Board Really Slow Lately

[Sally]

For me, it seems to be a little bit better, but still slow. I still may get timed out logging on, or timed out trying to submit a post. I have sent duplicate and triplicate PMs, because I think the first one didn't go through. I almost always get the message that another post has been made, I might want to review mine, and it is my own post--another duplicate! Opening posts to read them seems a bit better, but sometimes when I hit the 'View New Posts' button, nothing happens. Still very frustrating!

[darrenwilson]

When forums slow down it is usually down to one of the below:

1: Insufficient bandwidth allocated to hosting. The smaller the amount the hosting is allocated, the busier the site becomes, the slower it becomes.

2: Insufficient CPU cycles available to the hosting. This mainly occurs with shared hosting (multiple sites on the same server).

3: Database server not running at optimum speed or database needing compacting as too large to handle easily by the server, especially if multiple sites are using the same database server.

4: DNS issues at hosts side.

If I had to hazard an educated guess, it would be 3. This is the most common of situations.

Source: 24 years of working in the IT, Networking and Communications industry as well as developing websites since 1996.

[Corkysgirl]

Tonight the board was slow...slow...slow. Then it went to an error page over and over. I'll attach the page that came up. Never has it been this slow. I tried to post the error page but it brought me to the page I was trying to originally post on instead.

[lovezebs]

Oh so sllllloooowwwwww...

[darrenwilson]

Tonight the board was slow...slow...slow. Then it went to an error page over and over. I'll attach the page that came up. Never has it been this slow. I tried to post the error page but it brought me to the page I was trying to originally post on instead.

Out of capacity or server maintenance page? I had that a couple of times. Looks like the hosts are seriously limiting the amount of bandwidth allocated to the site. There are 22 other sites hosted on the same server (according to site checking tools).

[Crystal]

I apologize for not being able to fix this problem yet; I understand how terribly frustrating it is with the site being so slow and even timing out a lot. The last time this was a problem it was because of being on a server that was spreading its resources too thin--at the time I complained, the site was relocated to another server, and it did well until recently. In the meantime a few modifications were made to the board (maybe resulting in some inefficient queries?) and of course the board has grown (increasing database size). So now when it's slow I"m not sure if I should think it's the host's fault (like last time) or the site's fault. When I contact dreamhost technical support they give me the run around about pinging and tracerouting but since so many are having issues I highly doubt it's a network issue. The tech support recommended I enable caching for the site, which I have against my suspicion that doing so on such a dynamic style website as a BBS is kind of silly... If this is a problem of being on a server whose resources are spread too thin again, I am not opposed to moving this site off dreamhost altogether to another host, but am not sure who to use & imagine the process would be a real pain. Any suggestions darrenwilson ?

[darrenwilson]

With the amount of active users at any given time not being large (usually just a couple of actual members + the search engine bots showing online), the site itself is not the problem. It is looking more and more towards other sites on the same server causing the problems which may be busier and eating up all available resources.

It is not a tracing/pinging/network issue. As you say, if it was then it would only be affecting certain members. A Tracert from here in the UK shows 5 steps including my router here with low ping times (24ms at my ISP being the slowest response).

With the response time from the server being such and that the FinchInfo site isn't running slow (even though it has some coding errors in it which could open up a security issue if not rectified but I will PM the code to Crystal rather than in the open), it is looking to be database related. Might be time to prune the board posts a bit and compact the database and see if that solves the problem, as well as making sure that the site back-end API which runs the board is up to date.

As for hosting, I only use one company and they are 34sp.com in the UK. Any issues are resolved within minutes of notifying the support team (who all know what they are doing rather than reading off a flow chart/check list like a lot of the bigger operations support teams do).

[Sally]

Anyone else having this problem? I type out a post, hit submit, and I am kicked out to the login page. Hit the back button, hit submit again, and get kicked out to the login page again. Finally give up and log in and start all over (I've learned to copy my text before I hit submit, so at least I don't have to type it all again). Then when I hit submit I am timed out (server is not responding). Back again, hit submit again, and it is finally posted. My relief is short-lived when I realize that I have now double-posted and have to delete one of them.

[Corkysgirl]

Sally That was happening to me, I think it was two days ago. I did the same thing, copied and pasted my text because I kept losing it. It kept kicking me back to the sign in page though I had just done it. After it did that numerous times, "it" thought it would change it up and would time out and send me to some error page. It was maddening! The next day it was better but still slowwwwwww!

[finchmix22]

Sally@Corkysgirl
The last few days, including the last weekend were terribly slow. I had to quit and try later, but still very, very slow responses, so I lost posts too. I contacted the DreamHost, but since I'm not the owner of the site, they could not give me any information, except to say it was not their server problem. LOL.

[Sally]

I'm holding my breath, and I hate to say anything to jinx it, but the forum seems better tonight. Logged right in, can view new posts quickly, my submitted posts are going through without being timed out or kicked out. I hope this is the end of our problems!

[Sally]

I spoke too soon. This morning I am being timed out, kicked out to the login page, and double posting. Grrrr!

I realize that many of you haven't been able to PM even. If you need to reach any member of the Moderation Team, you can email support@finchforum.com.

[Finnie]

I too have had issues with the board being slow. We have a notoriously slow problem with our internet provider anyway, but I have to say that when our internet is working fine at other websites, it is still ridiculously slow at this one.

I have not been timed out when posting, like Sally has, but I have experienced the long long waiting period, and then getting routed to the error page, which states that the board is unable to complete my request. Sometimes trying again on a different day helps.

And I have also experienced clicking on submit twice, because the first time seemed like it didn't work. Then getting the notice that another member has posted, only to see that it was my own post. But until I hit the submit button for the second time, there is no indication that the first one ever went through at all. So you almost have to plan to do it twice, with the idea of editing the second one or deleting it, if possible. (The notice is a nice thing, because then I can just hit cancel for the second copy.)

Don't know if any of this helps, but I thought I would chime in. And also mention that this is one of the reasons I don't "appear" here much in the last few months. I check in occasionally, but I don't have time to wait for pages to load. I do what Nerien does, open other tabs and take care of other business between page loads, but then when my other internet jobs are done, I just leave. (Sorry folks. )

[CHIRP]

The site is very slow, today struggle, went to a neighbour to check on his computer, also, so its not me, I many times just quit and come back later, I notice in the morning it is 99% just about impossible to get in, it is actually impossible.

[darrenwilson]

I contacted the DreamHost, but since I'm not the owner of the site, they could not give me any information, except to say it was not their server problem. LOL.

That is what ALL the "larger" hosting company's will say. They employ people just to answer phones and log problems. They will also go by information that is given on the "hosts" server status page. They are not technically trained or have anything other than basic knowledge of how to log a call in a "help desk" application. The support ticket is then passed on to technical support staff (maybe one of 5 or so in the whole company!) and placed in their job queue. Most of the larger hosts do not even have their own server logs! Most don't even own their own servers but rent virtual server space from other data center's (which then makes any support tickets take longer to be looked at as these data center staff are having to deal with tickets from literally 100's of other "company's" that rent servers from them!!! Many "hosts" don't even know problems exist until one of their clients calls in to tell them!!!