Pond Boss is on a shared server, so we will occasionally experience slow load or instances where the site hangs up. The forum seems to be running well now, but there have been a few delays over the last week. If they are becoming a regular daily occurrence, please let us know. Y'all are on the site more than we are and see problems we miss.

I've been having problems for a few days, just haven't gotten around to asking about it yet. For that last day or so I often get timed out before the forum loads. Most of the time I can load the main page but loading any forum page has been difficult lately. I just now came to the forum to see if it was being discussed and found this thread.

...back on fire
thx JP

Just had an outage. I guess it lasted at least an hour.

Sometimes nothing seems to happen when I push the submit button. But when I push it again I get "This post has already been submitted."

Shared servers are part of the problem, but not annoying.

Problem I have is that when I try to log on through a static IP address, nothing, and you can wait for hours.

As soon as I switch my modem to dynamic, Poof!!! your on.

Means only one thing...

I've had the same issues working from different computers and separate locations. 5 minutes ago I couldn't open PB, then just now it opened immediately.

I've been having trouble loading the site from yahoo bookmarks over the last couple of days. When I enter the address manually it works fine. I tried to re-save the address in the bookmark, but am still having the same problem. It may just be a problem with yahoo bookmarks, but my other links seem to work.

During the week I had the same problem as bbjr. Site has been working much better since late Thursday or Friday.

Problems continued off and on 11-16/17-07.

After I open my browser (internet explorer/yahoo), if I try to open the PB forum from my favorites/bookmarks, it does not happen.

For the last week, I almost always have to open another random website from my favorites/bookmarks; after that random page loads, then I select the PB forum from the same list of favorites/bookmarks, and it loads with no problem.

This morning on and off slow as molasses.

For me the Pond Boss site has been slow every day, not just occasional instances. I generally log on in the morning usually between 6:00 am and 8:00 am PST. Every day this week it has required multiple attempts to log on. The inital forums page will load within a reasonable amount of time but then when I attempt to long on, after entering my forums name and password, and click submit or enter or whatever, the site just hangs. Most of the time it "times out." I have tried using different browsers (Internet Explorer - which I hate with a horrible vengence, and Mozilla Firefox) the results were the same regardless of browsers. I then also tried entering the forum url address directly into the address line (as opposed to click take me to my most favorite site on the entire internet) and the results were still the same. Once logged on this was no guarantee that the site would run correctly. Several times when attempting to post I got "timed out" (which is probably a welcome relief for some folks here that get tired of my nonsensical posts). I thought it was a problem at my end so I ran cache cleaners, adwatch, spybot, antivirus and even vacuumed the dust out of the keyboard and cleaned my monitor screen (am I thorough or what?) This morning it took me four attempts to log on and lord knows what will happen when I click Submit to post this.

Here goes......

Brother Mine!

Forum behavior IME this A.M. is about the same as it has been all week, i.e. I can sometimes get directly on, and (as someone mentioned above) sometimes have to go to the Pond Boss home page and use the "Ask the Boss" link. WRT logging on, I never log off. Once on, I can read posts pretty successfully, but the first attempt to MAKE a post 1) locks everything up for a while and 2) does successfully produce a post (we'll see about this instance .......... NOW).

I have also tried going through the main PB which always loads properly, but the problem can happen at any time. I'm at about 70% of normally operation from two different locations on separate computers.

I have also tried going through the main PB which always loads properly, but the problem can happen at any time. I'm at about 70% of normal operation from two different locations on separate computers.

I cannot login using firefox for some reason. I can login with safari everytime. Also when I submit a post, it freezes up, I have to exit the website, but the post is submitted.

That is exactly what happened when I submitted the post above. Then after several attempts to log on I gave up.

This morning I was able to log on without any problems. However we shall see what happens when I submit this post in....

5
4
3
2
1

It did it again. The post was submitted and then my computer froze solid. I had to close down Pond Boss, exit Mozilla, restart Mozilla and then re log onto Pond Boss. I'm sure that when I submit this post the process will start all over again.

HELP JP!!!!

Well I submitted the above post and everything is working normal so far. So I'm gonna post like a raging idiot (I know, I know, what is so different about that right?) while I can.




Let's see, so that would make me the..... dumber brother. DOH!

I've only been able to make one post (hopefully two now) in the last four days. Otherwise my computer times out every time. J.P. I hope we can figure out what's wrong. I'm getting really frustrated.

