>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Marilyn Lutz
>[log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask];
>
>
>Dear EBSCOhost Customers,
>
>As you know, we have had periods of instability with EBSCOhost during the
>last week.  These problems have been the result of upgrades that we have
>made to our systems over the summer.
>
>We invested in a significant upgrade of our network topology and
implemented
>state-of-the-art Cisco hardware to handle what was anticipated to be
>dramatically increased EBSCOhost usage.
>
>Additionally,  in an effort to enhance EBSCOhost, we re-architected and
>enhanced several components of EBSCOhost during the past year and released
>these over the summer.
>
>There have been two issues that have been diagnosed.  One has to do with a
>faulty piece of hardware, and the other is the way in which the new
>EBSCOhost software interacts with the load balancing equipment.
>
>Despite extensive testing, we have seen problems under load.
>
>We have taken 3 separate steps to rectify this situation:
>1) Replaced faulty Cisco equipment
>2) Modified EBSCOhost software
>3) Ordered more machines.   The reason for getting new machines is not
>because the existing ones are taxed (they have very low utilization) but
>rather because we want more machines to be part of the load balancing mix.
>This is essentially a safety precaution.
>
>We believe that we have solved the problem as of Tuesday evening.
>
>We apologize for the inconvenience EBSCOhost instability has caused you,
our
>customers and users over the past few days.  We understand that our
>customers deserve high quality service, not excuses.   We are committed to
>restoring EBSCOhost to it's status as a rock-solid online research service.
>
>
>-mdg