FQuest Notice: NINE emergency repairs

[Terra]

At midnight tonight, NINE will be going offline for emergency hardware repairs...

I have tracked down the random lockup problem that has plagued NINE the past week...[nbsp][nbsp]It appears that the FPU unit on CPU1 was intermittantly failing...[nbsp][nbsp]This problem was well hidden as most program calculations use the integer functions of a processor...[nbsp][nbsp]My assumption is that there was enough of a circuit/electical problem that it would disrupt the CPU just enough to cause random lockups without providing any usefull debugging information...

I will work steadfast to complete these repairs as quickly as possible...

Thank you for your patience as we drill down into this problem and solve it...

--
Andrew Gillespie
Systems Administrator
FutureQuest, Inc.

[Bradley]

*CLAPS* Glad you found NINEs problem.. are there any problems with SEVEN? I cant access my site.. I tried a tracert but to stopped at hop 15.. gahh
------------------
Bradley Noe
www.ganon.net (http://www.ganon.net)
I'm on a Futurequest (http://www.Futurequest.net), are you?

[Drew]

Bad day for the servers!![nbsp][nbsp]I can't get to my site either.[nbsp][nbsp]Seven must be down :([nbsp][nbsp]Rough day!
Drew

[nemesis]

Yep, us too. No site, mail, or ftp (on Seven).
------------------
---------------------------------
The Complete Buffy Episode Guide
www.buffyguide.com (http://www.buffyguide.com)

[LeeH]

Seven down?

[LeeH]

I tried contacting you via email and received this response:

<<Quote>>
Hello,

Please view http://www.aota.net/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000344-1.html and http://www.aota.net/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000345-1.html for reference.[nbsp][nbsp]

We are experiencing some problems and all should be back up soon.

Any time there are server problems, the forums are the fastest way to receive an update.

Deb
<<End Quote>>

I tried posting a message but received this message. What if there are no messages about the server being down?

<<Quote>>
Sorry, but only Forum Administrators may post new topics in the Server News and Server Alpha/Beta/Gamma forums. Please use the Server Questions and Suggestions forum instead.
<<End Quote>>

What are we supposed to do just sit back and hopefully you will catch it and wait for you to post to the forum?

[wolfstalks]

Well in my experience FQ has always been right on top of any server problems.[nbsp][nbsp]Example just look back to the post about Astro earlier today.[nbsp][nbsp] They are working hard to get everything back up and running right now, and I for one am very glad that they post to the forums, I'd hate to see them spending all their time answering our e-mails!
Keep Up the Great Work.
------------------
Have a Good One
Bob

[Bradley]

Server News is only for news abvout the servers.. and well only the FQ staff know that obviously.. so that does make sense.. if you notice a problems post it in server questions and suggestions[nbsp]
------------------
Bradley Noe
www.ganon.net (http://www.ganon.net)
I'm on a Futurequest (http://www.Futurequest.net), are you?

[wolfstalks]

Seven is back up !!!![nbsp][nbsp] Go TeRRA !!!!

Have a Good One
Bob

---May the force be with you---

[LeeH]

Hi Bob,

I have other sites hosted elsewhere and it seem that I must contact them to let them know the server is down. I am not aware how things are done at FQ.

If they have 24 hour monitoring and keep up to date forums that is great.

I am not complaining, just trying to figure out the appropriate manner in which to check on servers since I can only respond to messages and not post a new topic.

[Bradley]

Just read you latest topic.. I understand about wondering about the servers.. what is the problem. how soon, etc. The forums are the best bet.. unless Taz is down <g> ;) .. I think the forums are on taz :P
------------------
Bradley Noe
www.ganon.net (http://www.ganon.net)
I'm on a Futurequest (http://www.Futurequest.net), are you?
[This message has been edited by brnoe (edited 03-06-00@11:52 pm)]

[wolfstalks]

I understand, I have been in that Where is My Web Site H...
before, send e-mails, pray for a response, hope that they are up and running before one of the web site owners notice !!![nbsp][nbsp]That's one of the reasons I am Soooooo Happy here at FQ their support is outstanding and we are always kept informed through the forums.[nbsp][nbsp]Welcome to FQ

Have a Good One
Bob

Ps: Nope don't work for FQ and don't get a dime from Deb either:P[nbsp]

[JoeRT]

What are we supposed to do just sit back and hopefully you will catch it and wait for you to post to the forum? Well, yeah![nbsp][nbsp]TeRRa can tell you when I first got here I was the absolute WORST at firing off an e-mail the minute there was any hint of a problem with the server.[nbsp][nbsp]I had come from a couple hosts that could literally go hours without knowing there was a problem, then take another day to fix them.[nbsp][nbsp]Then, after a couple months, I learned FQ actually paid attention to server status.[nbsp][nbsp]I bit my tongue (or fingers?) and held off sending an e-mail for at least an hour... and they always had the system back up or message posted why not.[nbsp][nbsp]So, really, waiting isn't a bad thing with FQ... it lets them get to the important stuff... fixing the servers!

