The new Joomla! demo site (demo.joomla.org) correction: will be up and running today [is now up and running}! The site leverages a cloud-based solution to give each user a separate installation of the Joomla! CMS for 30 days.
The new demo site allows users to maintain the integrity of their content, and continue to build and learn over an extended trial period. Each demo site user will get a free, complete, dedicated installation of the Joomla! CMS. Users sign up, verify their email, and start building with complete customization capabilities. After 30 days, a user can easily migrate the site to another host or sign up with CloudAccess.net for an ongoing account.
The previous demo site attracted 3,000 to 6,000 new visitors per day, with close to 800 per day logging in to evaluate Joomla! using a version that was modified to work in a shared environment. The new site, created in partnership with CloudAccess.net, has all the standard features of Joomla! and gives each user a completely dedicated space to experience Joomla! without having content lost or overwritten. They can install extensions, add users and experience the full power of the Joomla! CMS.
The Joomla! Demo Site uses CloudAccess.net’s custom cloud environment. Designed with the latest cloud technology, CloudAccess.net uses an object-based, distributed file system called Lustre (SAN), Nginx Load Balancers, and Apache web servers. The setup was custom built for the Joomla! CMS with a custom control panel built to measure each site's usage on the clusters. The infrastructure gives users the ability to scale a Joomla! build without touching a server. To date, CloudAccess.net has built one of the largest shared clustered environments for the Joomla! CMS. Its technology has the ability to scale to thousands of nodes with petabytes (equivalent to 1 million GB) of storage capacity without compromising speed, security, or availability.
Demo site users have the option to continue to be hosted at CloudAccess.net at the end of the 30 day period. The Joomla! Project will receive a percentage of the fees paid by demo site users who stay with CloudAccess.net.