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Reserve Your Seat Today July 7, 2008

Posted by ismywebsite in features, innovation, insane, uptime.
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8 comments

I’ve just talked to Skylar from Crissic Solutions, and I’ve got some good news and some bad news. First, the bad news:

“We cannot get your Core2Quad from Dell.”

Now, the good news:

“That means we upgrade you free to a Quadcore Xeon.”

Quadcore Xeons are exactly the same high-end servers originally promised to us by Antony. Of course, we only have one of them instead of 5, but this one is offered to us by a reputable company, with a solid delivery date of 2 weeks.

Here are all the features our server comes with:

Intel Xeon Quadcore 3323 (2.5Ghz)
4GB DDR2 RAM
500GB SATA II Hard Drive
2000GB Bandwidth on a 100MBPS full duplex line
4 IP addresses

If you look at the dedicated server offerings for Crissic Solutions, you’ll see the highest server as ‘Intel Enterprise’. This is a server not even typically offered by them. Just to give an impression of how powerful this server is, Skylar typically runs 20 VPSs (Virtual Private Servers) with just one of these servers. Skylar has mentioned that this server could run all, or nearly all, of our current accounts.

Because of our long-term relationship with their company, we are being offered an incredible discount for the server, however this is still a greater cost than our income. As most of you know, since I’m sure I’ve said this so many times, our earnings could be an estimated 9 times as high if everyone placed valid ads on their site. (We could afford 3 of these servers with that.) I think it’s only fair to provide our top-notch server to those clients who are doing their part to make sure we can continue hosting long into the future.

The conditions are not at all tough:

  1. Have finished building your website.
  2. Have placed proper valid ads on your website.
  3. Have submitted your website for review on our forums.

In addition, if you do the above, your account will be on the Improving stage with lots of extra features, 5 times the storage and bandwidth, Ruby on Rails*, and even more on top of what you already have.

Check your account’s ‘Hosting’ section for a new ‘Upgrade’ page. Websites on the Improving stage or higher will be moved ot the new server when it comes online.

What is happening to Node 8?
Node 8 will be moved to be hosted on the server, however it will still use the domain ismywebs.com. No new accounts will be allowed onto Node 8 in the future.

What do I do to upgrade?
You can just go to the ‘Hosting’ section of your account and click the ‘Upgrade’ button. Follow the instructions there.

How do I transfer to the new server?
Transfer will happen automatically once the new server is online. You earned it.

What happens to people not on the server?
Nothing at all. Your account will still have the same relative reliabiliy, and be subject to whatever company manages your node. With the server from Crissic, we will have more control over how it is set up and your accounts.

What will my domain of the new server be?
This server will use the domain ismywebsite.com. For those who use their node’s domain when advertising their site, it is good to get back into the practice of using yoursite.ismywebsite.com. This domain will almost always work to access the site.

What happens to new accounts registered now?
New accounts will still be created on one of the nodes. Once they meet the above requirements, they will move onto the big server. Empty accounts will be removed after 30 days, and accounts with content after 150. (I should think 5 months is more than enough time to complete the above.) Once you are on the new server, there will be no account removal unless requested by the client.

Does the new server have cPanel, Ruby on Rails, PHP, MySQL, Fantastico, RV Site Builder, CGI, Perl, Cron Jobs, or any other feature?
It should have all of those except for RV Site Builder, which will be available once we are making a profit exceeding $30/mo again.

Should I still back up my site files on the new server?
We have a back up system in place, but the answer is still yes. Always have a backup, even if you’re hosted with a reliable company like Crissic Solutions in a datacenter guaranteeing 99.999% uptime.

How many accounts will the server fit?
More than enough for everyone who wants to meet the above requirements.

*Ruby on Rails is not available on all nodes. If you require it, you can request to be transfered to another node.

Beware of Lemons July 6, 2008

Posted by ismywebsite in conflict, downtime, insane, tutorial, uptime.
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Apparently, there’s a limonite, which Dictionary.com so effectively explains as “an amorphous hydrated ferric oxide, varying in color from dark brown to yellow, used as an ore of iron.”

