24-10-2002 03:02									#1
	Anti-Server-Load Measures Inflate your Upload Space

A list of actions we have taken and are taking beyond any adjustments in the server configuration

- In threads: Avatars, CivGroups icons and forum jump menu will be automatically be turned off and on depending on current load
- Avatars will not show up for guests at all times
- Other features(latest chat message, visitors online, etc) will not show up for guests at all times and for registered members on high load occasions
- Above a load level, pageviews counts of threads will not be increased
- Cache system implemented: guests will see cached versions of the forum index, forum display and thread display pages. Cache is updated every 5 minutes for the first two page types, and every 10 minutes for the last. Obviously, these pages may not show the latest data and feature like new posts and readed thread indications will not work
- Ads will not be loaded for all users across the entire site after a certain load level
- Registered members have priority: "Too much server load" forum message will show up on guests at half the load of the limit for registered members
- Colorization according to user group in chat messages have been turned off as it was found that it was done in a non-efficient way. It will be re-added again shortly. Meanwhile, the chat is now less server intensive

Last edited by MarkG on 06-11-2002 at 19:31

	24-10-2002 03:07									#2
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

so no ads when too many people are on? Quick, everybody get your friends to start viewing as guests!

I guess you really know that you have a popular site when the server gets overloaded and you need to take these measures. Keep it up.

	24-10-2002 03:42									#3
	Re: Anti-Server-Load Measures Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by MarkG - Ads will not be loaded for all users across the entire site after a certain load level

Why not append the "too many guests limits" with "Why not visit these site (insert links) while you wait for the traffic to clear".

I know you have links at the bottom but the invitation may give better results.

	24-10-2002 03:55									#4
	Increase Your PM Length

I'm sure that we all appreciate that you are trying to do everything you can to help solve the problem.

Do what you can, and thanks...

	24-10-2002 04:07									#5
	Inflate your Upload Space

Yes, thanks for your efforts, Markos...

	24-10-2002 09:02									#6
	Full PM-box? Change here!

Mingster and Alex are right on the money

	24-10-2002 09:18									#7
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Thanks for your efforts. We'll pull through this in no time (hopefully).

	24-10-2002 10:29									#8
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

added
- Colorization according to user group in chat messages have been turned off as it was found that it was done in a non-efficient way. It will be re-added again shortly. Meanwhile, the chat is now less server intensive

	24-10-2002 10:32									#9
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

I believe the Forum Jump dropdown box at the lower right of pages is rather server intensive; at least that's what I've heard from another forum that was having server-load issues. Perhaps getting rid of it for guests at times would help?

	24-10-2002 12:14									#10
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

Thanks very much Markos and Dan for trying to ease the server load!

	24-10-2002 12:56									#11
	Inflate your Upload Space

quote: Originally posted by ixnay37 I believe the Forum Jump dropdown box at the lower right of pages is rather server intensive; at least that's what I've heard from another forum that was having server-load issues. Perhaps getting rid of it for guests at times would help?

If its a choice between the site being unreachable or having to navigate by going to the main-page, I would prefer to still be able to reach Apolyton. But all things being equal, I would much prefer the forum jump box to remain.

Getting rid of it for guests only.

	24-10-2002 14:33									#12
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Well, I posted this before, but those sigs sure take up a lot of bandwith (= server load?) as well. Why not taking them down in high load configuration? That can easily mean a few Ks on each page. And I won't miss them

DeepO

	24-10-2002 17:41									#13
	Inflate your Upload Space

You know, some of us prefer to surf without cookies. I don't care about the avatars and whatnot, but actually having a reply option (with the log-in page redirect as before) for the guest-view pages would be nice.
Keep in mind that this would further reduce your load, since I'd get the reduced pages except when I went to respond to someone.

I'm also curious why you seem to need to use three different cookies for one login.

Wraith
"If I wasn't blind, paralyzed and almost dead I'd be wearing your sphincter as a shoe."
-- Cornfed ("Duckman")

Last edited by Wraith on 24-10-2002 at 17:47

	24-10-2002 18:29									#14
	Increase the size of your Attachments

We should thank Markos and Dan for their efforts to keep the site up - not criticise.

	24-10-2002 19:23									#15
	Support Apolyton

It seems better today, yesterday was horrible, kept getting the server message.

Mark, what is causing this extra load?

Are you getting more hits?

I also noticed that pop-ups helped increase the load time, and they are a BAD idea.

Anyway, thanks for trying to improve things.

	24-10-2002 19:54									#16
	Remove this text

Maybe we need more pop-ups, so Mark can buy a bigger server?

DeepO

	24-10-2002 20:26									#17
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

The news bar in the top-right corner of the screen has disappeared.

Is this a load-reduction strategy? Or a forum bug? Or what?

	24-10-2002 20:27									#18
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

double post. sorry.

	24-10-2002 20:45									#19
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

Whats causing the problem anyway? Too many people, too much stuff, bad server? Just curious

	24-10-2002 21:09									#20
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

quote: Whats causing the problem anyway?

increased traffic.

	24-10-2002 22:45									#21
	Remove this text

Is the number of current users and guest on the forums also very server intensive, I noticed it vanished from the forum front page, too. Actual this piece of information is actual for every user very valuable to have an idea of the current traffic. I think there is no need to recod this number everytime when the page is loaded, maybe intervalls of one up to five minutes is ok.

-Martin

	25-10-2002 02:33									#22
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Do we know when this increased traffic is going to ease off?

	25-10-2002 06:31									#23
	Increase the size of your Attachments

When people stop coming here.

	25-10-2002 09:11									#24
	Support Apolyton

quote: Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin When people stop coming here.

You did law school, didn't you j/k

Hey mark, whatever it takes to keep going
If there anything we can do (except stop coming here offcurse )

- drop the avatars
- drop the sigs
(why am I trying to tell you something, you're MUCH better at??? )

	25-10-2002 09:51									#25
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Drop the avatars? Drop the sigs?!? Drop all the fun.



Alva, feel free to volunteer and drop all the gadgets.

	27-10-2002 08:12									#26
	Put an end to popups!

Maybe to shut off the chat room after a certain level of load?

	27-10-2002 12:55									#27
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

What about the country hack optimization I did for the memberlist? Why isn't it listed? I do believe that 4 minustes SQL queries did take on the server load.

	29-10-2002 22:16									#28
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

I would also reaffirm an idea I saw here:

Instead of simple "high traffic load" messages, why not spice it up with: "why not visit this page" with references to Apolyton's non-forum pages, and news items.


If I see the forum is loaded, and then suddenly I notice an interesting news item in the "busy" page - I'd be happy to go visit it.

	30-10-2002 05:21									#29
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

i think thats a good idea Siro

but i have a huge complaint. why, all of a sudden does it take 10 minutes to load a page? this never happened before, and has nothing to do with my internet. i cannot surf the forums at all. it never took anywhere near this long before! people are replying to threads at a normal rate it seems too, and i can hardly access them. one day, its fine: 3 seconds to load a page. next day, this page, even though i just pressed the back button, took THREE HUNDRED FIVE seconds. what happened here? i remember it just showed a simple 'server is busy' and we could post normally 5 minutes later

just curious, im not angry or anything.

	30-10-2002 19:33									#30
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

removed

quote: - Above a load level, guests will see a text version of threads instead of the full layout

added

quote: - Cache system implemented: guests will see cached versions of the forum index, forum display and thread display pages. Cache is updated every 5 minutes for the first two page types, and every 10 minutes for the last. Obviously, these pages may not show the latest data and feature like new posts and readed thread indications will not work