Apache Hosting and Performance
The single biggest hardware issue affecting webserver performance is RAM. A webserver should never ever have to swap, as swapping increases the latency of each request beyond a point that users consider “fast enough”. This causes users to hit stop and reload, further increasing the load. You can, and should, control the MaxClients setting so that your server does not spawn so many children it starts swapping. This procedure for doing this is simple: determine the size of your average Apache process, by looking at your process list via a tool such as top, and divide this into your total available memory, leaving some room for other processes.
Beyond that the rest is mundane: get a fast enough CPU, a fast enough network card, and fast enough disks, where “fast enough” is something that needs to be determined by experimentation.
Operating system choice is largely a matter of local concerns. But some guidelines that have proven generally useful are:
- Run the latest stable release and patchlevel of the operating system that you choose. Many OS suppliers have introduced significant performance improvements to their TCP stacks and thread libraries in recent years.
- If your OS supports a
sendfile(2)system call, make sure you install the release and/or patches needed to enable it. (With Linux, for example, this means using Linux 2.4 or later. For early releases of Solaris 8, you may need to apply a patch.) On systems where it is available,sendfile - enables Apache 2 to deliver static content faster and with lower CPU utilization.
If your webserver is critical to your business, do not leave performance tuning to chance. Call ForLinux now of 0845 4210 440 or complete the contact form on the left to find out how hosting with ForLinux will improve your webserver speed.
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