------------------
Joe Torsitano
www.weatherforyou.com (http://www.weatherforyou.com)
www.tiswest.com (http://www.tiswest.com)

[tedloh]

What Joe says goes for me too.[nbsp][nbsp]Now I simply relax, and spend more time dreaming up new ideas :)[nbsp][nbsp]This is what support is all about!
------------------
Ted (Chief Do-It-All)
Tygre Systems Co Ltd
Bangkok, Thailand, Land of Smiles :) :)
http://www.tygresystems.com (work currently on hold)
ted@tygresystems.com

[Terra]

As with all technology - stuff breaks when you least expect it or need it...

With a 24/7 society, no time is a good time...[nbsp][nbsp]You would think in the early AM would be an ok time for (scheduled) server maintenance, but lest not forget about all of our fine international customers that are on the opposite side of the clock...[nbsp][nbsp];)

You can never predict the severity of problems, or when they are going to happen...[nbsp][nbsp]FutureQuest has enjoyed some very solid uptime lately, but it appears that it was the calm before a major storm that brewed last week...[nbsp][nbsp]I've been hugging the telephone pole and clawing to the top (to get a better look) while gusts of 100+ have been blowing my way...

It is widely known that the servers can be tempermental due to their underpinnings built upon high performance configurations that can push the hardware/OS towards it's envelope...[nbsp][nbsp]My job is to provide the best of both worlds (stability/performance), but as with a see-saw, it goes both ways...[nbsp][nbsp]Even so, we still have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us as we inch our ways to the solutions required in obtaining the 99.9999% holy grail of hosting...

We learn every step of the way, watching every aspect of our operations from every angle...[nbsp][nbsp]FQuest is constantly evolving to keep up with the rapid pace of progressive technology...

In conclusion, I can honestly say that we service some of the best site owners on the net...[nbsp][nbsp]Many recognize the path we are walking and stand behind us every step of the way...[nbsp][nbsp]It is the community within that makes this dream, called FutureQuest, come true...

Thanks everyone for your stance and support!

--
Terra
--Piece by piece, step by step--
FutureQuest

[Sam]

Just curious - how does one spot a problem with a processor's floating point unit in the first place?[nbsp][nbsp]My dominant nerd side is always interested in such stories.

[Terra]

Believe it or not, I tripped over it...

When I was doing HD R/W metrics, I was using 'procinfo' configured as so:
$procinfo -n2 -D -S

About 90 seconds later, it keeled over with a 'Floating Point Error'...[nbsp][nbsp]Reran, same problem but different length of time to error...[nbsp][nbsp]At this point, I knew how to recreate and force the condition...

I then searched through both the procinfo and kernel source and determined this was a kernel exception...[nbsp][nbsp]It appeared that the kernel FPU emulator tried to kick in and take over but didn't quite make it in time...[nbsp][nbsp]I then loaded up a custom written kernel module (part of the Guardian project) and trapped the error showing clearly the problem was within the CPU...

From there, the rest is history... ;)

--
Terra
--Watching the world through a fish bowl--
FutureQuest

[frankc]

teRRa, you are *indeed* incredible![nbsp][nbsp]Thanks to you and the FQ team for top-notch service!
------------------
Frank
Hosanna! Lutheran Church www.hosannachurch.com (http://www.hosannachurch.com)
[nbsp]--and--
Pacesetter &quot;Moving Message&quot; Signs www.pace-setter.com (http://www.pace-setter.com)
[and IRO www.electronicsign.net] (http://www.electronicsign.net])

[LeeH]

It is very hard to sit back and wait when you run a fee based subscription website when you have thousands of users.

I hope all of my competitors take that view in all of their business practices. I would finally be able to laugh all the way to the bank.

Seven seems to be very temperamental. In compared to my other host (dynamicnet.net)I can tell you that I have noticed it down about 3 times in the last 2 years, however I have noticed seven to be down about 6 times in the last 3 months.

I suggest that you should lean more toward stability and less to performance. Performance means squat if someone clicks on my link and it does not load. That person is lost forever.

The average user has a 28.8 connection and they do not care so much about speed, they want to see the page that they click on, period.