But no sign of lemonite, and much the same with Lemonite Hosting, a company which 2 days ago has suspended all our accounts with them. Fortunately, the majority of these accounts were empty, having been previously moved off of Node 8. However, it is estimated that as many as 50 webmasters could have been locked out of their data by this move. Good thing for Pvcsnathan’s tutorial on backing up your files.

We were never notified of the suspension or the reason behind it, and received no response to our message to their support center. At this time, accounts are being moved to Node 14. Node 14 is managed by the company ‘My Kind of Host’, which so far has lived up to their “commitment to … customer satisfaction [which] is unparalleled in the industry”. They have been very helpful in answering our support messages and we were set up with them in record time.

We are looking forward to a stable future with MKOH “in one of the best connected data centers in the world”.

What’s New At Crissic Solutions? July 3, 2008

Posted by ismywebsite in conflict, downtime, features, uptime.
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3 comments

Several hours yesterday were spent in heated discussions regarding our future with them. A short 2 weeks ago, there were discussions regarding the Crissic banner design competition, as well as a reduction of $2/mo off our hosting cost to show up as a donation on our donation wall. However, three days ago, the following email came in:

“I am sorry to say that we can no longer support the bulk accounts that you have placed on our server. The amount of accounts you have placed on the server is causing the shared server much stress, causing FTP, HTTPD, and other services to fail on a regular basis. Last night we had downtime in excess of 25 minutes due to these issues.”

110 accounts were terminated immediately. (These had been already moved to other nodes.) On top of this, it was requested that we move 150 further accounts off the server to bring the level to “keep it around 650-700 accounts TOPS”. We selected approximately 350 accounts that would be moved to Node 10, lowering the number of accounts to 505. This is the official statement released by Skylar from Crissic:

“We had to pull out due to the amount of strain the amount of accounts had been placing on the server. For IsMyWebsite to run correctly, they need a medium-sized cluster of dedicated servers. The reasoning behind the time constraint on asking clients to move their data in one week is because the issues that are being caused are too large. FTP and HTTPD are constantly failing, causing outages for hundreds more paying clients with Crissic Solutions. For the sake of our paying clients, holding [the] additional clients that are free clients with IsMyWebsite is not worth [what] Matt is currently paying us. We have [also] received a few isolated cases from the free clients that include warez forums, spam email, and a few other items. The never-ending risk of a free client potentially rooting into the server, or another hacking incident that happened a short few months ago with IsMyWebsite is too large to risk for our paying clients. We wish the best of luck to all at IsMyWebsite, and hope that your future endeavors are successful.”

Skylar MacMinn, Crissic Solutions, LLC

Despite additional attempts at a settlement, the final verdict was reached.

“You have until the morning of the 8th of July to move all data off. Regardless if you are transferred off or not, all remaining accounts will be deleted.”

Skylar has stated that all data currently on the VPS may remain, and we are looking into the potential purchase of a dedicated server with them. As Mike puts it, “I am pro-Crissic is because the servers are fast and reliable and we are getting a good deal”.

The new server wont be here for another 1-2 weeks. Skylar has promised your data will be safe for this time.

Kudos To Corex June 3, 2008

Posted by ismywebsite in development, features, uptime.
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2 comments

Hi everyone.

I must apologize for not having a lot of time to post lately, but as you know – making sure things work for my clients is almost a full time job. However, as of late the number of actual problems has been swamped by a new epidemic – confused clients not knowing how to access their sites.

I want to say this once (even though I know I’ll have to say it again elsewhere), the cPanel button in your ‘Hosting’ section works. Trying to access through ismywebsite.com doesn’t and will only frustrate you! You can also get FTP connection details with the ‘FTP Info’ button. On past request, I have upgraded the system to a more secure button with passes an encrypted phrase (which doesn’t even match your password) to verify you. So it’s more secure than anything else right now.

Regarding the Kudos mentioned in the title, the Wildcard DNS was broken for the last 12 hours, and as anyone who’s dealt with that type of thing, it’s a real pain to have to fix. But rest easy because after some hard work they fixed it successfully – so all your redirects are fully working now!

