QRZ System Upgrade Scheduled

[AA7BQ]

QRZ.COM Schedules Network Upgrade

For most of QRZ.COM's life we have been served by a T1 network connection to the internet backbone. #When the connection was first made, the 1.544 Mb/s T1 speed was quite remarkable and very ample for our user's demands. #

Today, however, things have changed. #Our current T1 connection routinely reaches 100% capacity and over time averages 96% utilization during the peak hours of the day. #

Our users have noticed this and some have even gone to other websites in seek of better performance. #Our traffic analysis shows that we're serving about 8 million pages per month and at the current network capacity we simply cannot push any more data out the pipe.

With this in mind, we have placed the order for a second T1 line which will be multiplexed with the first and will DOUBLE our available network bandwidth. # After the upgrade is complete, we'll have over 3 Mb/s of capacity and we're looking forward to being able to serve more people, more quickly than ever before with this system upgrade. #The upgrade will take place within the next couple of weeks. #QRZ will post an announcement when the new line goes live (but you'll probably notice it yourself!).

Naturally, the upgrade comes with increased costs and we're hoping that the added capacity will eventually pay for itself. #The business of running QRZ is the same as any other enterprise and to that end we must graciously thank those users who purchase products and services from QRZ such as our QRZ CDROM (https://secure.qrz.com/store/qrz_cd.html), as well as our Online License Renewal Service. #Our advertisers also provide generous support and working together, all of these things help to make the QRZ site a success.

If you wish to donate to the QRZ network upgrade cause, may we suggest that you order one of our QRZ CDROM's (https://secure.qrz.com/store/qrz_cd.html). #If you don't need a copy of the CD, just write the word DONATION in the Comments section of your order. #Whether you elect to receive a QRZ or just donate, your patronage will be truly appreciated.

In addition to buying QRZ products, please visit our sponsor's websites to show your support for QRZ. #Let them know that you were sent by QRZ!

Finally, thanks to all of our users (now over 150,000 registered), for being a part of the QRZ phenomonon. #We're looking forward to a great 2004!

-fred # AA7BQ

[W0LC]

Check's on the way Fred and I hope in some small way it helps out!

Chris

[n5lgv]

That's great Fred. Bandwidth, Bandwidth, Bandwidth, that's the name of the game.

QRZ.com is a really great site and a real asset to the Ham community.

Now if QSL.net will only follow your lead ??

73

[k3tkj]

QSL.NET has 5 T1's and processes about 60 page requests a second. Tp paraphrase the post above

It's money, money, money...

Bandwidth = money #QSL.NET spends just a tad over $1600 a month for #bandwidth.....not to shaby for a site that sells nothing and is totally user supported.

73, Al #K3TKJ

[ka1kjz]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (k3tkj @ Dec. 02 2003,18:00)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">QSL.NET has 5 T1's and processes about 60 page requests a second. Tp paraphrase the post above[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
And still somehow its the slowest site on the internet. All it serves are ham radio pages, sorry to burst anyone's bubble but we are only a very small percentage of internet users.

[k5co]

I find the QRZ.com site very entertaining and useful. Even the battles over code vs. no code help to gain perspective, not to mention the hundreds of other postings. WE don't get this kind of in-fighting in our magazines and I believe that it is a healthy exchange.
I have already patronized QRZ advertisers and will do so in the future.
It would seem appropriate to ask dealers in used equipment to chip in a buck or more per listing for advertising. I hope tha QRZ makes it as any business has to make it:via profits. And I'll keep patronizing advertisers who support it. .

KD5PSH http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[KH2D]

And still somehow its the slowest site on the internet.

Two reasons:

1. Hams are notoriously CHEAP, and the percentage of users who also are contributors is probably extremely small....

2. It's FREE, so the great majority of hams that use it to host web sites don't worry about bandwidth. Half of them probably don't know what bandwidth is. They just let Al worry about the bandwidth.....

Personally, I think ham radio would be better off if the Ikonbored Forums here, with the constant arguing and name calling, were gone. There is some useful stuff on QRZ.Com, but I don't think the constant bickering and the opportunity to show the world how collectively illiterate hams are is one of them.

But then again, the forums are here because of pageviews, pageviews, pageviews to attract advertisers, advertisers, advertisers, which is obviously more important than ham radio looking like a bunch of freaks, jerks and weirdos that can't spell or construct a sentence.

73, Jim KH2D

[kl7ibv]

I just wanted to say, that the local cable company here in my little town (4500 people) has a business hookup that's 2GigByte for less than a T1 line. At least that's what the MIS guy for my company tells me. If you haven't explored that option/possibility, you may be missing a good thing.

Larry KL7IBV in Wisconsin http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[W9AFR]

One if the things that drive me nuts is going throught 10 pages just to get to the end of the Code/no code holy War to read the last 25 comments.

You might put it a button to take you to the end of the topic and skip down load extra pages.

Another thing is when you activate the transfer at the last page put the new display as the first entry instead of in the middle.

Reducing the page downloads might not reduce the need for a second T1 line but might spead thing up.

Thanks

Alvin W9AFR

[K4QT]

Fred, I'm pleased to help. My check's in the mail.

Thanks and best 73, Dave

[W0UZR]

Hay Fred:

# # # #I'm computer illiterate. After all these years I've just got my first computer. And I am trying to remember back in 1969 on what computers were like.

