As we mentioned in the update to our last post, the new hardware was installed at 1:30am Pacific time. The synchronization process took longer than expected, but it completed at 11:30am Pacific time today, and website performance is now back to the normal responsiveness.
Thank you again for your patience, and as mentioned in the previous post, all TypePad users will be credited 3 days of free service.
Over the past twenty-four hours you may have noticed website sluggishness on TypePad-generated sites.
What happened?
The sluggishness was caused by a hardware issue on one of our storage servers. Because our systems are set up to be redundant, your web sites were never down, but performance was impacted. To fix it, we'll be replacing the faulty hard drive with a replacement, and we'll be working to strengthen our systems for further redundancy for the future.
What does this mean for existing TypePad users?
Because the sluggishness of the last 24 hours is not up to our standard of service for TypePad, we'll be crediting all TypePad accounts with 3 free days of service. If you're a trial user, your trial will be extended by 3 days; if you're a paying subscriber, your billing date will be extended by 3 days.
This credit will take place depending on your status (trial versus paying) as of March 5, 2004.
How is it being fixed?
Because we'd like to remedy this situation as soon as possible for our subscribers and their readers, we're planning for an unscheduled downtime. The hardware fix will require 30 minutes of downtime and is scheduled for 2:30-3:00 Pacific time today (February 25, 2004). To minimize downtime, we're preparing as many of the hardware updates as we can offline; because these are taking longer than expected, we're pushing back the downtime to 12-12:30am Pacific time.
Thanks again for your patience and understanding and, again, we apologize for this inconvenience.
Update: The downtime was actually from about 12:50-1:30am Pacific time. As of 1:30am TypePad is back up and running, and we've fixed the hardware problem. There may be some lingering slowness here and there over the next few hours as the new hardware synchronizes, but everything is back up and running, and we thank you again for your patience!
We apologize for the sluggishness of TypePad-powered sites this morning, and we're working to resolve the hardware problem that's causing it. Thanks for your patience!
Setting up domain mapping with your TypePad site? Unsure of how to make the necessary changes with the registrar? pairNIC has now made this simple!
All you need to do is have your domain registered there, and the mapping is configured by following the walkthrough in their Domain Name Management.
You will enter the name of your TypePad site (example.typepad.com), and also set up where you would like your email sent:
Confirm the change and your domain is mapped. All set!
Six Apart is participating in DEMO 2004, and this morning we made some big announcements regarding mobile features for TypePad. You can see some of these features in action at our DEMO or Bust! moblog.
The mobile features below will be released in a major update to TypePad within the next couple of weeks.
Posting Controls on Moblogs
Instead of just one email address that can post to the moblog, allow multiple authors to post, or allow anyone with access to email post with a Public Moblog (like the DEMO 2004 Moblog).
Audio Content
In addition to photos and text, audio content can now be sent to a moblog--perfect for annotating a photo while on vacation, or capturing the ambient sounds at a soccer game.
Palm Client
To make moblogging an even simpler process, we will be releasing a Palm client for posting photos and text to TypePad weblogs and moblogs, perfect for blogging from the road.
Custom Moblog Templates
You will be able to select from custom moblog-specific templates, optimized for the display of posts from mobile phones.
Better Weblog Integration
Photos sent from a mobile device are now resized if they are too wide for your weblog, providing a better viewing experience for your visitors, and you can include a number of the most recent photos sent to your moblog into the sidebar column of your weblog.
Moblogging Availability for All Levels
Moblog functionality will now be available to TypePad Basic users in addition to Plus and Pro.