Server Upgrade - Growing Pains - 3DAllusions

TheAllusionist · #1 (**permalink**) 02-21-2008, 01:52 AM

We are going big time!

Some of you may have noticed that the site has been very sluggish and has even timed out and stopped a lot lately. This is because we have outgrown our VPS, currently we get around 83,000 hits a day which adds up to around 2.5 million a month and we just don't have the RAM and resources to handle it. On top of that we will be launching another cool new site (details to follow when we close in on launch date, but it will be related and very useful to most members of this site. In fact cool features being programmed for the new site will be integrated into this one.), the new site will need lots of resources as well. I really hate visiting slow sluggish sites.........

So we are in the process of moving to our own Dedicated server with dual core processor and 2 Gigs of RAM, not to mention lots of hard disk space and bandwidth.

There will be times when the site is down, just realize it isn't because we were hacked or closed shop. The fact is the site was picking up a lot of momentum previous to being hacked last year and the one month down time stole our momentum and a lot of visitors, not to mention page ranking and sponsors. Just realize we are moving forward and the inconvenience it may cause should be out weighed by the rewards soon to come.

With all that said, I really have to get serous about finding sponsors/advertisers for the site. Up till now I have donated all my free time and money to making the site useful to the community, but with the huge drain of financial resources that the dedicated server and custom programming I am having done puts on me, I just can't give it away. So if anyone has any great ideas or contacts for advertisers, please let me know, I on the other hand need to start being a better business man and cold calling my contacts in the industry.

Good news, we should have a fast and expandable site/server in a few days, bad news, I am going to have to start pan handling on the nearest street corner and move into a cardboard box! LOL Kidding of course. It is really cool that we are growing so much and that the site is a success, we just need to adjust to accomodate this and the high-end dedicated server is the first step. Just be forewarned, there may be some down time and rough patches in the next week or so.................................

Thanks for supporting the site and making it a success!

TheAllusionist · #2 (**permalink**) 03-01-2008, 08:38 AM

Lets see how things work now, keep your fingers crossed and let us know if you find problems.

d.sign · #3 (**permalink**) 03-02-2008, 12:55 AM

Russell, buddy, your new avatar is a bit scary...
Kidding aside, with such traffic and growth you should be getting offers from sponsors already...

I hope that it will start to pay off soon... we do not want to see you in cardboard box... though, you being architect, I imagine it would be cool paper-model type of box with very elaborated structure LOL...

TheAllusionist · #4 (**permalink**) 03-02-2008, 01:18 AM

Well I like it, a bit formal and symetrical, but I was working with modular units! LOL

P.S. My new avatar, I thought it made me look younger, more hip and happening

It kind of ties into a side project! LOL

d.sign · #5 (**permalink**) 03-02-2008, 01:24 AM

Looking great!... BTW, some guys here made a great marketing project for PC reseller, based on the cardboard box idea... they made a PC, along with a keyboard out of cardboard boxes and made a sign - It is time to buy a new PC...

P.S. that avatar... like Giuseppe Verdi turned on the dark side...

TheAllusionist · #6 (**permalink**) 03-02-2008, 01:33 AM

Creative use of boxes, Giuseppe Verde, classical musician? WOW you have some references I have Google at times, you are more of the scholar than me my friend!

d.sign · #7 (**permalink**) 03-02-2008, 01:35 AM

Well, Verdi was always portrayed as a man with cylinder hat, like that avatar of yours...

TheAllusionist · #8 (**permalink**) 03-02-2008, 01:38 AM

Yes, I saw that in the wikepedia, I as just saying sometimes your references are like watching the game show Jeopardy, I wonder who knows this stuff? That would be you! LOL It is a good thing my friend

Maybe I am in a bit of a black mood with all that has been going on.......

d.sign · #9 (**permalink**) 03-02-2008, 10:53 AM

I think it is your bad mood too...
Good that you had not used Dart Vader for avatar...

TheAllusionist · #10 (**permalink**) 03-03-2008, 04:33 AM

The move was covered in more detail here:
3DA Moves to New Dedicated Server