100% Complete June 2, 2008

Posted by ismywebsite in development, uptime.
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3 comments

Everyone, everywhere, can now be assured that their account is fully working. If it isn’t, just send me a private message.

Here’s a tutorial on transfering your files to your new server:

https://ismywebsite.wordpress.com/2008/05/22/quick-tutorial-moving-your-files/

Another Node Status Report May 31, 2008

Posted by ismywebsite in features, uptime.
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14 comments

Work continues on virtually all nodes.

Node 1 – SmokyHosts
Still preparing to send a mass email regarding the transfer, and possible upgrade the ‘Hosting’ section to also display this (as a button to the ‘Old cPanel’). I’m hoping the button and email can be finished tonight, perhaps sent through the virtually unused SmokyHosts server.

Node 2 – IsMyHost.com
We’re giving away hosting for 2 more days on the top node, which you can just reply to get. We have just installed Installatron, so you can do some installing of your favourite scripts. (It’s like Fantastico.) Also upgraded all accounts to the top stage yesterday, since with the recent trouble I thought everyone deserved it.

Node 3 – IsMyWs.com
Not much to say. Still working well.

Node 4 – IsNumberOne.org
We will be switching to another hosting company here for sure. All accounts in queue for creation on this node are being moved to our new Node 9. All accounts already created will be transfered to the new server when we move. Due to the restrictions in place on this node, we cannot enable extra features of any kind, but it is possible to switch to a new node once all the old accounts are successfully created.

Node 5 – IsMyWe.com
Nothing’s changed… Still great, working node.

Node 6 – IsMyWb.com
We are running into the same trouble with PHP URL file access. Except now, Nixism wants me to send it to their technical department. It’s already been a whole month’s worth of hosting down the drain. Should I switch or continue pursuing this?

Node 7 – SuperbHost.us
Starting to feel a strain. I’ve also received word that Mike wants to get a VPS in place of his reseller with the domain ismyhost.net, which will be great. So given those two factors, all remaining accounts are being created on Node 9 for now.

Node 8 – IsMyWebs.com
Remember the company that originally hosted us on a VPS for a short period earlier and was also originally going to host IsMyHost.com. Well, now they’re back to hosting a reseller for us. Everybody welcome Crissic Solutions, run by Skylar.

Node 9 – IsMyWall.com
I’m reusing the domain name of our donation page simply because it’s already registered. I thought it fit the part fairly well, and it might attract more donations if it’s used for something. Anyways, this domain is going to host the remainder of accounts from IsNumberOne.org and SuperbHost.us.

Node 10 – IsMyHs.com
Just registered 7 new domains, this being the first one, with plans to build 7 new domains. I have found a small company to host this one, which is new to reseller hosting but confident in their ability. (The plan is to host a low number of accounts here to start.)

Node 11 – IsMyHt.com
Another domain seeking a server.

Node 12 – IsMySe.com
Node 13 – IsMySi.com
Node 14 – IsMySt.com
Node 15 – IsMyWi.com
Node 16 – IsMyWt.com
All seeking a reseller. I have a number of companies in mind, that I will be utilizing as we need them for future expansion. (Could be you who hosts them if you want to.)

So just a few hundred accounts left to build, and they are actively being created throughout the day.

Site Back Online May 28, 2008

Posted by ismywebsite in development, uptime.
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2 comments

I brought the main website back online today, although a lot of client websites still aren’t online. I’m looking forward to the day when all websites will be online. Here’s the current status of all nodes:

Node 1 – SmokyHosts
This is the present location of most of previous websites. Due to SmokyHost’s inability to change the domain name we are now stuck abandoning this node and moving all accounts over to the other nodes. It is still being debated whether we should drop SmokyHosts altogether or request that the reseller be reset to use a different domain.

Node 2 – IsMyHost.com
Hosted by NetXServers, this is our most prestigious node, with the most freedom for those hosted here. Although we had difficulty with nameservers, everything was online up until yesterday. (I’m still getting the full story, but I’m sure Mike would have alerted all of you and backed up data if he could.) Haloclan.us domains are hosted here.

Node 3 – IsMyWs.com
750 websites are successfully hosted here, and there has been no trouble since their creation. Despite being a relatively new company, TornadoGaming has proved a valuable reseller to use, being both affordable, fully working, and providing helpful support.

