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Searching the site while the search function is disabled

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TMF Jeff

TMF Jeff

TMF owner and co-founder
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As most of you probably already know, we had to disable the search function for a while because it created a gigantic database that was pushing us past the size of the drive we live on. Until we move to a bigger home, you can use google.com to search the TMF.

To do that go to http://www.google.com and within the search window type the keywords you want to search for and then this phrase: "site:ticklingforum.com"

For example click on this link to see a google search of the forum:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q="search+function"+site:ticklingforum.com&btnG=Google+Search

You can see the format that was used in the search window, and the results are very accurate. This is pretty new technology for google, being able to search through a database like this.
 
I can't find my American Survey thread. :cry1:


But then I'm just thick, so that probably explains it.
 
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Actually, Google has had this for a while (at least two years, IIRC). As others have noted, it is not infallible. I'm not sure how often it indexes, but you should be able to tell by the Apache logs.

I actually thought about indexing it myself, for my own use :devil:

Also, I am not understanding why searches are using disk space...do you do an insert for every search, or were the database indexes too large? I can see spinning the disk too much for every search (you use MySQL, I assume), but size?


Regards,

TK
 
tickleking said:

Also, I am not understanding why searches are using disk space...do you do an insert for every search, or were the database indexes too large? I can see spinning the disk too much for every search (you use MySQL, I assume), but size?


Regards,

TK
Click to expand...

In order to enable searches, the forum creates two searchable databases, each one as large as the database itself.
 
this new search engine

I know it's not what they had intended so I'm not pointing fingers. However I feel I should say, I don't like this new one. I can't find anything on it.
 
Nor can I.

Jeff, do you know yet if the search function will be making a return?
 
Sorry but not really.

Basically I have to decide whether to pay for our current hosts, who I suspect are already kind of screwing me, for more space, or to risk moving us to a new server. I'm not really sure what the dangers are of moving the database onto a new host, and I'm in no way technically competent to fix any problems that come up, and I don't have anyone I can turn the responsibility over to. So for now we're in limbo.
 
Didn't we go through this before though when Scott moved the Forum here and you joined him as a partner? EZ Boards are a particular sonofabitch place to move from, I know that from personal experience, but wouldn't going from one independant server to another be easier?

Ah well, not to worry. We can live without it. It's just a shame because that Google version hasn't come up with a single result for me so far.
 
No, we just abandoned the ezboard, we didn't move it or attempt to move it.

I don't really know how hard or easy it would be to move to a new server. Which is where the problem is. I know databses are complicated, and not all linux servers are born equal, and that's about the sum total of my knowledge in this instance. I'm not really willing to take this risk without having some more expert assistance.

The worst case scenario here is that I either corrupt or otherwise permanantly damage the databse when trying to move us, losing our entire posting history forever.

Right now the only truly safe option is to hire an expert, so I've been basically waiting for that to become a more comfortable financial option, unless some other one comes along.
 
Here is a thought

You could always pass on the cost of maintaining the second database to the members of the forum. Charge all of the members 2.00 a month. At approximately (and probably underestimating) the members at 10,000 members, that would give you 20,000 dollars a month you can spend on bandwidth....you could probably maintain a couple databases to search from. Of course, once money becomes involved, alot of people dont get involved, if you catch my drift 😉.

Of course Im kidding. Unfortunately, there are many people that dont see the bandwidth costs, so they dont understand the finances involved in maintaining a post so we can search for the events of the NEST 4 years ago or the alert I posted about someone being tickled on the now defunct Oh Drama BET show. They just know that they used to be able to search, now they cant, and they want to.

As for new servers and the forum migration, I dont know what kind of server you are on now, but there are plenty of business that do this on a daily basis (swap servers). I say research what kind of server you would need, tell everyone here the costs, and ask for donations. You have been serving this place for free forever; i dont see anything wrong with asking for people to chip in, particularly if it is for a feature that they hold so dear.
 
