SMF as slow as hell on an VPS plan! - can't find the problem

[jyajay]

SMF Version: SMF 1.1 RC2
Hi,

right now i am a kind of helpless with this situation. I just moved my whole board from phpBB to SMF in intention to decrease the server load on my VPS.

So far, that was my plan. Now two days later i have the same problems with the server load as i had with phpBB.

Already had some conversation with my hoster but its always the same answer: We do not offer support to 3rd party software, and please do upgrade your VPS to an higher plan, bla bla bla.

I am running PHP 5.1.2 and eAccelerator 0.9.5 (SMF incompatible with this version? Caching is maybe not working correct)

With just 25000 posts and about 4000 members.

For mor informations contact me please because i am running an adult board and i don't want to provide the url to it here.

[JayBachatero]

README: Checklist for performance problems

[jyajay]

That was the first topic i read.

I did everything possible, thats why i am searching for help here.

[redone]

Well, there are only a few around who are up to the job of configuring a server. Having used a VPS before myself I suggest you look at the figures you are getting and maybe contact the VPS supplier? I have known it to be possible before that someone else on the VPS is maybe using there fair share of resources and your maybe not getting the performance you want.

Maybe they will move you to a VPS with lighter load? Unless that is you can prove that it's your SMF install that needs work. How big is your forum?

[Ben_S]

README: Requesting help with server configuration.

[jyajay]

The load of the server is quiet ok i think, currently at 28%

As i said, my board is not really a big one with just 20-50 users surfing at one time, also i am using the default theme.

I don't think my provider will me move.

Right now there are 20 people surfing and the load is aceptable. But it looks like there is not always a connection between users surfing and the load because right after the setup of SMF i had about 80 people browsing my site and the load was at 0.50-0.70 all the time. Its an riddle to me.

Mods installed:

2. CAPTCHA (code verification) 0.1 [ Uninstall ]
3. TinyPortal 0.86 [ Uninstall ]
4. Sticky First Post (extends sticky topic) 1.2.1 [ Uninstall ]
5. Custom Profile Mod 2.13 [ Uninstall ]
6. Search Topic 1.0 [ Uninstall ]
7. Read Topic Permission Mod 1.0.3 [ Uninstall ]
8. Topic Digest 1.1.2 [ Uninstall ]
9. Merge Double Posts 1.05

Operating System: CentOS release 3.7 (Final) 
Processor: Intel® Xeon(TM) CPU 3.00GHz (3000.183MHz)
Load averages: 1.32, 2.68, 3.07
Current processes: 116 (115 sleeping, 1 running, 0 zombie)
Processes by CPU: httpd (16) 2.5%, (other) (28) 0.0% 
Memory usage: 99.737% (8244892k / 8266652k)
Swap: 10.667% (3578180k / 33543552k) 

MySQL processes
Total processes: 13 (12 sleeping, 1 running, 0 locked)

MySQL Statistics
MySQL 4.1.x
Connections per second:  0.0847 
Kilobytes received per second:  2.5466 
Kilobytes sent per second:  21.8901 
Queries per second:  13.5006 
Percentage of slow queries:  0 
Opened vs. Open tables:
(table_cache)  1.7758 (should be <= 80) 
Table cache usage:
(table_cache)  0.6445 (should be >= 0.5 and <= 0.9) 
Key buffer read hit rate:
(key_buffer_size)  0.0009 (should be <= 0.01) 
Key buffer write hit rate:
(key_buffer_size)  0.5715 (should be <= 0.5) 
Thread cache hit rate:
(thread_cache_size)  12.7059 (should be >= 30 ) 
Thread cache usage:
(thread_cache_size)  0.9063 (should be >= 0.7 and <= 0.9) 
Temporary table disk usage:
(tmp_table_size)  0.978 (should be <= 0.5) 
Sort merge pass rate:
(sort_buffer)  0 (should be <= 0.001) 
Query cache enabled:
(query_cache_type)  1 (should be >= 1 and <= 1) 
Query cache miss rate:
(query_cache_limit)  0 (should be <= 0.1) 
Query cache prune rate:
(query_cache_size)  0 (should be <= 0.05) 

[Ben_S]

Without

• A link to your status.php - You can download it from README: Checklist for performance problems
• Is this a dedicated server or shared host. If it is a dedicated server, what spec is the server and what else runs on the server? If it is a shared host /vps post a link to the hosts site the package you are on

I can't really begin to help you. A copy and paste from status.php isn't particulally easy to read and misses out a lot of the important variables. Likewise, given it's a vps, I have no idea how much ram etc you have to work with.

[jyajay]

You got mail.

[jyajay]

When SMF is not detecting eAccelerator but it is installed should i activate Caching anway or better turn it off?

[Ben_S]

If SMF is not detecting eA, then it isn't installed properly, any mention of it in php.ini?

[jyajay]

Sure, you can take a look when you go to the status.php that i gave you, just type ?php at the end of it.

My webhost installed it for me and double checked it so i think it is installed correct.

[H]

I don't believe eA is compatible with php 5.1

[Ben_S]

Odd, SMF should detect it then, personally I'd go with APC - http://pecl.php.net/package/APC - instead.

[jyajay]

After installation nothing is working:

Fatal error: Code from this file can only be run in conjunction with files encoded by
<
AôS|@ in /home/iv9luukg/public_html/forums/Settings.php on line 44

Whats that? Phpinfo is telling me that APC is enabled.

[Ben_S]

Odd, no idea why that would happen. .

[Niteblade]

Phpinfo tells me that I have eaccelerator v0.9.5-beta2 installed.

My php version is 5.1.2.
I'm on a shared host.
My Php is being run as a fastcgi.

SMF v1.1Rc2 doesn't automatically recogize that eaccelerator is installed.

This program makes use of the Zend Scripting Language Engine:
Zend Engine v2.1.0, Copyright (c) 1998-2006 Zend Technologies
    with eAccelerator v0.9.5-beta2, Copyright (c) 2004-2006 eAccelerator, by eAccelerator

edit:

although phpinfo said eaccelerator was installed and working, smf did not recognize that eaccelerator existed. Problem was resolved with smf recognition of an accelerator when I went with APC.

[Ben_S]

Start a new topic with all the info asked for in the sticky thread.

[BryanSD]

I would check to see if the verison of eAccelerator you are using is compatible with FastCGI...I know it's not with CGI.

Either way, I also have some other theories for the slow downs on VPS.  Out of curiosity to those that are seeing slowdowns on a VPS...are you using a control panel for your VPS.  If so, which one...Plesk, Cpanel, etc.  I won't say anymore until I hear back from a few people.

-Bryan

[jyajay]

Ok its time for some update.. 

After downgrading from PHP 5 back to the latest 4 version, installing MySQL 5 and disabling persistent connections it looks like my load looks fine.

I got that tip from here: http://arjen-lentz.livejournal.com/39717.html

*edit*

There is one question, what does that mean:

Query cache miss rate:
(query_cache_limit)  2120 (should be <= 0.1) 
--
Query cache prune rate:
(query_cache_size)  16132 (should be <= 0.05)

Could it be that it is because of SMF still not recognising eAcceleraot (currently 0.95.beta2 installed).

Which version of eAccelerator is for sure compatible with the latest SMF?

[Ben_S]

Nothing to do with eAccelerator (I'd use APC personally).

Whats your query cache settings set to?