Today, June 13, 2013, we finally finished our move from the dedicated server we have been using since January 5, 2010 to a new high-speed dedicated server. Our new system is three times faster than our previous system with twice the amount of storage space.

Recently, because of the popularity of our community, we began having server lag issues (the same issue happened at the end of 2009 and prompted the update then as well). Currently, we have anywhere from 500 - 1,800+ guests, members, and search engines online at any given time. (On June 5, 2013 we had a record-setting 3,021 users on-line at one time!!) This requires lots of processing resources and bandwidth. Because of the high demands for resources, we decided to upgrade to a new server to host our web presence.

Here is a breakdown/ comparison from our 2010 server and our new 2013 server:

2010 Server 2013 Server
Intel Xeon machine with dual quad-core processors rated at 2.66GHz per core Intel E5-2430 machine with twelve (12) 2.22GHz processors
8GB of DDR2 RAM 24GB of DDR3 RAM
two 500GB hard disks for continued, backup redundancy two 1000GB (1 Terabyte each) hard disks for continued, backup redundancy
Number of members in January 2010: 4,103 Number of members in June 2013: 9,237


Along with the new server, we have updated our firewall and notification (e-mail) system. We are also working behind the scenes on optimizations to deliver our information as fast as possible while keeping current backups in the event of a server failure.

Of course this new equipment comes with increased cost. If you notice a marked improvement --or just appreciate having this site and our members here to help-- please, please consider becoming an OrchidTalk Subscriber or making a donation to help us reduce our out-of-pocket costs to lease the server each month.
Your donation or subscription will help us keep OrchidTalk up-to-date and on-line.

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Become a Friend of RVO subscription holder; the OrchidTalk Pals Subscription is only $5.00 per month. If enough members subscribe, it will make a huge difference in our ability to stay with this high-speed server, and your contribution would be hugely appreciated--not only by us, but by everyone in our OrchidTalk neighborhood.

So, thank you all again for being here, and very special thanks to all the members who have already become Friends of RVO subscribers--those members with colored usernames throughout the forum. Enjoy our new speedy community and be sure to PM me or LJA if you have any questions or experience any problems with the forum!

Cheers,
BD