Notice : "New Posts", "Threads started by me" & "Search" etc are temporarily disabled

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the site is certainly moving faster this morning. Is there a way of adding more resources to the search facility aspect of the site, is that what is causing the code to tangle, resulting in downtime?
 
The problem is not necessarily the search facility itself.
The problem lies in the way everyone uses the site. When we were smaller, everyone clicking "New posts" not only gave the user a good appraisal of what's been happening on the forum since their last visit, it didn't have much to search.
However, as we have become incredibly busy. (We get over 3000 new posts per day now), the timeframe that "New Posts" gives has become incredibly short.
Bear in mind it's barely 9 o clock in the morning...and I've just checked it and the first page only covers the last 10 minutes.

So when *alot* of people browse the site like that it doesn't help.
But add in everyone using links such as "My Posts" (which is another search) instead of using the Thread Subscription method, it adds up.
So it's not necessarily people actually using the search to search through previous posts......

I think we seem to be at a turning point in the life of TP. We're like the awkward spotty teenager. We're too big to be using a browsing method that encompasses every single area of the site, and we should all really be browsing the site on a forum by forum basis.
 
It certainly would. I'm looking at various ways to reduce the load, while keeping as much functionality as possible.

I honestly didn't want to flickr the switch last night, and I'm itching to turn it back on as I know how much you guys depend on the feature.
However, I do need to see how it affects us for the rest of the day, then I can hopefully turn it back on with some load-limiting changes.

One of the casualties I'm thinking of is the total number of results...and maybe changing the way we use the New Posts link.
 
I use another massive forum (not photography) it seems their 'new posts' type searches only search the last "X" amount of hours. So, if you are away for a few days, it doesn't tie up the server.

I always wondered why they did that, but maybe this is the reason ??


Rich
 
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I never ever use the new posts feature on any forum. I just browse the sub sections I am interested in.

I have had an idea. For the computermabob to work, it sounds like the flux capacitor needs to be aligned with the Argon accumulator while the hamster is at full pelt.
 
trencheel303 said:
I have had an idea. For the computermabob to work, it sounds like the flux capacitor needs to be aligned with the Argon accumulator while the hamster is at full pelt.
Click to expand...

Odd, that particular report was missing this morning, I'll have to check the filing system, you may have hit the wobble on the jelly there.
 
Interesting seeing how people browse, I live off the new post button and I'm struggling to cope without it.
Could the areas the the 'new post' searches for be restricted by the user? For instance I'm not always interested in classifieds and never interested in some categories like 'birds', 'macro', 'transport' etc.
 
if you're missing the New Posts link, the Home page still shows a similar output.
 
treeman said:
Interesting seeing how people browse, I live off the new post button and I'm struggling to cope without it.
Could the areas the the 'new post' searches for be restricted by the user? For instance I'm not always interested in classifieds and never interested in some categories like 'birds', 'macro', 'transport' etc.
Click to expand...


I too live off the new post button, and as like yourself there are some things I have no interest in. You can exclude any part of the forum (Marcel had a tread about this somewhere) you just set a new bookmark/favourite with the forums you wish to exclude listed.

This is mine, but I need to update it and add a couple more forums I don't want to list.

Code: 
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/search.php?do=getnew&exclude=47,53,44,11,88,95,97,56,23,72,100,101
 
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whiteflyer said:
I too live off the new post button, and as like yourself there are some things I have no interest in. You can exclude any part of the forum (Marcel had a tread about this somewhere) you just set a new bookmark/favourite with the forums you wish to exclude listed.

This is mine, but I need to update it and add a couple more forums I don't want to list.

Code: 
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/search.php?do=getnew&exclude=47,53,44,11,88
Click to expand...

Thanky sir, if and when it comes back, I'll definitely be doing that :thumbs:
 
Thought I was going mad, couldn't find the search button, how about a search button was here button.
 
Byker28i said:
I believe the old server was so old it ran using a Tricerotops. Unfortunately the Daily Mail ran a story saying this dinosaur never existed (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1299666/Triceratops-really-existed.html) so they had to rapidly upgrade to Hamster power.

Cowasaki - Rabbit power has been proven to be ineffective. The rabbits spend too long doing what rabbits do and the rapid rise in numbers consume too much for such a limited power output. I believe for the really big server farms it's Llama power now, with the added advantage of the wool which can be used to pull over users eyes.
Click to expand...

