> >-----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