h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Can someone tell me why and how the site becomes almost impossible to access at around 2 to 3 a.m. UK time every night, and then recovers after that?

Traveller in Time not noticed a significant dip last night
"On that time the Servers go throug a daily reboot. Most times this oly takes minutes but sometimes they have problems starting up together again. "

I though it was when the 606 crowd get back from the nightclub.

Thanks Traveller in Time .

Icy - EVERY night?


Jab

The server reboot typically has little or no effect on access - servers are rebooted one at a time so you've only got a one in six chance to hit a rebooting server.

The bigger problem is that the SSO membership database is backed up at 2am, during which time it will refuse to process updates. If you come to the site after this process has started, having been away for a little while, SSO will have logged you out, so DNA tries to log you back in - this requires a database update which will hang until the database backup is finished.

If you visit the site immediately before the backup starts, DNA can log you in, and subsequent pages will only require reads from the membership database, which work properly. But if you then go to another DNA site it will hang again, because we'll be trying to log you into the different site, which requires a write.

Many thanks Jim

Jab