As you know, this week we have been plagued with server issues. I have spent countless hours on hold, talking with tech support and working on options to try and eliminate this from continuing from happening.
Here is the skinny: We are getting big. This is a good thing when it comes to spreading the 2A, but a taxing thing when it comes to technology.
Our current configuration is that we are on a shared VPS (private server, housed in a big server farm). It's not OUR server, we rent a slice of it from a guy who is a big wig in the world of phpBB (the software our forum is based off of). This has worked well for us for many years, but we alone are starting to push the limits of the entire server, not just our slice. When we push those limits, the server goes into a safety mode and starts killing off processes that are causing the load. This is when we start to see a slowdown, and then an imminent crash. Since we are not the owner of the server, our access to the VPS Host is very limited. Sometimes I can get through quickly and sweet talk them into resetting and restarting the server. Sometimes (like today), the public portal tech support was basically non-existent. This means I had to spend over 3 hours on a phone hold, all while attempting to live chat, email, facebook etc to get them to answer me. Finally I got through, and now the site is back alive... For now.
The fact remains that we are growing, and are going to continue to grow. This means that Steve and I need to commit to getting our own VPS.
Here's where you all come into play. As you know (or should know), WaGuns.org is 100% free to you. There are no subscriptions, mandatory pay-2-play schemes etc. Steve and I (and the mods) do not make a penny off of the site. Everything that comes from donations, PIF's, banner supporters etc goes back to the site. Most of this goes towards PIF's to the members, like our annual birthday PIF's, and our Xmas PIF's (which didn't happen this year) and hosting events and supporting good causes. The actual cost to "run" the site is miniscule....
Currently, our slice of the VPS is costing us a whopping $10/month... $120/year. As I explained before, it's just not going to cut it... The VPS we are looking at will cost us approx 4x that, which in the world of VPS isn't all that bad, but it's still 4x more than what we are used to spending. Steve and I are (as PMB puts it), "tight sumbitches". This means that we want as much $$ to go back to YOU, the members, as possible. Higher "overhead" , means less to you in PIFs, events, etc.
Over the last few years, WaGuns has grown considerably, but donations have tapered off. NEW Site Supporters especially.
So, here is what you all can do, and it's a win-win here; Enter PIF's that help WaGuns. There is an active one now, being put on by PMB here:
http://www.waguns.org/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=86774 and Sinus211 is gathering the pieces to make another shortly. PIF's like these are cool because not only do you support WaGuns by entering, but you can also win some cool stuff as well.
As always, there is the big ol'
DONATE option that allows you to send $$ to us via PayPal, or even using your CC (if you don't have a PayPal account).
As always, donations are completely voluntary.
Steve and I are going to move ahead with the VPS here soon, and that's ONLY because our members have been generous in years past where we can dig into the nest-egg a little. Having a stable and reliable site is probably the most important part of being able to host an awesome community like we have at WaGuns.
I am HOPING that we don't have any additional server issues on the current VPS, but it can happen at any time. We try and keep everybody up to date on what's happening when we are down via our
facebook page. As we get closer to moving on our own server, we will keep the board up to date as well.
Thanks for all that you guys do. Without all of you, WaGuns wouldn't be here.
Dan, Steve and all of the mods.