. but I've been preoccupied with trying to rein in our ("excessive") use of server resources, since we were exiled to the "stabilization server," where all bad-boys are sent (banished).

Our resource usage however, seems higher than ever. The most-recent number quoted (today) was 8.46% CPU. (Limit = 1.0%.) So I've been researching more in-depth exactly what's involved in moving to a VPS server.

VPS is half-way between "Shared" hosting (which we have now), and "Dedicated" hosting (where you have the whole server to yourself). VPS is sorta like the "condo" version of web hosting plans.

(Shared is like living in a tenement, all crowded together, while dedicated is like having your own house.)

Lunarpages VPS servers are limited to 25 accounts, so each account is allocated 4% of the CPU. They come with dual-Xeons, a dedicated IP, and let you do with them as you please.

In other words, they offer the benefits of a dedicated server at a fraction of the co$t ($45/month .. $40 if you pay for a whole year up front). So that's where we are .. looking at a move to VPS. (Thanks to Magoo for offering to administrate.)