Yep Bruce, you and me both. After posting the last post I made above I posted to another thread and once again everything locked up. Then it took me two attempts to log back on. The posting count seems as though it's falling fast (I just clicked on the posts made in the past 48 hours and it was only one page of posts, normally it's two or three pages). This is bad enough on high speed internet access. It must be horrible for poor DIED.

I'm with you guys. Tried to post yesterday and timed out.

I'm at about 50% functionality at PB for that last few days.

Loading of the main forum page is sporatic for me. Sometimes it loads okay sometimes it hangs up on the home page. Adding a post is now often a problem. It loads 1/3 of the bar scale and then hangs up. To get off the page, I have to cancel out of the site and reload it. When I do that my post has been loaded. My problems are similar to those stated by Cecil aka CB1 "Sometimes nothing seems to happen when I push the submit button. But when I push it again I get "This post has already been submitted."

Things seem to be normal now & for the last hour or so.

I have no problems connecting to forum with high-speed connection of 54Mbps.
This is a test to see if I have any problems posting.

Continue with no problems connecting or posting.

Something I'd like to add...

It seems like there may be some DNS issues involved here. I have not had any problems at all using PB on my Time Warner connection at home in Kansas City. However, it's been somewhat slow with timeouts from time to time on one of my connections at my corporate office using an ATT business DSL connection (also in KC). My other corporate office connection, a T1 through Everest, has been solid. My ATT business DSL at our Wichita office has been terrible for PB.

Seems like it's not so much the server load or a bandwidth problem, but rather a DNS issue.

It now always takes me 2 clicks for the forum to load from favorites on internet explorer. Just started the last week or so.

Check my last comment. I seized up when I hit "submit."

We'll see how this one goes.

Wow! Strike what I just said. After navigating the forums and making several postings that STUCK but timed out to reload the page after posting, the problem is obviously the parent server. This has absolutely nothing to do with DNS. The problem lies in something I thought I had ruled out actually. It seems that the php wrapper is struggling. This is typically due to a cpu being drawn to it's max. Either this shared server is too overpopulated with accounts or there is one or maybe a couple sites that are drawing HUGE demands on the server. At any rate, the server that PB resides on is not capable of keeping up with all the combined traffic. It's either time to move to a new server with your current host or move to a new host entirely if they are unwilling to correct the problem.

Without action, the forum will remain in it's current state most of the time... slow at best... not working most of the time. What's worse... it will probably only get worse.

Either the current host needs to correct the problem, or it's time to move on to a new host.

I can actually log in now.

I am sure it has to do with a few things on my end and some problems on PB server. Maybe they got hacked and whacked.

I have SprintPCS Mobile Broadband out in the woods and the Sprint sales expert set it up for me in dial-up mode

I played with the settings and set the modem up for broadband, which I purchased, and I get a broadband connection out here.

I did order a dual band repeater from Radio Shack to boost the signal to my pc and cell phone, lets see how that works.

Then I will try a wireless network to set up a couple puters off the internet from the sprint modem. (I feel naked without a couple screen savers running)

I have Charter cable internet at the shop. Maybe Ill head that way this week and check things out.

I do have to bend a pallet fork back into straight shape. Didn't see that red oak root when clearing some brush, lifted the bobcat right off the ground. 9900 lb bobcat, 6000 lb tip over, 3700 lb forks/2=1850 lb/fork --- I can add this to GW,s tool list.

Hauling butt right now, and I only have one bar!

(I do have this on my overpriced laptop/workstation now)

No problem logging in at all.

Lets see if it works in the morning.

It's working now because it's late and there are less people hitting websites on the shared server theat PB resideds on. This means that the server is oversold or over-utilized by a few websites. Either way, it's a serious problem.

OOPS -spoke too soon - booby trapped big time.....

Sequential steps seem to work for me.

1) Close Browser - I use Firefox

2) Open Browser

3) Log In

4) Navigate to post thread

5) Type post

6) Submit post

7) Log Out

8) Start all over

I can't get on by going directly to the Forum from Favorites. However, If I go to the Home Page and click on Ask the Boss, it works OK.

Followed my steps to get here.

Not really sure of what is going on, so I will leave that to the IT Pro's who should be working on this.

After all, funds are being distributed to the people who operate the server. --- I believe that at least a few members are lawyers.

