Update: Jan 23, 2008:
Reminder that Thunder will be turned off for good in 8 days (Jan 31, 2008).
I will be emailing the people I have not heard from again tomorrow (Jan 24, 2008) and will move them over the weekend whether I've heard from them or not. (If their nameservers aren't updated within the next week, those sites will go down on Jan 31).
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After literally over 3 years of solid performance, it's finally nearing the time that we give Thunder some well-deserved rest. :'(
All kidding aside, many of you will remember past discussion on replacing our first server Thunder with a new server I brought online back in July that we voted on to be named Thunderstorm. Without going into boring details, that server experienced a rocky start and faced some issues that nobody (my techs, the datacenter and the cPanel team itself) was able to resolve with 100% confidence. Obviously, that's not a recipe for success -- therefore, I ultimately made the decision to cancel that server entirely and purchase a completely brand new one with even more power.
That server is called Tempest. (Click here for the "server lineup" thread (http://www.charlottezweb.com/forums/index.php?topic=3.0)).
I moved Charlottezweb.com to that server several weeks back and have been "testing the waters" since then. I'm now ready to start moving accounts over.
In the last few weeks, the loads on Thunder have been significantly higher than in the past. No accounts have been installed to that box in an extremely long time (we're up to 8 servers now) and many accounts have since been moved or cancelled through normal attrition. However, with the greater demand nowadays on database functionality, increased email (and spam), etc. a lot has changed in the 3-year life of Thunder and it's overdue for an upgrade.
That being said, I've contacted the two largest accounts on Thunder tonight with the intent of moving them as soon as possible to bring the loads down to where they should be. Hopefully I'll coordinate that to happen in the next few days if possible.
Ultimately, I will go through the move process with a goal of having everyone on Thunder moved off by the end of this year -- hopefully sooner.
If you have an account (or accounts) on this box and you'd like to be moved now, please feel free to post here or open a ticket in your client area. We've replaced entire servers before and have it down to a pretty good science. Depending on your configuration, this should require little involvement on your part and in most cases requires very little interruption if any. You WILL have to update your nameservers prior to Thunder being taken offline but I'll make sure that's clear with everyone once your account(s) is(are) moved.
Please let me know what questions/comments you have and, as always, thank you for your continued business!
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UPDATE: How can I tell if my account is on Thunder??
The easiest way to tell if your site is on Thunder is to open a command prompt and ping your domain name. Here's how:
1. If you're running windows, go to Start > Run and type "cmd." Hit enter. This will open a terminal window.
2. Type: "ping www.mysite.com" where mysite.com is your domain name.
3. It will give you the IP address that your domain points to. If it shows 67.15.76.38 then you're on Thunder.
Alternatively, your cPanel homepage will tell you the server name.
Also, if you are able to check your nameservers, Thunder runs on ns1.charlottezweb.com and ns2.charlottezweb.com.
Thanks for letting us know, Jason.
Well Jason,
I never met 'thunder' but I hope he rests in peace.
Thanks to thunder, and thanks to you too you workaholic.
;D
I'm going to start picking up the pace on this migration.
Please email, pm or open a ticket to arrange your migration if you're still on Thunder.
Thanks
The following message is being sent to all clients on Thunder tonight. Note: Due to the way the email list is configured, some clients on our server "Firestorm" may receive this message as well. The message only applies to users on "Thunder."
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Greetings from Charlottezweb!
I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season!
This email is meant to target customers on our first server, Thunder. This server has been in the process of being replaced for several months now and I'm gearing up to complete all transitions within the next 2 weeks.
If you're receiving this email, you site may be impacted. PLEASE read below to ensure your site and email experiences no downtime.
If you have a hosting acount on Thunder (ns1 and ns2.charlottezweb.com), your account(s) will have to be migrated to our new server within the next 2 weeks. If I don't hear from you in advance, I will move your account for you but if you don't update your domain settings, your site(s) will go offline on January 31st, 2008 when Thunder is turned off. That will include your website(s) and email.
The moves are virtually painless but I like to email in advance to see if anyone has special circumstances that we need to accomodate.
What's needed from you?
Simply email me or open a support ticket through your Client Area (http://www.charlottezweb.com/clients/clientarea.php) and let me know your preferred move date. I will be doing moves any evening or on the weekends for the next two weeks.
If you have any doubts, feel free to email me or open a support ticket through your Client Area. It's FAR better to error on the side of caution than to have your site offline for a day or more if you disregard.
If you've already been contacted and moved, please disregard this message.
Thank you for your continued business and best wishes to all for a prosperous 2008!
Cheers,
Jason
I'm one of the ones that got the email even though it doesn't affect my sites.
I just dropped by to say "rest in peace thunder"
Keep up the great work Jason! I wish you the very best for the new year and all the success your heart desires.
Thanks!
I'm going to rebuild the lists for Tempest and Firestorm when this is done -- the other servers should all have their own (accurate) mailing lists already.
Thank you to all who have replied so far. We moved a significant number of accounts tonight. Please keep your emails coming so we can get this done ahead of schedule if possible.
Cheers,
Jason
A second formal note is being emailed again tonight advising that there's only a few weeks left before this server is powered down.
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Greetings,
This is a second reminder that our server Thunder will be powered off permanently in a few weeks. If you haven't already arranged a move with me, please do so immediately to avoid a loss of your site(s) and email at that time.
[link to this thread]
I will be available this weekend and would like to complete as many as possible.
Thank you to everyone who has worked with me thus far. We've moved over half the accounts successfully.
Regards,
Jason
Hi Jason, move me (ofbboard.com) when it suits you no problem for me. Is there anything I need to do before hand?
Nope, I'll just need you to update your nameservers afterwards. I'll schedule you for tonight or tomorrow and will email you with further instructions once complete. Thanks!
you can move me whenever it suits your need groovyzone.org
I'm doing moves now so if today works, I'll do your's within the next couple of hours.
Cheers
that works for me
Reminder that Thunder will be turned off for good in 8 days (Jan 31, 2008).
I will be emailing the people I have not heard from again tomorrow and will move them over the weekend whether I've heard from them or not. (If their nameservers aren't updated within the next week, those sites will go down on Jan 31).
Final Notice just emailed to the remaining account holders on Thunder:
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Greetings,
If you're receiving this email, I have not yet heard back from you regarding the move of your hosting account off of our server Thunder.
I will be moving the remaining sites this weekend and will reply back to you again stating it's done and that you need to update your nameservers.
Failure to update your nameservers before mid next week will likely mean that your sites and email will go offline when Thunder is turned off for good next Thursday, Jan 31, 2008. I can not make this change for you -- you have to do it through your domain registrar.
Please reply back as soon as possible if you have any questions. Otherwise, after your site is moved this weekend, I'll reply again with your new nameservers.
For more information including past emails sent, please read this thread on our forums:
http://www.charlottezweb.com/forums/index.php?topic=875.0
Regards,
Jason
All account moves were completed yesterday and emails sent to everyone involved.
Thunder will be shutdown this week (Jan 31, 2008).
Final reminder to update your nameservers if you were moved and have not yet done so.
Thanks.
Effective this afternoon, all data has been cleared and the request for shutdown has been placed.
(http://www.charlottezweb.com/images/ripthunder.gif)
haha, nice little graphic. :P