Hi All,

This email is just FYI. No actions are needed on anyone’s part.

# # # IDA NameServers are updated

Everyone has either already received individual emails earlier this weekend informing you I’ve made updates directly to your registrar or emails over the prior several weeks asking you to update your registrar directly for those I don’t have access to. This email expands on what/why those DNS changes took place.

After a long and fruitful life, srv03 is being retired and being removed from web serving and the IDA DNS cluster. This coincides with separating all DNS servers from all web hosting servers that has been in process for the last two months.

Separating all DNS servers from all web hosting servers has two main benefits to the IDA client base.

1. It creates a higher redundancy environment, as the servers are now physically separate machines, in physical separate geographic locations, and under different hosting companies*.
2. It creates faster DNS serving times, as it also reduces the amount of cruft DNS records (e.g. records for dev sites) being served by the ‘production’ DNS servers. Cruft records had well exceeded over 75% of the entire DNS records being served and, while needed for development purposes, do not need to be on the production DNS servers. Splitting the servers allows the ‘cruft’ records to be served by the singular web host’s DNS server and not be cross updated to the production DNS server cluster. Only production records in the production cluster means only production records are in the production DNS memory cache (Reference point: Needing a disk read can add 50ms to a response time).

Srv03’s DNS server will stay online until July 27, 2020 to facilitate the transition.

* Fine, so yes, I’m still bitter about Cloud Shards (Query Foundry)...

# # # CentOS 6 servers being retired

CentOS 6 is going End of Life (EOL) on November 30, 2020. Several CentOS 6 servers have been replace by CentOS 7 server in the last six months. The rest of the IDA CentOS 6 servers will be replaced by CentOS 7 servers by October 15, 2020.

In general the process is to build a new CentOS 7 server and then migrate the clients from the being retired CentOS 6 server to it.

If you’re site hasn’t been moved already, you will receive individual details in email several weeks before these changes effect the server(s) you are on.

# # #

That’s it, I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week!

Best Regards,

Michael