Comments on: Downtime http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:59:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Bob Munck http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28837 Bob Munck Tue, 12 Jun 2007 01:48:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28837 Ignore all these suggestions! I've been in the field for forty years, and you had it exactly right at the beginning:<blockquote><strong>Maybe it will fix itself.</strong></blockquote>That has always worked for me, though some of the worse FORTRAN II bugs didn't fix themselves until all the hardware had become obsolete. Ignore all these suggestions! I’ve been in the field for forty years, and you had it exactly right at the beginning:
Maybe it will fix itself.

That has always worked for me, though some of the worse FORTRAN II bugs didn’t fix themselves until all the hardware had become obsolete.

]]> By: Dylan http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28840 Dylan Mon, 11 Jun 2007 23:34:37 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28840 Check your usage, in terms of number of pageviews - i found (and have started reading) this blog due to an article on slashdot, which commands a hefty readership. I can't recall if you were directly linked but I still found you - others would have too. It may be you're just another victim of your own popularity and you need to host your blog somewhere that allows you to use some more resources - although i must say that optimisation can often stave off such moves for some time, a well thought out database can use a fraction of the resources. I did see a good blog article on this from a bloke running a large south-african web application, but buggered if I can find it again :( Check your usage, in terms of number of pageviews - i found (and have started reading) this blog due to an article on slashdot, which commands a hefty readership. I can’t recall if you were directly linked but I still found you - others would have too.

It may be you’re just another victim of your own popularity and you need to host your blog somewhere that allows you to use some more resources - although i must say that optimisation can often stave off such moves for some time, a well thought out database can use a fraction of the resources.

I did see a good blog article on this from a bloke running a large south-african web application, but buggered if I can find it again :(

]]> By: xantox http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28839 xantox Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:15:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28839 To optimize, you may also try some of the following: • if possible, upgrade to the latest WP version or at least 2.1; • if your host allows, enable the <a href="http://www.techiecorner.com/45/turn-on-mysql-query-cache-to-speed-up-mysql-query-performance/" rel="nofollow">mySQL query cache</a> (and possibly also use <a href="http://txfx.net/files/wordpress/post-query-accelerator.phps " rel="nofollow">this plugin</a>) • enable the Wordpress caching system by adding this line to wp-config.php: define( 'ENABLE_CACHE', true ); (and make sure that wp-content/cache is writable or has 777 permission). • For a stronger cache, try <a href="http://mnm.uib.es/gallir/wp-cache-2/" rel="nofollow">wp-cache2</a> which staticizes the whole site. To optimize, you may also try some of the following:

• if possible, upgrade to the latest WP version or at least 2.1;
• if your host allows, enable the mySQL query cache (and possibly also use this plugin)
• enable the Wordpress caching system by adding this line to wp-config.php:
define( ‘ENABLE_CACHE’, true );
(and make sure that wp-content/cache is writable or has 777 permission).
• For a stronger cache, try wp-cache2 which staticizes the whole site.

]]> By: Cosmic Variance account is suspended on Bluehost.com « Bob Dudesky http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28838 Cosmic Variance account is suspended on Bluehost.com « Bob Dudesky Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:30:09 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28838 [...] like some of the comments to Downtime might be [...] […] like some of the comments to Downtime might be […]

]]> By: xantox http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28836 xantox Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:36:39 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28836 I believe that you just have a lot of visitors and that your host has a strict quota requirement, better suited to simpler or low-traffic sites. The solution is probably to ask them increase the quota, or change host. I believe that you just have a lot of visitors and that your host has a strict quota requirement, better suited to simpler or low-traffic sites. The solution is probably to ask them increase the quota, or change host.

]]> By: Alex Nichols http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28835 Alex Nichols Mon, 11 Jun 2007 05:59:44 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28835 Compacting the database would normally improve its efficiency a lot. I wonder if the software you use permanently deletes unapproved comments, or simply leaves them in there flagged? The Query is checking the flag 'comment_approved' as part of a boolean evaluation with 3 conditions. This is a very CPU intensive operation. If for example you are receiving lots of unwanted comments and these remain in the database it might slow it down to the point where it exceeds the providers quota. Possibly something that could be exploited in denial of service attacks. Compacting the database would normally improve its efficiency a lot.
I wonder if the software you use permanently deletes unapproved comments, or simply leaves them in there flagged?

The Query is checking the flag ‘comment_approved’ as part of a boolean evaluation with 3 conditions. This is a very CPU intensive operation.

If for example you are receiving lots of unwanted comments and these remain in the database it might slow it down to the point where it exceeds the providers quota. Possibly something that could be exploited in denial of service attacks.

]]> By: Tim http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28834 Tim Sun, 10 Jun 2007 22:42:39 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28834 Perhaps your hosting service would be willing to look at some of the SQL queries for you and check if the right fields are indexed in the database? After all, it is their server time that you are using if the database isn't structured well. Perhaps your hosting service would be willing to look at some of the SQL queries for you and check if the right fields are indexed in the database? After all, it is their server time that you are using if the database isn’t structured well.

]]> By: Sean http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28833 Sean Sun, 10 Jun 2007 22:09:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28833 Updating the "latest comments" plugin (which led to the above error) doesn't seem to have helped, nor has disabling it entirely. I've even optimized the databases, for what it's worth. But the problem persists. Updating the “latest comments” plugin (which led to the above error) doesn’t seem to have helped, nor has disabling it entirely. I’ve even optimized the databases, for what it’s worth. But the problem persists.

]]> By: Andrea http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28832 Andrea Sun, 10 Jun 2007 21:52:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28832 One more thing that could be slowing this down is the lack of any date restriction; it's retrieving all non-pingback, non-trackback comments since the beginning of time. Given the location as you describe it (to generate the "lastest sidebar" list), if you have any control over the query you may want to tweak that. Then again I may be biased by working in an environment where all queries are required to have a closed daterange due to the extreme volume of data, so that may actually not help all that much here. One more thing that could be slowing this down is the lack of any date restriction; it’s retrieving all non-pingback, non-trackback comments since the beginning of time. Given the location as you describe it (to generate the “lastest sidebar” list), if you have any control over the query you may want to tweak that. Then again I may be biased by working in an environment where all queries are required to have a closed daterange due to the extreme volume of data, so that may actually not help all that much here.

]]> By: Rob Knop http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28831 Rob Knop Sun, 10 Jun 2007 14:18:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/09/downtime/#comment-28831 When I was actively using wordpress, I think it did keep all of the messages that got blocked as spam. I think you can configure it not to do this. One thing that does happen is that your comment tables will get *huge* with spam. That not only uses up disk space, but will start to slow down queries like this one. I would hesitate to give you any actual sql to do anything about this here, but you might be able to check your wordpress config to see if you can do anything about it there. What I did myself was go in every so often and delete all the spam; it's a quick SQL command, and I *am* a database manager in addition to all those other things.... -Rob When I was actively using wordpress, I think it did keep all of the messages that got blocked as spam. I think you can configure it not to do this. One thing that does happen is that your comment tables will get *huge* with spam. That not only uses up disk space, but will start to slow down queries like this one.

I would hesitate to give you any actual sql to do anything about this here, but you might be able to check your wordpress config to see if you can do anything about it there.

What I did myself was go in every so often and delete all the spam; it’s a quick SQL command, and I *am* a database manager in addition to all those other things….

-Rob

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