New Server Updates

webmaster · 11-13-2005, 11:44 AM

For anyone interested I'm going to post updates and announcements in this thread about progress I'm making on the site since it was moved to the new server on Saturday (11/12).

1. Webmaster Email - Until this morning I was unable to use the winnipesaukee.com mailservers. I finally solved the problem but I may have missed some mail in the last 24 hours. If you wrote to me please resend if you don't get a reply.

2. PhotoPost integration on the Forum - You may have noticed that the PhotoPost preview and categories are no longer on the Forum index. Those features will be added this week after I upgrade the PhotoPost software.

3. Email notifications - Because of the email problems I haven't tested all the email notifications on the various site features. I apologize if you missed any notifications.

4. The upgrade of the Forum software was completely successful and we're now using the latest version. It looks the same but there have been numerous fixes and improvements. The problems some members had with private messaging and attachment quotas have been fixed and everyone should now be able to use those features.

I'll post more updates as I work my way through these issues.

Don

webmaster · 11-14-2005, 06:00 PM

Since my last post I have worked through almost every server issue and feel like the server project is all done but the tweaking.

1. All email problems have been solved.

2. PhotoPost is again open to photo uploads and comments. These were turned off during the transition to the new server.

3. All the sites hosted by my server have now been moved and are operational. There are 10 sites all together including http://www.winnipesaukee.com, http://www.rattlesnakecam.com, http://www.echoshores.com and 3 sites from Yosemite National Park, but that's another story.

4. The only remaining project is PhotoPost. The preview pane and categories have not been added to the forum index page yet. I don't want to do that until I upgrade the PhotoPost software which has automatic forum integration built in. The old forum index was specially customized to include the PhotoPost elements. Now it's much easier to do.

So why not just upgrade the PhotoPost software? I tried to do that all last week before the new server went online and was never able to successfully update the databases to work with the new version. Now that I'll be working on a live database (shared with the forum) I have to be very careful not to mess it up.

My current plan is to shut down PhotoPost and the Forum later this week when I have more time, backup the whole thing, install the PhotoPost upgrade and try the database update again. If I can't get it working in a short time I can just restore the old version.

If I can get this done you'll see a big difference in PhotoPost. The new version more completely integrates with the forum and the PhotoPost pages have the forum's headers, footers, table design and other elements. It's pretty slick.

Don

webmaster · 11-15-2005, 10:25 AM

Mcdude discovered that attachments were now limited to 4 per post and that animated avatars were no longer allowed. These are new settings that I have now adjusted to remove those limitations.

webmaster · 11-17-2005, 02:08 PM

A huge milestone for me was reached today with the successful upgrade of the PhotoPost software! Both the Forum and PhotoPost are now running the latest versions with full built-in integration. This was one of my primary goals when I set up the new server and I'm happy to say everything seems to be working well.

The completion of the upgrades has allowed me to put the PhotoPost preview and categories back on the Forum index.

PhotoPost now looks very much like the forum and shares the same headers and footers. The new look and feel may take a little getting used to but the speed and advantages of the new version should outweigh any adjustment to the new format.

The new version's documentation says that the paths to photos have been shortened and this could affect links to photos displayed on the Forum. I'll be watching for this and will make an announcement if it becomes a problem. I also need to make a few other tweaks as usual.

Now can I take the rest of the year off and reintroduce myself to my family?

Don

webmaster · 11-17-2005, 04:50 PM

If you visited PhotoPost today you probably noticed a new layout and some new features. One of the new bell & whistles is the sidebar and comment display.

I am still experimenting with those features so you may see them change in the next few days.

Don

11-13-2005, 11:44 AM	#1
webmaster Moderator Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 2,432 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 438 Thanked 3,726 Times in 824 Posts	New Server Updates For anyone interested I'm going to post updates and announcements in this thread about progress I'm making on the site since it was moved to the new server on Saturday (11/12). 1. Webmaster Email - Until this morning I was unable to use the winnipesaukee.com mailservers. I finally solved the problem but I may have missed some mail in the last 24 hours. If you wrote to me please resend if you don't get a reply. 2. PhotoPost integration on the Forum - You may have noticed that the PhotoPost preview and categories are no longer on the Forum index. Those features will be added this week after I upgrade the PhotoPost software. 3. Email notifications - Because of the email problems I haven't tested all the email notifications on the various site features. I apologize if you missed any notifications. 4. The upgrade of the Forum software was completely successful and we're now using the latest version. It looks the same but there have been numerous fixes and improvements. The problems some members had with private messaging and attachment quotas have been fixed and everyone should now be able to use those features. I'll post more updates as I work my way through these issues. Don

11-14-2005, 06:00 PM	#2
webmaster Moderator Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 2,432 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 438 Thanked 3,726 Times in 824 Posts	11/14 Update Since my last post I have worked through almost every server issue and feel like the server project is all done but the tweaking. 1. All email problems have been solved. 2. PhotoPost is again open to photo uploads and comments. These were turned off during the transition to the new server. 3. All the sites hosted by my server have now been moved and are operational. There are 10 sites all together including http://www.winnipesaukee.com, http://www.rattlesnakecam.com, http://www.echoshores.com and 3 sites from Yosemite National Park, but that's another story. 4. The only remaining project is PhotoPost. The preview pane and categories have not been added to the forum index page yet. I don't want to do that until I upgrade the PhotoPost software which has automatic forum integration built in. The old forum index was specially customized to include the PhotoPost elements. Now it's much easier to do. So why not just upgrade the PhotoPost software? I tried to do that all last week before the new server went online and was never able to successfully update the databases to work with the new version. Now that I'll be working on a live database (shared with the forum) I have to be very careful not to mess it up. My current plan is to shut down PhotoPost and the Forum later this week when I have more time, backup the whole thing, install the PhotoPost upgrade and try the database update again. If I can't get it working in a short time I can just restore the old version. If I can get this done you'll see a big difference in PhotoPost. The new version more completely integrates with the forum and the PhotoPost pages have the forum's headers, footers, table design and other elements. It's pretty slick. Don

11-15-2005, 10:25 AM	#3
webmaster Moderator Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 2,432 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 438 Thanked 3,726 Times in 824 Posts	Forum Tweaks Mcdude discovered that attachments were now limited to 4 per post and that animated avatars were no longer allowed. These are new settings that I have now adjusted to remove those limitations.

11-17-2005, 02:08 PM	#4
webmaster Moderator Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 2,432 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 438 Thanked 3,726 Times in 824 Posts	11/17 Update A huge milestone for me was reached today with the successful upgrade of the PhotoPost software! Both the Forum and PhotoPost are now running the latest versions with full built-in integration. This was one of my primary goals when I set up the new server and I'm happy to say everything seems to be working well. The completion of the upgrades has allowed me to put the PhotoPost preview and categories back on the Forum index. PhotoPost now looks very much like the forum and shares the same headers and footers. The new look and feel may take a little getting used to but the speed and advantages of the new version should outweigh any adjustment to the new format. The new version's documentation says that the paths to photos have been shortened and this could affect links to photos displayed on the Forum. I'll be watching for this and will make an announcement if it becomes a problem. I also need to make a few other tweaks as usual. Now can I take the rest of the year off and reintroduce myself to my family? Don

11-17-2005, 04:50 PM	#5
webmaster Moderator Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 2,432 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 438 Thanked 3,726 Times in 824 Posts	PhotoPost Enhancements If you visited PhotoPost today you probably noticed a new layout and some new features. One of the new bell & whistles is the sidebar and comment display. I am still experimenting with those features so you may see them change in the next few days. Don