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Young Writers Society


YWS Unexpected Downtime / Maintenance - July 9



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Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:35 pm
Nate says...



Today, July 9, 2011, YWS underwent an unscheduled maintenance operation. This was a result of the database failing twice in two days.

What I've done is to convert the database from primarily MyISAM to primarily InnoDB. For most of you, that will mean nothing. So what you should take away is this:

First, the site will be slightly slower overall. I'm not sure by how much, and I haven't noticed it being slower quite yet. However, it should be slightly slower.

But secondly, the database will no longer lock up and crash. The way the database works is that there's 160 different tables in it. However, under MyISAM only one person may use a table at a time (usually, they do so for only a split second). That can lead to backups as I'm sure you can imagine. Under InnoDB, though, multiple people can use a table at the same time. So, no backups.

Hopefully, this will be the end of our latest string of database crashes.
  





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Sun Jul 10, 2011 2:15 pm
Rydia says...



It's running really smoothly for me so awesome work, Nate!
Writing Gooder

~Previously KittyKatSparklesExplosion15~

The light shines brightest in the darkest places.
  





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Thu Jul 14, 2011 12:27 am
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LowKey says...



Are you getting paid for this yet?

You're awesome, Nate. I'm sure I speak for many when I say I'm glad you haven't thrown up your hands and called it quits on us.
Necropolis SB / Necropolis DT

Once was Dreamer, is now LowKey_Lyesmith.

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
  





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Sat Jul 16, 2011 4:20 am
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Nate says...



Well, as it turns out, the site has been actually slightly faster since the database change. The average page is now loading in about 2.75 seconds whereas it used to take 3 seconds. Not a huge difference, but things are faster.

Another good consequence of the change is that the site is consuming roughly 25% fewer system resources.
  








What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god -- the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!
— William Shakespeare