The new box costs more, but it's better. The big changes are:
Aside from the CPU overload, the other issue that's been causing lag is called Disk I/O. This is how quickly the computer can write and read information to and from the harddisk. During prime time we often hit the in/out rate of our disk, despite it being SSD, because 300+ people are chatting, flipping pages in threads, and posting. I'll have to deal with the forum's software configuration, but with any luck I should be able to leverage our increased temporary storage to decrease reliance on the harddisk.
The downside to this is that it's twice as expensive, from $20/mo to $40/mo, ... but it's paid in full for the next 2 years.
Since opening donations the forum has raised $630. The total cost of the new box is $836.01 for two years. I've made the difference and we're set. It's done.
- We will be doubling the number of CPU cores we run on. This is a crucial part of stepping up, as every day during prime time we reach over 100% capacity.
- We will receive a 2GB increase in RAM, which is 100% of our total. RAM is considered the most expensive part of a web server, as unlike cores, it cannot be shared between different virtual box owners.
- A 512MB page file, up from 256MB, that acts as an extra reservoir of RAM (albeit slower) if we run out.
- The server will be moved to Atlanta from California.
Aside from the CPU overload, the other issue that's been causing lag is called Disk I/O. This is how quickly the computer can write and read information to and from the harddisk. During prime time we often hit the in/out rate of our disk, despite it being SSD, because 300+ people are chatting, flipping pages in threads, and posting. I'll have to deal with the forum's software configuration, but with any luck I should be able to leverage our increased temporary storage to decrease reliance on the harddisk.
The downside to this is that it's twice as expensive, from $20/mo to $40/mo, ... but it's paid in full for the next 2 years.
Since opening donations the forum has raised $630. The total cost of the new box is $836.01 for two years. I've made the difference and we're set. It's done.
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