I poked around the database on the beefier of my new servers from Softlayer a bit too much and ended up breaking Plesk. While a control panel isn’t really necessary for what will be a single domain server, when there’s one installed, it’s usually a good idea to use it as editing certain things outside the control panel can lead to conflicts. With Plesk broken, my plans to move W3Counter to the server this weekend could be delayed.

SoftLayer Automated OS Reload came to the rescue. It’s another included feature of their amazing dual network and control panel. I simply log in to my account, choose the software and partition options I want, choose my server, and the whole thing gets wiped and reinstalled automatically over their internal network. It doesn’t matter that it’s the middle of the night and since it’s all automated costs nothing. The external facing port gets disabled for the duration, first to ensure you’ve chosen the right server to flatten (it’s disabled before the final confirmation step), and to prevent logging in while the install is still in progress.

So while the reinstall runs, I’ll be making some decisions on the direction to take W3Counter. It’s an important service to me. I enjoy working on it and want to open it to new free accounts again as soon as possible. It’s also managed to become a decent source of regular monthly revenue, so the time investment is paying off. I’d keep working on it even if that weren’t true (as was the case most of the site’s life). I’ll write more about that tomorrow.

P.S. I promise I’m not affiliated in any way with SoftLayer despite my raving reviews so far.