[Deb]

It is very hard to sit back and wait ... when you have thousands of users. I couldn't agree more, which is why we try to stay on top of things when they do go wrong.

FutureQuest is home to developer's servers and we are constantly trying new things and pushing forward with all we have -- What we have is not &quot;Verio&quot; standards (millions in revenue) but rather a set of brains and tenacity to go with them that create the ability to take many risks and step forward.

We try to implement what the site owners request -- some work, some do not but I'm proud to say we try :)

Stability is something we take very seriously as well as power &amp; tools.[nbsp][nbsp]We will continue to mix&amp;match until we find the absolute best of both worlds.[nbsp][nbsp]It works for some and not others.[nbsp][nbsp]Everything depends on your requirements as to whether or not what we have to offer is correct for your site.[nbsp][nbsp]We consider the option of loosing many of the tools on a server here and there to offer a striped down version of services in return for .4% in extra uptime and will continue to consider it but so far the progress in keeping the sites up more than 99.5% of the time has been great enough to keep us moving forward rather than the other way around.

Deb
[nbsp]-
[nbsp]Grass is always greener....

[LeeH]

Hi Deb,

I would like to say that I am very pleased with the service I receive from FQ.

My post was to the other posts about &quot;just sit back and wait&quot;.

The reason I stated my opinion about leaning more towards stability is because I want to move all of my sites to FQ, and reliability and stability are paramount over performance.

Maybe I don't quite understand what you mean by performance.

A race car might make a few real fast laps but if it can't complete the race what is accomplished?

Lee

Grazing just fine on this grass...

[tedloh]

Lee, welcome to FQ.

Basically, first and foremost in everyone's minds is uptime, closely followed by bandwidth.[nbsp][nbsp]I highly doubt that the FQ team will sacrifice stability and uptime for a little extra speed - but you see a lot of talk about the additional speediness of this tool or that.

A lot of the developers demand the latest version of certain software so that they can either use a new function or get past a known bug.[nbsp][nbsp]So on occasion - but not before extensive testing - Terra will upload the latest PHP kernel, or Apache, or whatever.

This is done not only to increase stability but also to improve overall performance.[nbsp][nbsp]I can guarantee you if the change causes the system to go down MORE often, then Terra will quickly switch back to the old version.

Having said all that, there MUST surely be some reason you left your old host.[nbsp][nbsp]The only people who leave here are those who require dedicated servers.[nbsp][nbsp]Kind of like the Hotel California...[nbsp][nbsp]you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave... :P

Speaking of which, has anyone seen Tatu lately?
------------------
Ted (Chief Do-It-All)
Tygre Systems Co Ltd
Bangkok, Thailand, Land of Smiles :) :)
http://www.tygresystems.com (work currently on hold)
ted@tygresystems.com

[Charles Capps]

If you think SEVEN's performance is discouraging, take a look at this time last year, if the messages are still around - SIX's rollout.[nbsp][nbsp]

I was one of the first on SIX...[nbsp][nbsp]She was down and out often (comparatively often, that is) for the first two months, until things calmed down and the poor thing's life was threatened...[nbsp][nbsp]Something about being thrown in a river or something like that?[nbsp][nbsp];)

Since SIX's introduction, she's been cloned a few times...[nbsp][nbsp]NINE, then SEVEN, now ASTRO...[nbsp][nbsp]The formula that made a stable SIX made those servers quite spectacular as well.[nbsp][nbsp]
Every now and then, however, something does go wrong... and lately it's been hardware related, such as[nbsp][nbsp]a CPU going weird or someone accidentally whacking the switch on the UPS.[nbsp][nbsp];)

Stick around for a bit longer &amp; move over your other sites... You won't be dissapointed.[nbsp][nbsp]:)

[LeeH]

You make some good points however, I was under the impression that FQ was pushing the limits of stability/performace.

I did not move the site I have hosted at FQ, It has been there since inception. I am considering moving my other site due to price, which is the last of my concerns when it comes to reliability/stability/preformance.

I would like to have all of my sites with one hosting company and I like the support forum and monitoring at FQ.

The reason I am planning on moving my other sites are due to price ($90) per month compared to FQ ($35).

[Dan Kaplan]

Several people of late have reported third party uptime reports for FutureQuest, and they have been well above the &quot;top 100&quot; hosts in terms of stability and performance on average.[nbsp][nbsp]I doubt you can find a better combination of price, performance, and stability, not necessarily in that order.

Defensive

[LeeH]

Well with this type of customer loyalty, FQ must be doing something right.

I will be switching my other sites when I can.

I might have been too quick to judge the down time of seven.

Please accept my apologies.