I once spent an hour chasing a Llama around amounderness way near fleetwood at half two in the morning. It had escaped from a nearby petting zoo and yes they are quite fast so I would believe that :lol:
 
Marcel said:
We're too big to be using a browsing method that encompasses every single area of the site, and we should all really be browsing the site on a forum by forum basis.
Click to expand...

like the "bookmark" suggestion by whiteflyer - could I individually select which forums i want to see in "New posts"

should relieve *some* pressure..?
 
Yardbent said:
like the "bookmark" suggestion by whiteflyer - could I individually select which forums i want to see in "New posts"

should relieve *some* pressure..?
Click to expand...

That's possible by using the bookmark option. Unfortunately while it will relieve some pressure. We'd need the other 25,000 people to do it too :p

We're also investigating server upgrade options as we speak. In all honesty we are stumped as to how performance has degraded so quickly in such a short space of time.
 
We experienced poor performance on a server and it was due to a log file that was choked and needed clearing...[/clutching at straws]
 
I know a few days back you said you were going to purge a number of threads from the system, after you did this did you rebuild the search index?
 
Frankly I think Grendel should stop leaving his good malts next to the hamsters wheel, by 8pm the rodent is legless and its the forum that falls over! :bang:


On a serious note though, I think I would not be alone in saying that whatever adjustments are needed will be acceptable as I would rather have a forum with some limits on functionality than no forum at all each evening.
 
Keith W said:
I know a few days back you said you were going to purge a number of threads from the system, after you did this did you rebuild the search index?
Click to expand...

There's no need due to the way the threads were nuked :)
 
Tricky69 said:
I use another massive forum (not photography) it seems their 'new posts' type searches only search the last "X" amount of hours. So, if you are away for a few days, it doesn't tie up the server.

I always wondered why they did that, but maybe this is the reason ??


Rich
Click to expand...


Bump - in case you missed this post ;)
 
Yv said:
Frankly I think Grendel should stop leaving his good malts next to the hamsters wheel, by 8pm the rodent is legless and its the forum that falls over! :bang:
Click to expand...

I knew it would be my fault in the end :sulk:

And for the record Yvonne, I only EVER let the hamster drink the blended stuff :p ;)

:D
 
fracster said:
How many, honestly, have got a clue what Marcel is on about?...........Be honest.
Click to expand...

I rarely have a clue what he's on about:D
 
I don't know if it's the result of the tweaks you're making Bod, but the site is absolutely flying for me this evening! Quicker than it's been in ages :)
 
If you're running full-text search on MyISAM tables, then the bottleneck might not be the search, but use of MyISAM.
Anyway, I don't remember whether you have root privileges on the server, but perhaps an upgrade of MySQL could help?
Either to one of the latest versions of MariaDB or Oracle's MySQL.
Can vBulletin use Xapian? I haven't found that on the features page on vBulleting's home page.
 
Something perhaps worth reading:
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/entr...grow-performance-data-model-changes-in-vB-4.0

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/entr...Optimization-Basic-Guide-to-InnoDB-Conversion

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/entr...grow-performance-data-model-changes-in-vB-4.0

MariaDB contains Percona's patches, although I'm not quite sure as Percona's XtraDB. They're all essentially MySQL, but with various patches Sun/Oracle wouldn't accept for some reasons or that just too long to make it into the official tree.
 
Tricky69 said:
Bump - in case you missed this post ;)
Click to expand...
Quite possibly.

I must say the forum is whizzing along tonight with the search disabled.
Our problem is that we have a massive database which is searched everytime those links are clicked.
 
2blue4u said:
Marcel. Some bottled Pale Ale for the old f***s please.
Click to expand...

Manchesters second ever whisky fest is this Saturday mmmm over 150 whiskies, I must try and remember the visit this year:thumbs:
Sorry no not taking camera, better safe than sorry but bet there would be some great shots forgive the pun :lol:
 
Marcel said:
Quite possibly.

I must say the forum is whizzing along tonight with the search disabled.
Our problem is that we have a massive database which is searched everytime those links are clicked.
Click to expand...

I wanted to suggest exploiting partitioning in MySQL, but I don't really know how vBulleting executes the search in MySQL, so it's possible partitioning wouldn't have a positive effect.
 
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