Step 7, I may have to close the browser to log off.

My suspicion is that the server has been compromised in some fashion.

Anyone notice an increase of spam emails in the past few weeks?

I have been unable to post anything until today. Was unable to log onto the forum, keeps timing out when trying to access during peak hours. On occasion I wasnt even able to load the PB home page.

I wasn't able to use the forum much of today. I'm almost frustrated out of my mind.

Me too, but for me it wasn't a long journey.

I have been in touch with DIED and he (on dial up) hasn't been able to access the site long enough to log on. He can view the site but when he tries to log on it times out.

Please, please, please, fix this.

I'm trying something new tonight when making a post. I prepare the post in the response window, open a NEW copy of the forum ("Active Topics") in a new tab (using Firefox), then go back to the first tab and submit the post. The posting tab locks up, but the newly opened tab stays usable.

It's been successful one-for-one so far. Now to try it again.

P.S. Anybody notice how "Preview Reply" works fine without any lockup problems? Does that go back through the server like an actual reply does?

What do you guys have for internet speed?

The faster mine gets out in the woods, the lesser are the problems.

I was hitting in the high 700,s with one full bar and a second that blinked on maybe 5-10% of the time.

Try this --- http://www.speedtest.net/

At least you could be entertained for a half hour or so.

Phil

I haven’t spent much time on the forum recently because performance is just plain bad news.

The times I did post something, there was a server error.

I have gone to composing my post in MS Word and saving; then cutting and pasting it into the Forum editor to avoid typing the whole thing over again.

Whining to a large degree with reason

I've been doing the same thing, as far as cutting and pasting so I don't have to retype messages.

I'd estimate that I've made approximately 30 fewer posts because of the website malfunctioning.

By the way, this particular post took over ten minutes for me to post.

I don't think I am having too many problems, not with the overpriced workstation in the woods. Just wait till the repeater comes in, could be tomorrow.

Tuesday sucks, don't want to do anything, but Ill hit the shop and see whats up.

If you let this go on for too long, you could be in trouble.

Dilirium tremors no doubt from withdrawal from the Pond Boss Forum addiction!

You mean I don't really have little GSF all over me?

My first 3 tries to access the forum were timed out this morning. The strange thing is that once I load the forum I can use it at normal speed until I post. Every time I've posted in the last 5 or 6 days it appears to time out me out again, but the post gets through. Also, after posting I have trouble accessing the forum again.

In summary; hard to get forum loaded, works fine until posting, returns to difficulty accessing forum.

This time was an exception in that I'm able to access the forum a few seconds after posting. Intermittent problems are the worst!

I first tried to log on about 8:30 AM today, and it timed out. I tried again about 9:00, 9:15, 9:30, and 9:45. I finally got logged in now, at about 10:00 AM.

Obviously others were able to log in, as several posts were made during this time.

The forum seemed to work at a normal speed during this time.

Ken

I too can no longer use Mozilla Firefox to log in or to post. I must use Internet Explorer.

EDIT: I had a lot of trouble posting this. It hung up IE and when I closed out and restarted, I found that it had actually posted.

All OK for now????

Check that. Seized up on posting.

That last one was lightning quick.

I have had a heck of a time trying to get logged on the past few days. When I try and log on it says "Page can't be displayed" or something like that. Back when everybody else was having trouble I was doing ok.

Been real hard for me to get on this site the last two days.

I access PB from a few different PC's (work, home etc). I can no longer log in via my work PC. Home is still OK except I get locked up after posting. I know Bob Lusk said they're working on it. Hope it gets fixed soon.

YES, this is very trying for everyone. We have to be patient until Lusk gets back from Mexico.

For me, I can never log on through a bookmark or my favorites list.

I have to go the main Pond Boss home page and then try to click on "Ask the Boss."

The lowest "Ask the Boss" in the lower left corner seems to work the most.

My posts don't always lock up. Sometimes the post goes through lightening quick.

I'm betting it's a DNS problem rather than too much traffic. When I'm lucky enough to get on the site, it's always fast.

bobad, forgive my lack of knowledge, but what's DNS?

Sunil,

It's "Domain Name System", and basically converts a computer-ese name into a friendly name like "pondboss.com". If there are any glitches in the server software, it can get really freaky. It's similar to phoning home and getting a "this phone number doesn't exist, please try again", when you know your phone is working.

