I have been working on a new server to host CathInfo (and a few other websites of mine).

I'm making this big announcement so that when you see that CathInfo is down, you won't be wondering or worried.

I have several reasons to upgrade the server:

1. It's been a little over 2 years since I built the existing server, which is like 20 years in "computer years". Hard to believe it's only been 2 years!

2. The new server will be 31% faster. That's an impressive jump for nowadays, and a span of only 2 years. Processing power hasn't improved much, so most of that speed boost is due to switching to AMD's new Ryzen CPU. AMD is Intel's main rival. Right now, the Ryzen CPU offers the best value (by a wide margin!) for processing power per dollar spent.

3. This is big: the new server will have 3 hard drives configured in a redundant array (RAID). That means that if any (1) of the hard drives crashes, I can remove the dead drive, pop in a brand new one, and no data will be lost. Most servers operate this way, but let's not talk about how many hard drives are in my current server (the one CathInfo is currently living on). Let's just say I'm anxious to complete this server upgrade.

Besides the hard drive storage being more reliable/safe, I am also expanding the total capacity from 1 TB to 4 TB. This will allow me to begin hosting websites that require a lot of storage space, like a Youtube clone.

4. Not a big deal, but the new server will be running CentOS 7 instead of CentOS 6. Obviously keeping up with the latest Linux version and other software is a good thing when you're running a web server. While we're talking about small, unnoticeable things, the server will also have twice the RAM (32 GB).

I decided to build a complete 2nd machine and get it all configured before making the switch. That was the only way to upgrade my server without a lot of downtime. CathInfo alone needs to be up 24/7. I have done a lot of work already to get the new server 100% operational. In fact, I'd rather not talk about how long I've been sitting on this new server hardware! :) I had to build the machine, set up the RAID array, install Linux, install all the web server software packages, configure them, and get dozens of things working as they should. Recently, I copied over each of my websites and as of right now, they all work.

Here's the plan:

When I have time (possibly as early as Thursday, May 2), I'm going to take down CathInfo and make one last database backup. I will then transfer it to the new server and restore it there. Once the latest copy of the CathInfo database is restored, I should be able to bring the site back up. 

All my other sites either don't have a database that changes minute-to-minute (like CathInfo) or they have already been switched to use the new server for all database reads/writes. So the other sites are pretty much ready to go.

Once I "throw the switch", the change should be instantaneous: instead of all web traffic being routed to my old server, it will be routed to my new server instead. 

Then, once everything is running fine for a couple days, I'll take the server down again for 15 min. as I transfer it to its permanent home closer to the Internet source, up on a high shelf, plugged into a UPS battery backup.

AMD has always been a better value ... and it wasn't plagued with that huge security hole that Intel had.  Back in the day when I used to build my own PCs, I always opted for the AMD.  Sometimes half the price for the same power.

Thanks for all your time and hard work invested in CathInfo.

Everything seems to be working --

Everything seems to be working --

Uh, oh.

Cue the penultimate movement [##] of Beethoven's [×] Symphonie Nr. 9.  Or maybe start with the 2nd movement [#].

May God help ‘Matthew’ over the upcoming computational rough spots, esp. if he decides to go for it today.

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Note #: I was thinking of the movement that readers of a certain age might call the Huntley-Brinkley Movement, but that's the 2nd movement (of the 9th).

Note ##: Because the symphony has 5 movements, its choral finale being the 5th, thus the penultimate movement is the 4th.  Oooh!  oooh!  I just found my compact disc (how quaint!)   It's Deutsche Grammophon mit Berliner Philharmoniker!  Alas, I'll need to close my browser on this awfully underpowered p.c. to listen.

Note ×: Would God have given such talent for musical beauty to a Protestant?  Did He know something about the soul of Herr L. van B. (1770--1827) that historians of music had no power to discover?