How likely is a server crash?

[smilesoup]

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I'm planning on sending my CSU supplemental tomorrow night. I've received at least three emails in the last week from CSU reminding me to hurry up and submit it already 🙂P) because there is a possibility of the server crashing on the 30th or 1st. My question is, how likely is it that the server does indeed crash? I imagine that there are tons of other applicants who have also waited pretty late in the game to submit their applications, but can it really be enough to crash the server a full day before the deadline? Has anyone here experienced a crash this close? Thanks!

 

[Zusie]

I'd submit it now. Why risk having to wait another year because of a glitch?

I don't know about CSU but I remember a few years ago VMCAS was a nightmare trying to navigate the closer it got down to the wire. Never underestimate the effects of mass procrastination.

 

[smilesoup]

Very true! I wish I had the option of sending it in right now, but it's just not possible, with the amount of schoolwork I have on my plate at the moment 🙁 It'll all end tonight, though, so I'm expecting a lot of coffee-drinking to get me through the next couple of days~

 

[that redhead]

In all honesty, it may or may not crash but why risk it? If you have it completed, I say submit it. The CSU essays are maybe three sentences and the rest is just plugging things in. I might even suggest putting aside your schoolwork and getting it submitted tonight, just because. Remember, there are TONS of people applying and the majority have waited until the last minute. If you feel comfortable taking that risk, by all means do so. Not for me though!

 

[Kipani]

I've even had CSU ramweb (how we sign up for classes) fail on me with students all trying to register at once a few times. I don't trust the stability of CSU's servers all the time, though they are fairly good about resolving crashes within a few hours normally.

Could happen, but as long as you don't try to wait until tomorrow at 10pm or whatever, I'm sure you'll be okay. 🙂

 

[Armymutt25A]

"Server crash" is a misnomer. More likely it's a network overload. The server receives so many connections that either the hardware can't manage it, or the software runs out of licenses. Essentially, the server experiences the same thing as a denial of service attack, which would really suck.

 

[smilesoup]

Okay, now y'all have scared me (in a good way)! So I'm going to turn in a couple of assignments late so I can get these last two supplementals over and done with!

 

[Robdude]

I did some IT work back at my university when I was an undergrad and we had a lot of problems with overloading.

Most of the year, we'd get no traffic at all; then a huge spike right before a deadline. In our case, it was really just poorly written software; a lot of it was home-grown at the University and it hadn't undergone any serious load testing. Of course, the professors that had written it would disagree and argue that the hardware was insufficient - but nobody really cared enough to drop a few thousand dollars on a server that could handle the load.

So, they just let it crash.

They'd even tell people to register early because, every year, it crashed or, at least, crawled to a near-standstill. What they didn't tell anyone was the published 'deadline' was actually a week before the 'real' deadline. So it all kind of worked itself out. Some people would call and complain, other people would just try it again the next day and it would work.

Good times.

I don't know if CSU's vet school is as forgiving; but I wouldn't risk it 🙂