Scheduled blog server maintenance in the evening of 17Jul2018 (UK time)

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My blog server runs WordPress software, which I can update hourly while the server is running, if necessary. However, the underlying Apache, PHP and MySQL software requires server downtime to update, so I have scheduled their updating to take place in the evening (UK time) of Tuesday 17 July 2018. I am hoping it will only take 1-2 hours to complete, but, having never done this big an update before, I can’t be more precise.

After a period of instability my SAS blog should have more availability, and may be quicker too!

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Following my SAS blog server crash in September I have experienced occasional access interruptions from a few minutes to several hours since then. There have been various reasons for the down time, including WordPress plugin updates causing incompatibilities, server software updates, accidental disconnecting of the router, and my internet service provider temporarily interrupting their service to me.

To correct the last problem I decided to change my broadband connection from ADSL to a “Superfast” fibre, which meant changing my provider. This has now been completed, but the changeover process did more than change my internet service provider. While running the two broadband connections in parallel I discovered some issues in the setup of the network gateway, which had itself caused a number of interruptions. I can’t guarantee that there won’t be more short interruptions in the future, as I’m in the process of reorganising the cabling in my office, but I wanted to assure everyone that, if you have difficulty connecting, then wait a short while before trying again, as I will be back, and the blog could be quicker too!