# # # #And as far as I know, I don't remember any home computers and if they even has monitors. #I noticed you joined QRZ in 1969. So what was online or computers like then when you joined?? #And QRZ?
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The date joined in my profile is just plain wrong. #It is actually set to zero which the system interprets as January 1, 1970, the date that UNIX considers to be the "epoch". #Oh well. #QRZ was first constructed as a dial-up bulletin board back in 1992 and went on the internet in 1993. #We were one of the first 10,000 websites in existence.
-fred
[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

# # # # # # # # # # # # # kb0uzr

[KC5JSR]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (k3tkj @ Dec. 02 2003,18:00)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">QSL.NET has 5 T1's and processes about 60 page requests a second. Tp paraphrase the post above

It's money, money, money...

Bandwidth = money #QSL.NET spends just a tad over $1600 a month for #bandwidth.....not to shaby for a site that sells nothing and is totally user supported.

73, Al #K3TKJ[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
QRZ RULES!!!

[n3ijw]

Hey Fred et al, have you considered running a compression module such as mod_gzip (http://sourceforge.net/projects/mod-gzip/)? You could save a substantial amount of bandwidth. Just a thought from a part time Apache administrator and a full time geek.

[n5ebw]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (kb0uzr @ Dec. 04 2003,00:54)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The date joined in my profile is just plain wrong. #It is actually set to zero which the system interprets as January 1, 1970, the date that UNIX considers to be the "epoch". #Oh well. #QRZ was first constructed as a dial-up bulletin board back in 1992 and went on the internet in 1993. #We were one of the first 10,000 websites in existence.
-fred
[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

# # # # # # # # # # # # # kb0uzr[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Fred,
Set the Value to 694224000 in your database :-). That would set it to January 1st, 1992. Or, just convert whatever date you want.

http://krijnen.com/time.php

[wd5dbc]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (kl7ibv @ Dec. 03 2003,16:54)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I just wanted to say, that the local cable company here in my little town (4500 people) has a business hookup that's 2GigByte for less than a T1 line. #At least that's what the MIS guy for my company tells me. #If you haven't explored that option/possibility, you may be missing a good thing.

Larry #KL7IBV in Wisconsin #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Larry

I think that you will find that that 2GB connection is only on the cable network, once you leave the cable network, you will be at what ever speed the cable company has from their upstream provider, and I bet it is not 2GB/s

hc

[n5ebw]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (wd5dbc @ Dec. 04 2003,21:56)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (kl7ibv @ Dec. 03 2003,16:54)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I just wanted to say, that the local cable company here in my little town (4500 people) has a business hookup that's 2GigByte for less than a T1 line. #At least that's what the MIS guy for my company tells me. #If you haven't explored that option/possibility, you may be missing a good thing.

Larry #KL7IBV in Wisconsin #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Larry

I think that you will find that that 2GB connection is only on the cable network, once you leave the cable network, you will be at what ever speed the cable company has from their upstream provider, and I bet it is not 2GB/s

hc[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Well, I seriously doubt it is offered at 2 Gbps for less than a T-1 price. #Think about it. #A normal Central Office (which is probably how the provider is connecting) generally is capable of an OC-192 of bandwidth (roughly 8 Gbps, you telco guys PLEASE correct me if I am wrong on that CO capability). #Thats a Big Friggin' Circuit! #I don't think anyone in thier right mind would offer a plan where they could only service four customers in any given area for the price of peanuts. #After all, they have to buy thier bandwidth from the backbone providers too. #Given a busy site like QSL, running 5 T-1's (7.72 Mbps), and QRZ running 2 T-1's (3.088 Mbps), this doesnt even make a dent in what the provider can handle. #2 Gbps, maybe if you have a 4000 node Beowulf cluster (HIHI), thats doing physics or drilling oil. #But not for serving up a website.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Hey, it was evident to me that the guy meant 2 Mbit/s, not 2Gbyte/s. #Most cable companies deliver something in the range of 2 to 3 Mb/s to the home which terminates in a 10baseT Ethernet (10Mb/s). #2 GBYTES/s would require a line speed of nearly 20 GHZ... # :-)

I have a Cable Modem here in the office but it's lopsided, i.e. fast download (to me), slow upload (to the net). #The assymetrical nature of such a connection is what makes the technology possible from a multi-user standpoint.

The difference between what you #get from the cable company and from leased T1's is that the latter give you full speed outbound, all the time. #This is what I need. #My outbound traffic is 10 times my inbound traffic.

-fred, #AA7BQ
[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

[KD7WHQ]

I'll be ordering one of the CDs after I bulletproof this QTH against the next power outage... 80 hours of no power and all (check www.komotv.com ).
The batteries performed phenomenally for light and 2m transeiver (two 8D's), but heat is an issue http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
4 days, and time to spare... can't beat that.

There is an RV furnace up for auction, and I do NOT care how high it goes http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif lol

But I will pick up a CD after all else is done http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[KY4MW]

There is no way that QSL.net has much more than a misused partial T1, and it simply don't have a need for much more, in my opinion. It is obvious that most posters really don't understand the business end of the internet.

QRZ.com on the other hand is a very professional, well done resource for the amateur. And even though its bandwidth is currently challenged, go to qsl.net.... and you'll really experienced "challenged".... in more ways than just bandwidth.

Supporting a "hobby" where most of the participants are as cheap as they come requires some form of external support from advertising (and other revenue streams), like it or not. It's those advertisers that pay for the services that all you slackers enjoy... and that's okay.... just don't gripe about it..... enjoy it!

Great job to the QRZ folks!

BTW, some of us QRZ loyalists wouldn't mind paying for service "add ons". Maybe charge users for the ability to expand and customize their call sign information, or for listings in the swapmeet exceeding "X" posts (there are many users that "abuse" the swapmeet area, only because it IS FREE)....... let the ones that don't mind "investing" in QRZ have a little additional benefit from doing so.