Slow web servers, and how to speed them up
May 24th, 2007
In a world where a large portion of internet users are on fast broadband connections, we sometimes come across slow-loading web sites. We’re quick to notice when it takes more than a second or two to load, but what do you do when it’s been over a minute since you clicked the link ?
I frequent a particular site called UsedOttawa.com, where people from my area post their junk for sale. You could compare it to Craigslist, but with a somewhat nicer interface. Any active content on this site usually takes a minute or two to process, that’s if it goes through at all; sometimes it just barfs. Now this site is an ad-supported, commercial venture. I have to wonder what the hell the admins are doing, and why such a small site is left to crumble under the pressure. They claim to be serving 1 million hits daily, which works out to an average of 12 hits per second. It’s safe to assume they serve around 50-60 pages per second during peak hours. It’s no small number, but any decent web server should be able to handle that without breaking a sweat. Read the rest of this entry »
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