I had a faster CPU laying around that I was able to put in the database server. I also upgraded its memory, switched out the old CD-ROM for a DVD-ROM drive, and installed a second hard drive that I can use for backups. I wish I had the money for all new database server hardware, but I guess it’s not in the cards for me at the moment.
While I was at it, I upgraded the database to SQL Server 2008. This caused a few issues with the game servers that I had to work out. It took me several hours to figure out why I could not connect to the DB using ODBC. As it turns out, I have to also specify the port number, i.e. 1433, in order to successfully make a connection. Apparently, the database server was trying to respond on a different port than what I was expecting. Anyway, the upgrade is complete. The game is back online and everything seems to be working smoothly.
