Submitted by Shelley on Thu, 11/17/2011 - 07:43
Something is up with my VPS (virtual private server) the last 24 hours. I've twice had memory spikes that caused a kernel panic, which basically flat lined my system.
I did find out I was using an outdated Linode kernel, so hoping this might have led to the problem. Otherwise, I'll have to indulge in some detective work.
I run my own email server, too, so if perchance you sent me an email in the last 24 hours, you're not a spammer, and you're expecting an answer, you might want to re-send. I shouldn't be losing any email, but life is funny that way.
And if you see my site down, no worries: I've not packed up my marbles and run away from the web. I'm just dealing with some technical issues.
Submitted by Shelley on Thu, 01/06/2011 - 20:42
I'm still delighted with my new Linode VPS. I added one button backup to my plan, and that's made all the difference in the world. Now, when I'm about to try something tricky, such as setting up a site firewall, I can make a snapshot backup first. Then, if my site gets toasted, I can restore a good copy with a click of a button. Lovely.
After five years I finally broke down a bought a new laptop, a Toshiba. Not only am I trying to find my way around a new machine, but also a new operating system. My current older computers are a PowerPC Mac, and an old Dell running Windows XP.
Submitted by Shelley on Sun, 01/02/2011 - 17:28
As you can see if you're reading this, the move to a new hosting company went very well. I'm already exceptionally pleased with Linode, not the least of which the dashboard the company provides makes maintaining the site so much easier.
The only real challenges I faced were setting up the email system, and porting my Just Shelley web site; the former is just plain cumbersome, and the latter did not like the move to a PHP 5.3 environment. After the move I discovered that Drupal 7 is PHP 5.3 friendly, Drupal 6 is not. There is something in Just Shelley that triggered problems, though luckily the other sites ported without any problems.
So, I've upgrade Just Shelley to Drupal 7, as well as having installed a new Drupal 7 account, and I'm finally getting a chance to take the new version for a run. I can already see I have a lot of work to do. Yes, a lot of work.
Submitted by Shelley on Wed, 12/15/2010 - 11:41
As I detail in RealTech, not only am I upgrading to Drupal 7, I'm also moving to a new host. I figured it was time to move to a server where I have more control over the environment.
I'm also doing other work, which may leave my site in a tangled mess at times. If you don't see any web pages, or don't get an immediate email reply, it's just me deep in the inner workings of the Burningbird Monster, trying to determine what happens when I pull this, push that.
