Brew cabin upgrade - ...advance warning

[Tony McC]

Over recent months we've been having a few problems with the server cloud yoke that delivers the website to your browsers and smart-arse-phones, and they've been getting more and more annoying each time anything happens.

So, IT Overlord and Fount-Of-All-Knowledge, Ian P, is upgrading us to summat new and more reliable. This MAY involve some downtime for either the main website, for The Brew Cabin, or possibly both. Ian is hoping the website transfer will be easy-peasy, but the Brew Cabin may involve being offline for 12-72 hours, depending on how long it takes for the changes to be registered on the big wide web.

We (I keep saying "we" when it's all Ian, really!) want to minimise disruption so the changeover will take place some time between December 26th and December 31st.

As and when we have more definite info, we'll post messages here and on the twittery thing.

This is NOT a wholsesale change of the Brew Cabin as we know it - just a re-location of server to allow us to provide a better service. Some web designery types are looking at how much they can get away with charging me to build an all new Brew Cabin in a modern style and proper non-falling-over coding, but that won't be happening until next year at the earliest, assuming my ex lets me keep a couple of quid from the sale of my house.

[local patios and driveway]

In that case happy new year everyone

[rimexboy]

Thanks for the info happy new year again:)

[IanMelb]

Yes, it's all going to be fun. I've been practising with some clones of the server so now need to do it for real.

It will mean changing the IP Address that PavingExpert.com points to, which whilst is a fairly simply thing for a static website to deal with (I can put redirects to a temporary Domain Name in place) can be a bit of fun for dynamic content such as this wonderful little enclave away from all the ills of modern society.

So...

The static stuff should still be reasonably obtainable (all the knowledge, calculators, etc) with shortish interruptions & redirects.

The BC and guestbook is likely just to be holding page saying 'back soon' until all the DNS & upgrade shenanigans have settled themselves down - because it'd be a little bit irresponsible to be taking databases up and down willy (and indeed) nilly whilst folk were busy writing to them!



Edited By IanMelb on 1355246945

[henpecked]

Can you fix those similes in the 'Quick Reply' box while you're about it? :rock: :0

[Tony McC]

The problem with the smilies and whathaveyou is down to the software running the Brew Cabin, so we're stuck with them until I get that software changed over, which is phase II of the master plan.

I have asked a software/web development company to give me a price for creating a new Brew Cabin to my spec and to re-code the rest of the site to make it more manageable, but they haven't exactly rushed back with a price, other than to say it's in the tens of thousands.

Now: where that EEEEEKKKK!!! smiley?

[Tony McC]

Don't forget: Ian will be starting his Brew Cabin jiggery-pokery at some point over the next few days, so if we go missing for a while, don't panic!

I'll grandly announce it on that Twitter thingy when we're back up and running.

@pavingexpert

[rimexboy]

Twitter too whatever next ....

I just don't get twitter how it works

[Dave_L]

Twitter is good fun although it took me a while to work it out. It's also very useful (as Facebook can be) when the local weather goes bad etc etc

[simeonronacrete]

Sounds very exciting Tony.

Happy Christmas everyone and let's look forward to a healthy and prosperous year to come.

[Tony McC]

I just don't get twitter how it works

Me neither, but I keep plugging away at it.

Even stranger, I actually found a use for that bloody Linked-In thing that keeps pestering me.

I don't mind hearing from folk I know asking me to be their 'link' but I can never figure out why. They already have my email, my mobile, even my bloody address, so why complicate it by only being able to communicate via a website? And what's all this sodding 'endorsing' nonsense?

What annoys me is all the folk of whom I've never heard but who seem to think collecting link-chums is some sort of olympic sport and you just know that, really, they only want to sell you summat.

However, a friend had moved jobs in the summer and I didn't have her new work email or new work phone and needed to contact her during working hours. Lo and behold, the Linked-In thing sprung to mind - I'd linked with her on that, so I was able to get the very urgent and mission-critical message about xmas drinkies that evening to her before she headed for home!

Linked-In useful? Who'd have thunk it?

[sussex]

Wish i knew what links,twitter,etc etc were ! I should have spent more time learning about computers instead of fishing & shooting.....
............well maybe not.!!!!! i can learn it when i cant get to the river bank or carry a rifle.for the time being i,l have to be an idiot.

[Tony McC]

You're not missing much, Sussex!

[IanMelb]

Right, well the main bulk of the data has been transferred, it's tricky to smoothly switch a live database system (like the BrewCabin) so I'll have to switch the database off whilst I move over. Then we'll have to swap the Domain Nameserver details around which is always a PITA for timescale and consistent stuff.

So I'll turn the BC off and make the switch, bring everything up and things should then slowly fall in to place. I'll try and put placeholders and redirects on the old server so things get signposted as much as possible.

I'll try and have everything back up for the New Year wishes, but there may be some latency.

All the best

Ian

[IanMelb]

Well, this is being posted on the new server, so the switch seems to have taken place. It will take a while for everyone's DNS caches to catch up so folk will start filtering back here in dribs and drabs