We are continuing to make progress in our efforts to get a second data feed into our offices. A second data feed should help us avoid the kind of problems we had several weeks back. Unfortunately, two things are conspiring to slow our progress: the phone companies and the stock exchanges. Neither of them are making it easy for us to get something in here quickly. We will continue to work hard however despite the obstacles. At this point it looks like it will be several more months before the second feed is operational however. Stay tuned...
ANOTHER ROUND OF SERVER UPGRADES IS UNDERWAY - Have you noticed your charts appearing faster recently? Last week we installed a couple of bigger database servers that are performing significantly faster than the other servers we use. Part of the reason for that is the Quad-Core Intel processors they are using. Another part of it is because they are using 64-bit versions of our software. The geeks out there will know that 64-bit software allows computers to access much more memory than their 32-bit cousins. Our stock databases have grown so large, that the additional memory provided by 64-bit software really makes a difference. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be upgrading all of our database servers to use this faster hardware/software combination so you can expect your charts to appear even faster in the future.
COMBATING CHART ABUSE - We have noticed a recent increase in the number of members that are requesting an abnormally large number of charts from our servers - especially just after the market opens and just before it closes. These members are requesting anywhere from 2-4 charts per second(!) from our servers for an extended period of time. As a web-based charting service, our systems are designed to provide charts for individuals to review and study. Please make sure you are only requesting charts that you are really interested in and plan on looking at for at least several seconds. When we find people requesting more than 1 chart per second for an extended period of time, we notify them of the problem and work with them to reduce their use of our system. In cases where the problem continues, we will take stronger measures. Make sure this doesn't happen to you! Use common sense when using our auto-refreshing charts (open 4 or fewer) and our CandleGlance pages (only refresh once or twice a minute) and you'll avoid any problems. Thanks!
