Can't access RIC's website?

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Fri May 12, 2006 9:20 am

yes having someone else host the web site might be a good idea ... after all RIC is a musical instrument company and not an IT company ... get a fast line coming in and simply FTP the information there as you make updates ... it is not as fast as doing it on a local machine but it may provide faster web access to the end user ...

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Fri May 12, 2006 10:17 am

These kind of know-it-all posts make me quite angry and disappointed.

We've done our homework here well and sometimes there are things absolutely beyond one's immediate control.

expomick · Post by **expomick** » Fri May 12, 2006 10:31 am

Ahhh, the Internet. Home to billions and billions of uninformed opinions.

I work with "cutting edge" broadcast technology everyday here at my job, and almost every day, that technology cuts both ways. Often it goes haywire, even though we have to have our systems running 24/7.

Indeed, there are things absolutely beyond one's immediate control. I see it all the time here.

admin · Post by **admin** » Fri May 12, 2006 10:33 am

Thanks Richard, your comments are well taken. I hope the RIC site gets the line it needs so that you can return to us soo. RIC still reigns supreme.

I appreciate your comments John. Anyone who has visited the RIC site knows it is first rate in all respects.

None of us is immune to lines being lost for any number of reasons. I apologize for the post to which you refer and remind all that it is just this sort of insensitive posting that has kept you away during recent times. I am hoping there will be an apology or explanation forthcoming.

As always, I appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to post here. I am sorry RIC was treated in this manner.

studiotwosession · Post by **studiotwosession** » Fri May 12, 2006 10:35 am

"I know nothing!" -Sgt. Schultz

incubus2432 · Post by **incubus2432** » Fri May 12, 2006 10:37 am

Hey John, people on here tell you all of the time how to make "better" guitars/basses......what makes you think they wouldn't tell you how to improve your website/service.

BTW......I'd like to see more health food in the vending machines in your break room.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:27 am

I can not see anything in my post that would make anyone angry ... my company is setting up a new web site and we decided to host it offsite for the reasons stated in the above post ... I am the network administrator at my company ...

I took a short vacation and when I get back in town there seems to be several people on the forum on edge ... I guess I missed something ...

anyway I really have no interest in showing anybody up or making anybody look bad or arguing ...

I simply state opinions ... I am comfortable with opinions that differ with mine ... in fact I welcome them ...

please take my posts in the spirit in which they are offered ...

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:31 am

I was a bit surprised by that one too Jeff. Maybe he was not referring to your post.

admin · Post by **admin** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:35 am

Jeff: I appreciate the clarification. Thanks for your comments.

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:37 am

It's all part of internet life, boys and girls. My ISP (a division of the company I work for) was off the air for 6 hours yesterday - so were hundreds of others.... so what - you can't do anything about it, so grin an bear it (or in my case, gin and beer it!)

And guess what? Same problem - somebody cut a cable!

If your business was internet-based and you stood to lose masses of income then you would have a contingency plan to cover that. I have no doubts that JH and his team would have thought that out long ago and put it in place if they felt it was necessary - their decision wholly and solely.

Leave 'em alone!

simer4001 · Post by **simer4001** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:59 am

Healthy food? You're mad!

ben_hall · Post by **ben_hall** » Fri May 12, 2006 12:04 pm

The phone works...

The fax machine works...

We're not sending carrier pigeons out the door to deliver parts and take orders just yet!

simer4001 · Post by **simer4001** » Fri May 12, 2006 12:07 pm

Are you accepting carrier pidgeons though? I figure mine will take a few days from Boise and he's kind of old. I would say barring any midair collisions and hunters, he should be there in a week. Does that work? Oh for God's sake... he flew off without the order. Probably a few weeks now since I have to wait for him to fly back now.

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Fri May 12, 2006 12:23 pm

We have multiple T1 speed connections, from different carriers, using different technologies. We have 16KVA battery backup for 8 hours, plus we have a generator. We have multiple dual processor, dual core Opteron and Xeon-based servers. We have carrier class Lucent routers/switches. We have full time IT staff. As such I'll match our data center against mid-sized hosting centers for reliability and bandwidth.

What we get by hosting it here is:

1. The ability to provide real-time data directly from our internal network, such as shipments, dealer updates- in fact most of our site is generated on-the-fly to your request.

2. The ability to provide ourselves and our dealers with many services you aren't aware of, such as EDI, tracking data, and building safety/security systems.

3. Control of our own data security, including some of California's special requirements.

4. Provide both in and out of band control and remote maintenance 24 hours per day.

An outside provider would not be able to satisfy these carefully thought out requirements, at least not without a cost we wouldn't choose to afford.

What we didn't count on was AT&T "upgrading" their local telecom vault using sub-contractor idiots, as well as consolidating together our well planned multiple data routes to one point of failure. We're not even their customer- our CLEC's are- yet they reached out and touched us by cutting all connections.

We have three 25 story towers being built literally in our backyard. As a result of the very heavy construction, we've had many power failures (dealt with), water failures (dealt with), telephone failures (dealt with), and now we're dealing as best as anyone could expect with a data outage.

In any case, we've just started to propagate the site address to our backup configuration; some of you may be able to connect immediately while other may take a day.

But in the end- it's just a guitar website. No one has died or lost touch with their money, for instance.

My annoyance is the off-the-cuff do this, do that suggestions as if we haven't thought or planned for such things. We here simpy do not believe in bandaid solutions and try to think a little further out there. Even so, it isn't always enough obviously.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Fri May 12, 2006 12:31 pm

Where I work we decided it was easier to have an IT company do all of that stuff ... we weren't prepared to make that kind of investment ... and I am glad that I don't have to manage it ... I already have several other servers and workstations to manage ...

I had my home phone line get cut the same way years ago ...