Release notes 12/12/07

[OpinioNate]

We made a small release today with the following changes:

• "User's Web Page" removed from cache pages unless the user has entered a URL
  
• GPX Downloads fixed on userroutes.aspx (KML downloads still being worked on)
  
• "Additional Waypoints" warning persistent when editing a multicache with no add. waypoints
  
• Link to disclaimer on benchmark pages fixed
  
• "Temporarily Disable" removed from the top of cache pages
  

This is just the beginning of a push to fix all of the bugs that have backed up while we addressed performance issues. I will continue to make an effort to keep you all informed of the changes we make and the bugs we fix. I know it can be frustrating for you when your favorite feature doesn't work just so.

 

And lastly, here's something you all might find interesting. As a result of fixing the Most Painful Bug in the History of Time the reduced CPU usage for the site has been quite dramatic. You may have already noticed the speedy performance.

 

Edited December 12, 2007 by OpinioNate

[+Markwell]

Joe, our newest developer and currently the lead developer on the current version of the site, was finally able to determine this after some extensive debugging work with Microsoft. The Tuesday release implemented these changes and now each web machine is now running at under 20% CPU with the same amount of connections that put it at 100% on Monday.

 

I hope Joe, the newest developer, gets a big raise.

 

Thanks for the udpates - Communication is always a Good Thing™

[+klossner]

The biggest reason for the CPU issue, however, was something that happened during our upgrade from 1.1 to 2.0.

Versions 1.1 and 2.0 of what, exactly? The .NET framework?

[Jeremy]

The biggest reason for the CPU issue, however, was something that happened during our upgrade from 1.1 to 2.0.

Versions 1.1 and 2.0 of what, exactly? The .NET framework?

 

Correct.

[+TheCarterFamily]

I just tried to go to gc.com and I get

 

Server Error in '/' Application.

 

I have to say the error comes up really quick

[OpinioNate]

I just tried to go to gc.com and I get

 

Server Error in '/' Application.

 

I have to say the error comes up really quick

 

We had some code that redirects bad links to the home page that wasn't working out. It's been removed until it can be fixed. Sorry!

[+Yossarian]

Our plan was to look at a couple of ways to address this. First, bring in a system that would help us balance the number of visitors to each machine (load balancing), but like a SAN this can be expensive. Second, add a bunch more web servers - around 8 total - also expensive. We couldn't do one without the other since our current load balancing, round robin DNS, can't really balance 8 machines like it can 2 or 3.

 

Ever tried the Network Load Balancing Service that comes with Windows Server 2003? Just wondering...I don't have any personal experience with it.

[+TheCarterFamily]

Our plan was to look at a couple of ways to address this. First, bring in a system that would help us balance the number of visitors to each machine (load balancing), but like a SAN this can be expensive. Second, add a bunch more web servers - around 8 total - also expensive. We couldn't do one without the other since our current load balancing, round robin DNS, can't really balance 8 machines like it can 2 or 3.

 

Ever tried the Network Load Balancing Service that comes with Windows Server 2003? Just wondering...I don't have any personal experience with it.

 

To bad you weren't running Linux and Oracle. I'd have quite a few suggestions.

 

ie: (This is just what I found going through the packages part of my linux distribution - Fedora 8)

http://www.apsis.ch/pound/

http://www.danga.com/perlbal/

http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/mod_proxy_balancer.html

http://www.backhand.org/

http://www.howtoforge.com/high_availabilit..._apache_cluster

[+palmetto]

"Temporarily Disable" removed from the top of cache pages

 

Boy, do I have a lot of templates to change.

 

I see that the owner now has the option to ignore their own listing. Interesting? Obviously many of them do that now, and I do recall one owner coming into the forums demanding an end to all the email his listing was generating (8 finds!), but I wonder about "ignore" on one's own cache page.

 

LOVE that CPU usage graph....

Edited December 13, 2007 by palmetto

[+ZSandmann]

I think the most impressive part of the usage graph is November 25th. Looks like we did all manage to spend some time with family.

[+9Key]

I think the most impressive part of the usage graph is November 25th. Looks like we did all manage to spend some time with family.

Either that or the site was offline for a couple of hours.

[+benh57]

These release notes are great!

 

Can we get these every time there is a live push?

 

thanks

[+ReadyOrNot]

The biggest reason for the CPU issue, however, was something that happened during our upgrade from 1.1 to 2.0.

Versions 1.1 and 2.0 of what, exactly? The .NET framework?

 

Correct.

 

Did you also move to SQL server 2005?

[+London Rain]

These release notes are great!

 

Can we get these every time there is a live push?

 

thanks

 

This would be great! Although it always was quite a challenge to puzzle together the changes yourself I's love to see this too!

 

On a side note: Has there been a special reason for removing the link to disable your cache from the top? Not that I'd care much but I just wondered...

 

Thanks!

[+Prime Suspect]

These release notes are great!

 

Can we get these every time there is a live push?

 

thanks

 

This would be great! Although it always was quite a challenge to puzzle together the changes yourself I's love to see this too!

 

On a side note: Has there been a special reason for removing the link to disable your cache from the top? Not that I'd care much but I just wondered...

 

Thanks!

It was a left-over artifact from the days when disabling/enabling was the only thing a cache owner could do, and it didn't require a log to be generated. Now there's also Archive, Maintenance, etc, all done by logging.

[+Nazgul]

The best news to me is that Groundspeak seems to have taken up a more proactive attitude towards communicating changes and other information with its users. I can't speak for other users, but I'm very, very pleased about that.

 

It also appears that real progress is being made not only with some of the longstanding site issues, but also with how those issues and others are addressed.

 

I'm going to have to let my International Association of Curmudgeons membership expire if you keep this up.

[Rhialto]

Thanks a bunch for the update! I was one asking for such a listing.

Hope it will be repeated in the future... :-)