Articles tagged with ‘server’
We’ve made it, PamFax3 is alive and kicking!
This time it was much longer than we had even dreamt of, but this was caused by a few server settings which our hosting partner fixed.
Thanks for hanging in during the upgrade process. I know some of you had a hard time when PamFax was offline.
Let me explain a bit why this update was so important and complex.
It all started last week when our hoster updated our server park to a full load balanced cluster. This was needed to cope with the increase in traffic we have had the past year. PamFax3 is much more efficient when it comes to scaling up so we decided now is a good time to put new hardware in as we need to do the upgrade anyway.
Then after the upgrade there were settings to be checked, etc. This took time. Then on Monday late afternoon (European time), we took PamFax offline. The team started to convert the databases and migrate users data to the new system. This is a huge amount of data so it took time. We unfortunately had to take PamFax offline to do this.
We did the databse conversion with the help of Amazon EC2 cloud servers, we had up to 15 running at a time!
After this we upgraded the core systems. These being the various modules PamFax consists of. PamFax3 is a complete new development and not a mere upgrade as the version number might imply.
Based on our experience and close monitoring of the PamFax2 system, we started designing PamFax3 back in summer last year. We wanted to have a very modular and scalable system which is able to process a lot of data and grow with us. We designed the system from scratch with these and other requirements in mind.
So, after the usual birth pains we’re now up and running. Thank you for hanging in during the upgrade process, I know it was not easy for some of you. I still hope you will forgive us this time as we do not do updates regularly (last one was PamFax2 in April 2009). We designed PamFax3 in such a way that we do not anticipate having to take the system down anymore!
You may now ask, what does PamFax3 offer? Well, first of all blazing fast fax delivery. In addition we redid the PamFax Portal design to be easier to use. There is also a new login/sign up screen. You can now login with your OpenID, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and a bunch of other accounts. In addition many small improvements and features were added. The PamFax BCP was renamed to “My Company” to make the company group faxing capability a bit clearer.
Last but not least, in June/July we will also be adding a new client application of PamFax for Android.
For partners we now have the PamFax API, this allows you to fully embed the PamFax functionality easily and quickly into your application or device. We already have a few project going and plan to announce them soon. If you are interested to join, let us know. The same faxing cost model applies to the API as when using PamFax – however no additional charges are made when using the API.
We are very excited to have PamFax3 and hope you will enjoy our efforts. We’re back now with a very powerful platform and based on it we have many plans and ideas for new stuff. Stay tuned!
Written by Dick on 18. May 2010 in category PamFax
As you have noticed we have done the update. Well, it is actually more than an update, its more a complete new version. The servers are new and also the software is completely new.
And as usual with such updates there is a lot of cleanup to do after the actual update has been completed. We are now in the process of doing this so please accept my appologies for any issues that are still there.
The team is working on improving the performance of the servers, there is an issue that needs to be addressed.
Another issue we are aware of is that the PamFax Windows application may show only a small window when starting PamFax. The team have identified the cause and are working on getting this fixed asap. As a workaround please login to the PamFax Portal and send your faxes from there.
Thank you everyone for your patience as we finish the cleanup of this new version.
Written by Dick on 18. May 2010 in category PamFax
Skype have recently announced that Skype Credit will be phased out in partner applications. This effects the Windows users of PamFax. On December 11, 2009 Skype will shut down Skype Credit payments in any application which uses this. Any (with Skype Credit) purchased PamFax Credit will obviously remain in your account.
As a concequence we will be switching over to an alternative “Pay As You Go” offer which will allow occasional PamFax users to still use PamFax “On Demand” without needing to buy a monthly plan. The minimum initial credit purchase will be €5 (Skype Credit was €0,99). The reason for the €5 amount is the cost associated with processing smaller amounts.
The good news is that PamFax is still the only product which allows you to send faxes by just paying a small pre-load amount.
This update will be done server side and will not require a PamFax update on your computer.
Written by Dick on 27. October 2009 in category PamFax
At noon yesterday (Friday), we suddenly had a power outage in the whole office. The fuse always jumped out when we turned on more then 3 PCs or servers. As the painters are still working on painting the rooms, we first suspected them to have done something wrong. But they didn’t. After 2 hours searching for the problem, the electrician arrived and started searching for the problem. All employees went home as there was no work without any power.
At that point you really get hit hard by reality again and that you can’t do anything in our job without internet and power.
After another 2 hours, the electrician found the problem: a new lamp that was just attached the day before in the corridor had some cabling issues that only came out now as the lamp was switched on the whole day and got warm. If we would have not had this lamp on for so long, this problem might have never occurred!
So the guy who attached this lamp will get fired immediately! I will check twice when attaching the next lamp so such a thing could not happen again.
Yes, redecorating the offices can be a fun thing… 
Written by Christoph on 17. October 2009 in category General News
We have just updated our chat bot PamBot on the servers. We have fixed the error message in Wikipedia requests (like “what is skype”) and were able to improve the conversation flow a lot. The bot is now able to react better on what you have said in your previous message. So there is a kind of “brain” which keeps the previous messages to be able to refer to those messages from you.
