14 October 2005 - 16:00A New Era

This winter isomerica.net will enter a new era. I have made plans to build a new server, with generously donated hardware, and colocate the server in the Boston metropolitan area. My primary reasons for doing this are stability, bandwidth, and peace of mind.

• Increased Stability
  • The new server will feature true server class stability features, such as ECC memory and redundant storage.
  • The colocation facility will have clean UPS power backed by a generator. Power loss is extremely unlikely.
  • The server will now have redundant, low latency connections to the outside world.
• Better Bandwidth
  • 1Mbps continuous bandwidth will be available, bursting to 100Mbps. This will speed up page loads, especially in the gallery.
  • Lower latency, even during heavy outgoing traffic, will improve the usability of shell sessions and IRC.
• Peace of Mind
  • Should there be problems, such as failed hardware, the server will now be only one hour from me and there will be 24/7 access to the facility.

The planned timeframe is to move services over in early January, 2006. Threepwood will become a workstation only system, gnat will likely be decommissioned. If you currently have DNS services hosted on gnat, these will be moved to the new server which will become NS1.isomerica.net. Secondary DNS can be provided by the bandwidth provider or a third party.

If you currently have an account on threepwood, please let me know any concerns you may have. I would appreciate your comments on the process. During the actual services move there will be a few hours of downtime as final versions of home directory files and email are synced over. If you do not wish to have your data moved, please let me know.

Lastly, I created the isomerica-user mailing list a while back but I haven’t used it for much. Please subscribe to this if you would like to hear further information. Some users may have been subscribed automatically. If you try to sign up and it complains, you’re probably already on the list. Most announcements regarding isomerica.net will be restricted to the mailing list from now on.