Load Levels

[interactive]

Not sure where to put this but I figured this was the best place. Anyways, what do you guys think are decent load levels? Right now I have a server that runs arund 2.5 on average but sometimes goes real high (around 50, I know this is very bad). Working to get load down, but just wondered what I should picture as a goal?

[DarktidesNET]

I don't like mine getting over 1.x on average, typically it's around 0-.4

[interactive]

This particular server is running a high traffic dynamic site. Average of around 100 people (15 seconds), at any time of the day. I've worked on it, optimizing my databases, apache, and other things. For a while it was running at around 15 all the time. I've optimized my scripts to about their breaking point too. Oh well, guess you never can win.

[allan]

You didn't mention the specs of the server, is it single or dual processor? If it is dual processor a load average of 2.5 might not be too bad.

[interactive]

It's a p4 1.6 I believe. I have a dual p3 I'm thinking about moving it to, just got to get it setup in a local dc.

[interactive]

Woohoo! Got them down to .77 average over 15 minutes. Changed a few things on my mysql db.

[DarktidesNET]

I don't think the users is the issue compared to the design of your mySQL databases (proper keys, over head, etc)

I run a site that has 40-90 people on it 24/7 with 10-60 queries per page (joins, cross table selects, etc) not to mention 100+ domains and load isn't a factor.

It was ages ago, but tweaking the mySQL tables sure did help.

[interactive]

That's what I did. Added a few indexes and such. Now it's running alot smoother, changed max connections to and that helped.

[DarktidesNET]

That is what I had to do too hehe. Once my db got > 30 mbs and 1+ million rows it was seriously lagging to crap..went over every table and indexed all the main fields that were used in WHERE etc and that made it 75% smoother.

Good luck with the rest :)

[interactive]

My db is currently around 100mb's. The main user table is about 10mb's, and it is what gets hit with the most traffic.

[Matt]

We run primarily dual processor boxes and loads usually run in between 1 and 2 - we do ensure that idle percentages are high at all times though.

What kind of CPU idle percentage were you seeing?

[allan]

Originally posted by Matt:

We run primarily dual processor boxes and loads usually run in between 1 and 2 - we do ensure that idle percentages are high at all times though.


Matt -- how do you track that information, I know it shows up in Top, but how do you monitor the idle percentages?

[DizixCom]

PMFJI -- Allan:

Use "vmstat 5" for 5 second samples of VM usage. Generally, the last number in the default output is your IDLE percentage.

[Matt]

We have a script that tracks and emails us with CPU usage figures.

We'll eventually setup RRD too I imagine.

[Locke]

A lot of problems you'll see with some sites that create their own MySQL integrated scripts and so forth, is that there are a select few who are intensive with MySQL processes, and yet never close them out, and that causes problems all over since when that use leaves, the DB is still recognizing they are there, and continuing processes, which is just insane. Using GZIP and PHPAccelerator can help too, although with Ensim, it's hard to do it.

[interactive]

Finally got off that ensim server. I found a big part of it happend to be with just the server. I can't figure out why, but a p4 1.6 I believe at RackShack with 1gb of Ram was running all of my sites at around 1.5. Move over to a different server in a different dc and loads are down around 1.0. Another thing that's weird, on my old Ensim server at RS I patched Sendmail and both afterwards and before it would take around an hour to mail my whole database (around 12k). Now it takes around 5 minutes. New server is running plesk, so I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it.