Note: This article has been updated as of May 15, 2026 with new target dates for completion and other information.
Tech Sideline is in the middle of a major server migration, and if you’ve visited the site recently, you’ve seen some strange behavior. Here’s an update on that and other goings-on that will transform the site in the coming months.
Tech Sideline (and all other SportsWar sites, including TheSabre.com) is migrating to a new technology platform that will make the site faster, more robust and more reliable.
That process will unfold in three stages:
- Server/hosting migration
- Dev site programming
- Deployment of new site to public
Here’s more information on each step.
Server Migration
Update, May 15: This step is now complete
About a week ago, we started moving all SportsWar sites (starting with TechSideline.com) to a new setup with more physical servers (six) and more virtual servers (40).
This is a major operation that must unfortunately be carried out in a live, public-facing environment. Given that we have to migrate live sites and their databases to new servers and new IP addresses, all while still serving pages and message boards and processing payments, it’s remarkable that it has gone as well as it has and that we have experienced relatively little down time.
This process is still ongoing, and as a result, you’ll see some very strange behavior on the site. At the moment, here are the known major bugs. This list is not comprehensive and inclusive, just a partial listing:
- All system email capability has been lost. We currently can’t send out our daily emails with article listings, and every single transactional email that we send — subscription confirmation, payment confirmation, subscription expiration notices, password reset emails, etc. — are not being sent. We are radio silent on this end.
- Our recruiting database is barely functioning in our back end, and on our front end, we are unable to display player profiles. Clicking them throws an error. This is a huge problem at a time when Virginia Tech football recruiting is particularly active.
- The message board feed on mobile has a bizarre bug where it’s inserting the header from TheSabre.com and a message that says, “Oops! That page can’t be found.” (Example here)
There are other bugs, but they are minor compared to these.
Please be patient, as many gigabytes of data are transferred and many complicated interdependencies are stressed, broken, discovered and fixed.
Dev Site Programming: Target Date April 15 (Now May 15)
Update, May 15: New target date is May 15
We are working furiously on coding a new web site that will reside on the new hosting setup and will be faster, more robust and full of new features.
That dev site (developmental website) is, of course, not publicly accessible and is occurring in a dev environment. It is slated to be ready for review in mid-April. At that point, the site will undergo a thorough code review and be prepared for deployment.
Deployment of New Site to Public: Target Date June 1 (Now June 15)
Update, May 15: New target date is June 15
Once the dev site is ready, it will be a 4-6 week process to review the code, adjust and refactor, and then start tying it into live databases and live processes in preparation for launch.
The target date for launch is June 1, 2026. At this point, TechSideline.com will have a completely new site running on a new hosting setup and will be ready for the 2026-27 academic year.
A New Era for Tech Sideline
Last summer, we spent over $20,000 and scores of hours revamping our podcast studio. This spring and summer, we’re redoing our entire technology stack in an even larger undertaking.
We’re going to start a new era for Tech Sideline at the same time that James Franklin launches a new era of Virginia Tech football. We’re looking forward to it, and we know you’ll like all of the new updates and changes. (No, we won’t be switching to vBulletin boards, for those who still recall that disaster.)
Until then, please understand that it’s a long, hard, time-consuming road with a lot of work along the way, and please be patient during our migration and while the new site is under construction.