This really doesn't work for me either.

But, then again, eh. I'm looking for anything involving Brittany Murphy and I can't find anything.
 
MTP Jeff said:
No, we just abandoned the ezboard, we didn't move it or attempt to move it.
Click to expand...

Oh, so nothing from there appeared here? My old forum is still there too, I wonder if the TMF is?


*McChecks*
 
It is probably gone Jim...after 6 months of no activity EZ flushes the community.
 
dajerx said:
It is probably gone Jim...after 6 months of no activity EZ flushes the community.
Click to expand...

Mine's still there after a year though. All the boards were removed.
 
all past posts are still there. id still like someone to explain how a "search" can possibly take bandwidth (or space). i would think that in order to search, you put a keyword in and it searches the database...a database that already exists. doesnt the database take up the bandwidth (or space), not the search engine?? im confused. maybe jeff can set me straight.
 
dtrell said:
all past posts are still there. id still like someone to explain how a "search" can possibly take bandwidth (or space). i would think that in order to search, you put a keyword in and it searches the database...a database that already exists. doesnt the database take up the bandwidth (or space), not the search engine?? im confused. maybe jeff can set me straight.
Click to expand...


I explained this earlier in the thread, but I'll take another stab at it... in order to enable searches, the forum creates two (I don't know why it's two, but it is) databases, each one as large as the actual forum database. By deactivating searches, I can dump those two databases, reducing the disk space that they take up to zero. Since the forum itself is pretty huge, having it tripled created a real problem.
 
Actully when we moved from the EZbord to this forum we did try to save the posts there. I was involved in this project.

After much diddling about with the two boards we found There was no way to do an import of data other then via hand copying. Far too much effort. So the solution that was decided was that we'd preserve the EZ and have a link here so people could go back and look if they wanted.

Sadly, when Scott had his change of heart about the community and his place in it, he deleted all of the EZ's contents. So that material was simply lost. The original forum is still out there, renamed and regraphiced as a religious site, it's been dead for quite some time with no activity.

Here it is:

http://pub34.ezboard.com/bpsychosticklingmedia

Myriads
 
dtrell said:
all past posts are still there. id still like someone to explain how a "search" can possibly take bandwidth (or space). i would think that in order to search, you put a keyword in and it searches the database...a database that already exists. doesnt the database take up the bandwidth (or space), not the search engine?? im confused. maybe jeff can set me straight.
Click to expand...

I have managed Oracle databases for the past twelve years, and this is a new one on me, too. The only thing I can figure is that MySQL does an absolutely horrendous job of compressing indexes. Indexes take up space, for sure (think of the back of a book), but a second database??

I installed it (MySQL) about two years ago, and the database server died when I did a describe on a table, so it is still not ready for primetime...

Regards,

TK
 
Myriads said:
Actully when we moved from the EZbord to this forum we did try to save the posts there. I was involved in this project.

After much diddling about with the two boards we found There was no way to do an import of data other then via hand copying. Far too much effort. So the solution that was decided was that we'd preserve the EZ and have a link here so people could go back and look if they wanted.

Sadly, when Scott had his change of heart about the community and his place in it, he deleted all of the EZ's contents. So that material was simply lost. The original forum is still out there, renamed and regraphiced as a religious site, it's been dead for quite some time with no activity.

Here it is:

http://pub34.ezboard.com/bpsychosticklingmedia

Myriads
Click to expand...


Interesting! 🙂 Thanks for that Myr, it gave me a little shiver of archaeological pleasure seeing our beginnings. "Under Construction" is right. There's smeg all there. lol Well actually, I saw a post by Qjakal that mirrored just about everything I believe about religion, so I can't say there was nothing of interest.
 
I'm sure it was working the other day...wasn't it?

...Yeah it was....What happened?
 
Nothing happened, this is an old thread. We've moved to a new server and searches are now working again.
 
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