Honorary Donors ($500 +)
Server Donation Campaign
Due to the increase in comment spam, we have had to add several layers of software to help prevent spam from coming through, without locking down comments to only users who register. This has enabled us to keep the free flow of discussion open, but keep the spammers out at the same time. The problem is that these spam-fighting applications require a lot of server resources and as spam and trackback spam continue to get worse, the server keeps slowing down.
Server Configuration Plan
We are currently in the process of upgrading our servers to a load-balanced configuration.
In addition, we would like to purchase a dedicated machine just to run the blog software
on. The dedicated machines will failover to the other machines we operate, primarily run
on their own.
How much does it cost? The servers typically cost about $7,000 to $12,000 per server, depending the guts of the box. We hope to order three new machines. One would host the blog software, and the two others would load balance the traffic to the site. Our managed services company charges a hefty fee per month to manage the servers, plus it won't be cheap to get these servers configured, tested and operation - with little or zero down time. We hope all costs are less than $75,000 over the course of a year.
Server Status Update
- June 25, 2007 - Began configuring new operating system on test servers (Fedora)
What do you get if you donate?
Just the fact that you helped contribute in your way to the Search Engine Roundtable. We have been reporting on search marketing topics since 2003, covering some of the most debated and exciting topics, found not via typical new channels but via discussion forums. That takes a lot of time, devotion, skill and resources.
Those that contribute $500 or more, get a special thank you on this page. The list will be ordered by the dollar amount contributed. Thank you for reading and all your support.
