Our New Server

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Today, October 20, 2007, we moved from our dedicated server we have been using for over two years now to a new company and a new dedicated server.

The new server is a 64 bit Intel quad-core machine with dual hard drives and 4x the memory and twice the speed of our old server. This move was necessary due to several recent issues with our previous hosting company's ability to keep OrchidTalk online. Hopefully, we will now be able to stay up with fewer interruptions and load for you much - much faster!

The leasing cost went up significantly for the new server, but with the amount of information and the number of users we currently have, it seems like a worthwhile investment. If you notice a marked improvement and would like to help us reduce our costs, please use the donate link when you are able. Thanks for your continued support.

Cheers,
BD

[Joan]

Now I know why I couldn't reach this site earlier today. I was disappointed I couldn't get here. I'm very happy things are up and running again. Certain parts seem faster but I'm not sure everything is. Thanks once again for all your hard work.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Hi Joan!

Our members experiences of speed is going to be limited by the slowest connection from the server to their home computers. Let me explain:

Our new server is serving information at 100 megabits a second. The old server port speed was only 10 megabits per second. This is a ten fold increase in port speed of information being sent out of our server. However, people on dial-up are limited by the 56K speed of their modem and internet service provider (ISP). These users will probably not see an increase in speed since they can not receive information any faster.

That said, people on broadband, cable modem, or DSL (80+ % of our members) should see a definite increase all across the forum especially during times when the forum is busy. This is also due to the increase in server memory. Photos and pages should come in much faster.

Enjoy!

Cheers,
BD