Post by Acaos on Jul 12, 2020 20:46:48 GMT
Hello all,
We hope you're all staying safe.
We're posting because we have an issue with the hardware currently hosting Higher Ground. We've been using the same hardware (a server which I own) since approximately 2008 (and the actual VMs hosting HG have been up for around ten years without restarts).
Today, we lost a drive on the server. We have (and continue to make) regular backups, but we anticipate potential performance or reliability issues until it can be replaced. However, there are some issues:
Because of the above issues, the HG Team is looking at a few alternatives, and we wanted to give you a chance to give your input. We'll be as transparent as possible with the facts, so you can assess for yourselves:
Given all the above factors, paying (and waiting for) a replacement drive doesn't seem to be a practical solution, so the HG Team is looking at a few options:
Either way, we intend to keep HG up and running, and finish what we started.
Please share any thoughts you have, and we'll let you know when the Team makes a decision.
Thanks!
Acaos
We hope you're all staying safe.
We're posting because we have an issue with the hardware currently hosting Higher Ground. We've been using the same hardware (a server which I own) since approximately 2008 (and the actual VMs hosting HG have been up for around ten years without restarts).
Today, we lost a drive on the server. We have (and continue to make) regular backups, but we anticipate potential performance or reliability issues until it can be replaced. However, there are some issues:
- The replacement cost of the drive is approximately $600 with an 8-12 week lead time.
- Because this is a server drive on a (rather ancient) RAID controller (which replicates data across drives in the system to prevent loss when one fails, as it did here), the replacement drive must be exactly the same model and revision as the existing drive.
- We could replace the drive with a much less expensive 'this might work' drive, but this could risk the entire server if the resynchronization fails.
- The server is hosted in a datacenter, and another problem is that (due to COVID-19), I am unsure when I can get access to perform the drive replacement.
Because of the above issues, the HG Team is looking at a few alternatives, and we wanted to give you a chance to give your input. We'll be as transparent as possible with the facts, so you can assess for yourselves:
- I did some initial pricing of a new server, and it would cost about $2,100 (potentially a bit more depending on final tax and shipping cost). If I purchased a new server, it would probably last another 10 years, since NWN is not particularly hardware-intensive.
- Currently, we have the benefit of free network connectivity and datacenter hosting. I also cover about $20/mo for some webserver and development repository costs, as well as any necessary maintenance costs on the server itself. Note that the server does not run only HG - I also use it to run some of my own services and for some friends.
- However, we may not be able to continue hosting in the current location indefinitely. If pushed, I could switch to hosting HG at my house (and have before briefly), but the connection would likely be quite a bit worse.
- The same problem with access to the existing server for hardware replacement also applies to the installation of a brand new server.
- Our current hosting situation has prevented us from listing Higher Ground on any third-party listings for some time. Every time we have done so, we start being hit by DDoS attacks.
- We've also researched a number of cloud hosting options, running between $110 and $200 a month, with one costing approximately $142/mo seeming like the best fit. This would also be a significant upgrade to our configuration (as would the above new server).
- Cloud hosting is much more versatile, and would allow us to relatively easily upgrade or downgrade HG's configuration as needed.
- Cloud hosting would handle the DDoS attacks for us, allowing us to list ourselves on the third-party game sites again. While this would open another opportunity for new players to find us, it's unclear how many actually would.
- We currently receive approximately $86/mo on Patreon, plus the occasional PayPal donation.
Given all the above factors, paying (and waiting for) a replacement drive doesn't seem to be a practical solution, so the HG Team is looking at a few options:
- Buy the new server (roughly $2100), install it, and swap to using it. We'll continue covering any monthly and maintenance expenses (e.g. the $20/mo mentioned above). If we do this, we would likely do a GoFundMe. I would likely cover any cost not covered by the GoFundMe.
- Switch to using cloud hosting (as we have done in the past). We'd have monthly expenses of roughly $142/mo (the $20/mo mentioned above would be moved to the cloud hosting). If we do this, I'll continue covering any existing overage (since I would be moving the services from my server to this cloud host as well).
Either way, we intend to keep HG up and running, and finish what we started.
Please share any thoughts you have, and we'll let you know when the Team makes a decision.
Thanks!
Acaos