Sometimes software can cause conflicts on a shared server. For example, when a certain script is running, it may be monopolizing or temporarily killing another range of addresses.

It's all way over my head, I just know the basics. I have seen DNS problems on other web sites cause the same symptoms.

Thanks bobad.

This is what I mostly have to do to get on the site:
1) Go to the Pond Boss home page.
2) Click on the upper "Ask the Boss."
3) That locks up, so hit the "stop" button on your web browser
4) Then click the lower "Ask the Boss."

And then it loads.

Still seizes up when I make a post most times.

Well, that one worked just fine.

It has been working good this morning.

Edit: It froze when I hit submit.

Yeah, me too..on the post right before yours.

I'm still having a few problems. Long log in times and submit issues are getting frustrating.

Reason I don't think it's a traffic issue is that once I get on the forum, I can read articles, refresh, and do everything fine. Only when I leave the site is it difficult to get back on. Posting appears to hang, but actually posts correctly.

I have had trouble with log in for the past 10 days. I have used 3 different computers. A very slow log in, then when 1/3 done & after 5 minutes the site can not be found page comes up. I was very surprised with an instant log in.

Just bringing up a page is now giving me probems. Very slow load & the dreaded can not find this site.

I haven't been able to logon for several days, though I have attempted many times. This occurred after I posted a new topic. The post timed out and after that I have not been able to log back on until now. About 50% of the time I cannot even get to the Forum page just for reading posts.

Using a saved link to access the PBS site almost never works. If I type in the URL from scratch or type “pondboss.com” in Google it will work most of the time.

Logon to the Forum happens rarely enough that I can’t come up with a standard scenario that would make troubleshooting easier.

I have tried multiple computers on multiple networks with similar problems where ever I am attempting to logon.

I fear that this isn’t an issue with too much traffic but some combination of routing and/or DNS issues. Has an escalated trouble ticket explaining these problems in detail been submitted to the Hosting Company engineers, or is the hope that the “New Server” bullet will clear up these issues? This is something their network engineers should be able to sort out without much problem. I am supposing they have network engineers.

Very frustrating, I must say.

Buck won't even get out of bed anymore knowing he can't log on anyway.

...in order to offer another view:
I use 2 different PC's with IE and get the same reaction on both. I have the PB forum bookmarked in fav's. 1st click goes nowhere fast, but 2nd click on bookmarked fav flies right to the forum and logs me in like lightning. Once on the forum, everything runs fine...except...posting. I get that same issue posting that I have read here already. I submit and it appears to be thinking, thinking, thinking... I open another IE window (maybe 15 seconds later), do the double-click thing noted above to get in, and go to the thread that I posted on. The post will be there. Not only will the post be there, but I can edit immediately and re-submit without any interruptions.

Same for me - I've had no problems at all by second left click that brings forum up fast.
When posting bring up another window the same way and find that post is displyed.

Thnx for your explanation Brett - I didn't know how to explain as well as you did.

Things better for anybody else tonight, too? I've actually made 2 posts and not lost access.

Not much better for me. I've just opened about 3 screens so as I post something, I just close it and go to the next one.

closing now, seeya on the next screen.

Theo - I am replying. See ya shortly, hopefully!

I just used Brettski's double click to get back on - worked AOK. Hafta try that agin tomorrow.

Brettski - You work-around is working for me. Thank you.

We shouldn't need a work-around though.

Times out when I post (DNS ERROR) but the post goes through. Been very slow the last few days.

I got the error again when I posted the above. And every page is slow as molasses. Really bad.

The site is actually functioning for me right now. Anybody else seems to be doing OK? I've noticed that the numbers for the "top posters" which are listed on the left side stopped working about few weeks ago. I wonder if there's somehow a connection?

I spoke too soon. I had a couple of posts, and some navigation that went smoothly, then I went to make a post that said things were working well...and that post took two minutes. Pfhththt!

BC - I have been logged on since yesterday and have posted a few times without a problem. I fear logging off, though.

Love the avatar, Dwight.

Is that a vid of one of Bruce's 3 day old CSBG?

Theo - It is just a few BPBG that stared in that BG video I posted last summer. There aren’t any 3 day old CSBG(they cause global warming) in Bremer Pond.

I thought it looked a little small for a three day old Condello 'gill.

P.S. I'll probably jinx it, but the site has been pretty usable for me today.