Recently in forums Category

After years of searching, I finally found a new template for the Rad Community forums. Named midnyte, it's (as you might expect) » dark.

A template consists of set of files that style a bulletin board (aka 'online forum'). All templates include (among other things) a CSS file & an accompanying set of graphics.

Our old template was based on a much older version of YaBB (our forum software) .. so old, in fact, that I don't even recall which version it was based on.

I liked the way the old template looked, but it kept getting increasingly outdated with each additional update to our forum script .. thereby introducing an increasing number of compatibilty problems (which made me jump thru increasingly difficult hoops).

Actually, it was problems encountered following last week's upgrade that sent me scurrying to find a contemporary template (one based on YaBB 2.4).

Upgraded the Rad Community forums .. to » YaBB v2.4 (released a few weeks ago). The boys at YaBB have adopted a new, fast-n-furious (3-month) release cycle, which keeps me hopping.

The 'upgrade' process begins with a new/fresh/clean install of the new version .. to a new/unique directory.

I then configure the new version to make it look like the version currently in-use.

After everything looks hunky dory, and appears to be working correctly, I place both (old & new) forums in Maintenance mode and copy all the member-accounts and posts (» folders labeled /Members and /Messages) .. from old to new directories.

That's always the trickiest part, cuz there are so many files to copy (more than 15,000). Our old Shared hosting server choked on this file-transfer. The forums contain ~5K threads with 40K posts (which I'd hate to lose).

Our new VPS however, seems to be handling the load much better. And I can now work from the (powerful) Linux shell (command line).

Upgraded the Rad Community Forums to the latest version of YaBB (» v2.3.1), which was released in Jan.04. Had to wait until the mods I use were upgraded to Y.231-compatible.

No matter how many times I perform this upgrade, I always get antsy .. about the prospect of losing 40,000 posts (which would suk gigantic goose eggs).

A tech from our ISP come out today (to install wired connections, using the home's pre-existing electrical wiring). But I didn't know he was here (cuz he was working over in the main house).

Immediately after transferring some 15,000 files (to complete the upgrade), I launched the forums to test-n-see if everything was working hunky-dory.

At that very moment, the ISP dude here disconected our wireless gateway, which gave me a bizarre error I'd never seen before .. something like » "Dude, your gateway is completely trashed. Better contact your Internet Service Provider for help."

I panicked. The thought ran thru my head » "Oh my God. I screwed up the forums so bad that they trashed my router gateway .. (which is physically impossible, if you think about it) .. but you know how disorienting untimely error messages can be .. when you're already on edge.

Quick shout-out to Peter S. (who lives in Baltimore). He helped me create a Perl script to change permissions (CHangeMODe) for the files-n-folders (located on the Rad server) that pertain to upgrading (actually installing) YaBB .. something that's been occurring with greater frequency.

Peter read where I wrote (on Jan 6th):

The worst part of "upgrading" YaBB (actually » installing) is chmod'ing all the files (setting file permissions .. to either 755 or 666). There are nearly a thousand files which need permissions set. Tedious maximus. Takes a while. (I hate it.)

I say "he helped me," but actually, he did most of the work himself, leaving only enough undone to help me learn some basic Perl scripting techniques.

We've been trading emails off-n-on (as time permits) the past few weeks. Now I have a script that works perfectly. It will save me untold hours of mind-numbing tedium. So I'm pretty stoked.

The boys at YaBB released a new version of their forum software » YaBB 2.3.1. I installed a copy of this new script to a temporary directory .. see here » Y.231 temp (« this link will go away when the upgrade is complete).

I used a slightly different cookie at the new forum, so it shouldn't ruin your login at the current Rad forums.

The safest way to 'upgrade' the forums .. is to install a NEW copy of the most recent version (to a new/temporary directory) .. and configure everything at/for the new forum (.. while the old forum is running unaffected).

After everything at the new forum is hunky-dory, I'll put both forums in Maintenance mode (which takes them out of service), and then copy (via the cp command from the Linux shell) the files located in /Members and /Messages .. from old to new.

I think we have about 1,500 members and nearly 40,000 posts (in some 5,000 threads). Takes a while to copy all those files.

The gang at YaBB released an updated version of their forum script » YaBB 2.3. Radified has been using this free (open source) Perl-based script since 2001.

Sounds like a significant upgrade. Lots of features added and bugs fixed. I stayed up late last night (1AM) and installed a new/clean copy.

It takes a while to dial in the new forum, but I've done it many times before, so I know the drill. All appears to have gone well, after a little glitch.

The Rad forums contain nearly 40,000 posts, in roughly 5,000 threads, some of which have accumulated more than 100,000 page views. We specialize in backing up your hard drive with a cloning program, such as Norton Ghost.

Frontline Launches New Season

In other news » tonight on PBS, Frontline airs its first program of the new season, titled » The Choice 2008, featuring an in-depth look at our presidential candidates.

I was spit on today (08-08-08). Never been spit on before .. certainly not in my face, nor with such venom (think » cobra). Surprised me more than anything.

Someone would have to be pritty-mad to (even want to) spit in your face. Yes, I took a shower .. more however, to wash off the 'intangibles' than any salivary organics.

The anger was palpable. (Literally.) And for no stated reason. Just a general-purpose spray-down .. at high-velocity. Tho I might've sensed a hint of frustration.

I was holding the Bug at the time. My biggest concern is he might pick up on these uh, 'negative' emotions. (Hard not to.)

Othewise, spitting is so .. low-class. Juvenile. Ill-bred. What kind of person spits on someone? (After kindergarten.)

Upgraded the Rad Community forums to YaBB 2.2.3, which was released a few days ago.

I'm getting good at working our new VPS from the Linux command line, which makes this type of upgrade much easier.

[I use PuTTY launched from WinSCP, which passes login info. These commands are long as your arm, involving files six or seven directories deep. One type-o and it won't work.]

This was the first time I didn't have to ask the techs at WiredTree (our web hosting provider) any questions. Did it all by myself.

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.)