New Server

Hello all, well LambWatch has successfully made it to the new server. It has been running with no hiccups for a few days now so it looks like the migration has been a success. You may have noticed the site certainly seems to be running a lot faster now. I have received a refund for my old server now minus one month's usage so that is good too.... Just as a bit of information, if you are interested, here is an analogy (based on the chat room as that was the crux of the problem) as to why the old server ran into problems and how these problems have been resolved by the new server....

Think about it as eating tasty apples at a party :) The chat room represents a fruit bowl which can only contain one apple and the fruit bowl is in a comfy living room, this represents the server. The person whose house it is, in which the living room and fruit bowl sits, is the host of the party. The host spends the duration of the party running backwards and forwards, topping up glasses of wine and generally working hard to make sure all the guests are happy!

Now imagine if there are 20 guests at this party (representing 20 users in the chat room) all in the living room and they all suddenly want to eat lots of apples all at the same time (this represents simply being in the chat room - whether you are chatting or not).... We are not talking one apple per guest but instead we are talking each guest wants to eat one apple every 10 seconds... This would reflect the situation as it was when the site kept going down in the past during busy periods.... This is because the poor party host is working overtime... she or he realises that her or his poor fruit bowl only has enough room for one apple. This means she has to drive to Morrisons every 10 seconds for each person in the party in order to buy an apple so that there was always one in the bowl when each of the party guests went to the bowl to get it. If we have 20 people at our party each eating an apple every 10 seconds thats... ummm... a trip to Morrisons every half a second! Now, naturally, the poor party host is only going to be able to do that for so long before he or she has a coronary.... and that is why the old server kept going down....

Now, because I have much more control over this new server, I have been able to install a few things that may be of help to that poor party host... The party situation remains the same, 20 guests all wanting to eat an apple every 10 seconds. Even the fruit bowl remains the same size - it only fits one apple in and the living room is equally comfy.. same seats, chairs and everything.... The difference this time is that I have bolted on a nice big store cupboard to the host's house... AND this time, there is more than one party host looking after proceedings... In fact, to be precise, there are approximately 20 party hosts, all ensuring people's glasses of wine are topped up and ensuring things are running smoothly and ensuring there is always an apple in the fruit bowl....

Naturally this will speed things up a bit! And that's how the server is now running... Because there is effectively a party host for every party guest. Every time a guests wants an apple, the host that is looking after them can go, not to Morrisons to get a fresh apple, but instead they only have to go to their nice new store cupboard which is only in the next room, instead of having to drive all the way to Morrisons... much quicker, and everyone is happier, getting their apples much quicker and the hosts are all a lot less stressed and so are much more capable of dealing with the needs of the party guests!! The party can go on!

"But what happens if the party guests suddenly decide they hate apples and want a banana?!" I hear you cry... This would simulate the situation when someone, say, posts a new message on the chat room... Well, it's simple.... one of the 20 party hosts nips to Morrisons and gets a massive stash of bananas and buys them, storing them in the store cupboard... Now everyone can eat the bananas instead... everyone is happy :)

"What happens if people want a banana AND an apple!?" I hear you cry... Well, this is an analogy and a simplified model and in this case, it is actually only possible for guests to eat one fruit at a time! It is physically impossible for people at this party to eat more than one fruit :) If they want to eat multiple fruits, I recommend having multiple webcams open on the camstreams website... ;)

LOL!! I love your analogy Dan. How long did it take you to write that? You should be a novelist

I want a banana  

Thanks for updating us on the server situation

Dan,

What an imagination you have!  I enjoyed this analogy very much, and will opt for a banana, but just hope there will always be enough room in the living room for all of us to hang out, even if more people join the party.

Lol glad you like the analogy :) You can have a banana if you like, or a pear, or a pizza... it's up to you... but you all get the same foodstuff ;) Helen there is plenty of room in the living room for lots lots lots more people :) Even with the store cupboard!

Thanks for the new server - certainly made things run smoother.  Only came across your web site last week but already addicted to watching it every day.  Love the fact that there is sound to accompany the pictures.

Please can I have some chocolate ? sick of fruit 

The site will be changing it's name fairly soon to Lambwatch General Store..  

Joking apart... a very good way of explaining what happened to the old site and how the new site is now operating. 

Dan, you are amazing!  That's the word to describe you.  Your analogy was crystal clear to my otherwise mucky mind when it comes to internet techonology.  I suddenly feel very smart!  hee hee.  Seriously, thanks a bunch for all your hard work.  It has made a very noticeable difference.  Lynda, how about fruit and chocolate?  We can have fondue!

Thanks for the lovely explanation of what goes on behind the scenes. Even my feeble brain understood how the old Server must have been overloaded as Lambwatch became more and more famous worldwide. I fancy the sound of the party and can even offer to bring a bottle of wine    You should publish the analogy  

So glad to have been invited to your party. I like both apples and bananas. 

Glad to know that the living room has expandable walls!  And I was thinking the store cupboard would be more like a pantry, off the living room, and had visions of you and others tearing in and out to keep the bowl full.  Please give Lynda some chocolate - she deserves it after all those hard nights in the barn, midwifing.