Node 4 – IsNumberOne.org
The massive hosting company HostGator is behind this node, bringing with them much experience in stability at the expense of restrictions on the hosting itself. Overselling could not be enabled, and thus accounts created on this node have to request every extra MB they will be using. We are looking into upgrading to increase the available resources.

Node 5 – IsMyWe.com
This node is currently using FelWebs, and successfully working. All 750 accounts were created smoothly and are now fully working. Reasonable support is also provided.

Node 6 – IsMyWb.com
This is one bad investment, however discounted it was originally. URL file access is disabled, and any request to Nixism to enable it or get a refund went completely ignored. It would be possible to manually create and adjust all accounts, or more likely just choose a different reseller for this node.

Node 7 – SuperbHost.us
Despite the undesirable name, this node has functioned surprisingly well, with almost all accounts now successfully created. This will be finished soon.

Node 8 – IsMyWebs.com
At this point, just a fantasy. InfernoWrestling is looking into helping us purchase this additional expansion with a better hosting.

Node 9 – IsMyWall.com
Reusing an existing domain name (for our donation wall) with a good reseller. The search is on to find the right company.

Node 10 – Your Name Here
This is a great opportunity to run a free host without having to worry about finding new clients, developing a main website, establishing a working support sytem, or finding a control panel to manage accounts – at the same cost. Just choose a hosting company we’re not using and order a good quality reseller package able to fit over 100 accounts from them.

One way or another we will make it through this. If you have doubts, please email me so I can address them. I would really like some strong-willed people to help us make sure this never happens again.

Success May 21, 2008

Posted by ismywebsite in uptime.
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27 comments

As it stands, right now, a number of websites are now online. Including of course, our active blog participants at:

http://criminallives.ismywebsite.com/ (Working)
http://goptorrent.ismywebsite.com/ (Working)
http://hqbc.ismywebsite.com/ (Working)
http://hosting4u.ismywebsite.com/ (Working)
http://magnxpyr.ismywebsite.com/ (Working)
http://maisam.ismywebsite.com/ (Under Construction)
http://masdir.ismywebsite.com/ (Working)
http://rap-it-up.net/ (Under Construction)
http://rotb.ismywebsite.com/ (Working)
http://smashgames.ismywebsite.com/ (Working)
http://sociopaths.ismywebsite.com/ (Working)
http://yourlife.ismywebsite.com/ (Working)

Once their contents are uploaded I urge you to check them out.

Many other websites are online on the nodes and now, for the first time, you can access them by logging into the site. If yours doesn’t work, you can be sure I am working on creating it as I write this.

Please Report:

  • Features of your IsMyWebsite account that don’t work. (Everything should now be working except for the hosting and the forum registration.)
  • Errors experienced in cPanel by those mentioned websites above. (Other nodes are not guaranteed to be fully working at this time.)
  • If more features are needed by those websites mentioned above.

Do Not Report:

  • That your account and/or website has not been created yet. (I know that.)
  • That you can’t log in to cPanel. (Perhaps it’s because your account isn’t created?)
  • Minor errors which do not affect the functionality of the site or reduce security. (Would love to hear them when our status is back to ‘reliably hosting hundreds’.)

If those mentioned require any assistance in accessing their websites (as all functionality should be accessible by logging in) or they need any extra resources, they are free to report it any time by email. For everyone else, thanks for your patience. It should only be a couple more days.

Special Surprise May 19, 2008

Posted by ismywebsite in uptime.
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31 comments

I’ve now completed the first stage of restoration – building the core features of the administrative backend to handle it. The next 4 days will be dedicated to creating and fixing all accounts (many of which are already created as of this writing).

Those of you who are patient and dedicated can get my special surprise – hosting on an exclusive server. The criteria to get signed up:

  1. You must have an active website, which previously received a minimum of 10 visitors per day on average.
  2. Ads must have been placed at some point before the downtime.
  3. You must be willing to further improve your ad placement (if possible).
  4. You must reply to this comment within 2 days. Please include your website URL.

We can also look at getting your site online ahead of the others.