Additionally, we have fixed the games in PamBot: try it by typing LUCKYSLOTS, WORDPLAY or BLACKJACK.
Try it now.
Have fun with Pamela
Written by Christoph on 7. October 2009 in category PamConsult
We have just updated PamFax in the backend to version 2.0.14 tonight.
This update includes the following changes:
- Improved performance
- Fixed file upload for multiple files
- Added dashboard page in portal
- Improved website
- Optimized transmission reports
- Added “only send notification if an error occurs” setting to notification options
- Fixed relogin issue after sending a fax from Portal
- Group notification checked by default if more then one recipient
- Startup hint “unsent faxes” shows count of faxes, not recipients
- Improved “set password” dialog on first start
- “sent” time is only shown when fax was sent, not while it’s processed
- Improved Facebook and Salesforce.com plugin. i.e. now also show faxes from inbox
Read more..
Written by Christoph on 3. October 2009 in category PamFax
We just updated the PamFax servers to a new server build (.12). The changes in this release were mainly around time zones, languages and currencies. We’ve had feedback were people had a hard time to set & change the time zone, language and currency in PamFax. So this server release adds a lot of automation. E.g. when you install PamFax for the first time, the system will automatically recognize based on a few factors what country you are in and presets the PamFax settings accordingly. New in this release is that you can change these settings individually in the PamFax portal.
We also did some changes to the website at www.pamfax.biz. New is a twitter feed on the home page as well as some other minor changes.
Detailed changelog:
- Fixed: Empty inbox bug
- Fixed: Error when saving settings containing some special characters
- Fixed: Missing fax-in email notifications
- Fixed: Rounding issue in DRM calculation for Skype payments
- Change: Timezone detection algorithm and date/time formatting routines
- Feature: Added automatic country/timezone/language/currency detection for non-Skype users
- Feature: Change localization settings in portal
Note: No application update is required with this update.
Written by Dick on 13. August 2009 in category PamFax
Today we released a PamFax server update which addresses some performance and usability issues we have seen. This update does not require you to re-install PamFax.
ChangeLog PamFax Server 2.0.11.x
- Feature: New links to check if your area code is available for a fax-in number (www.pamfax.biz/en/introduction/fax-number)
- Change: Improved rates calculation on www.pamfax.biz/rates
- Change: Deleted and unpaid faxes are not shown in portal anymore
- Fixed: Bug in document upload module
- Fixed: Bug in selectfile when cancelling open-file dialog
- Fixed: Bug where you could purchase a PamFax Pro Plan and not select an area code on the shopping checkout page
Written by Dick on 30. July 2009 in category PamFax
Today we released a pretty significant update which bumps up the version to 2.0.10.16. The main focus is performance and stability improvement. Below a list of the changes. The server part requires no update on your computer. The PamFax Windows version does require a manual download and install if you are effected by the issues listed here.
Changelog:
PamFax Server Platform 2.0.10
Fixed: Removed flash document uploader for improved reliability
Fixed: Macintosh application could hang when uploading same file again
Fixed: Issues from error logs and automatic reporting. Improved stability
Fixed: Bug when hovering on submenu-items in portal
Fixed: Missing prices/countries on rates page in PamFax Portal
Fixed: Display of incorrect Skype country for some Macintosh users
Fixed: Hopefully fixed bug with pending faxes where payment was done after the fax was submitted
Change: Changed zone calculation for service and mobile numbers
Change: Added notification settings explanation
Change: Unpaid faxes are deleted after 3 days (was 30 before)
Change: Removed some fax-in area codes (provider related, service level could not be guaranteed)
PamFax application 2.0.x.16 (PamFax Windows only)
Fixed: Installer no longer flashes but downloads all files at once
Change: Removed check if Flash is installed
Change: Updated scanner module with better scanner support
Feature: Availability of a full install package which does not download anything (Link: http://www.pamfax.biz/PamFaxFullInstaller.exe)
Vista Sidebar Gadget 2.0.0.11
Feature: Added PamFax inbox so you can see incoming faxes
Feature: Added auto-update function
Fixed: Occasional disconnect with “server error”
Written by Dick on 10. July 2009 in category PamFax
Today our team of highly skilled engineers compiled and released an update for the PamFax server platform with the following changes.
Server changes
Bugfix: Issues with some special characters not showing in cover page (like “{“)
Bugfix: Occasional issues with pending faxes not being sent after payment
Change: Removed the ugly gray placeholder image in PamFax while it is loading images
Change: To improve performance the fax preview has been limited to show max. 5 pages
Feature: Added support for multi-page cover sheets (you can type longer cover page text spanning multiple pages)
Feature: Re-added the tooltips to the PamFax application (yeah!)
Feature: Added affiliate links support for our future affiliate program
There is no PamFax application update locally required, these are changes we made on the PamFax server side. When you start PamFax you will see the version number (lower left corner) as: 2.0.9.x
Written by Dick on 25. June 2009 in category PamConsult
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