More optimization

Written By: - Date published: 1:47 pm, November 16th, 2008 - 14 comments
Categories: admin - Tags:

Sysop

Sysop

I’ve just put another round of optimizations into the system. In this case caching the p-code generated by php into shared memory This should usually result in faster page display where content is changing rapidly. Posts with fast growing comments should get the major benefit from this. This should allow the site to run on its existing hardware for quite a while without the trauma of hardware upgrades.

This should be the last of the back-end optimization updates. The next round of updates will concentrate more on usability.

14 comments on “More optimization ”

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  1. lprent_test 1
    16 November 2008 at 1:58 pm

    Test new ajax re-edit plugin copied in ok

    Yep looked like it did. This has had some updates for javascript compatibility that should reduce soem of the issues with it not working on all systems.

    It also fixed a problem with the display of the timeout (however I think we skipped that version)

  2. Anita 2
    16 November 2008 at 2:06 pm

    Will this stop the funny behaviour of the latest comments bar? Or just help the hardware bear up? 🙂

  3. Anita 3
    16 November 2008 at 2:06 pm

    I still have re-edit btw.

  4. lprent 4
    16 November 2008 at 2:16 pm

    Haven’t looked at the comments bar behaviour. I suspect that has something to do with page caching handling when multiple people are updating at the same time. It stores a page copy made by someone else.

    However this p-code caching should in some small measure alleviate this simply because the system doesn’t have to recompile the php. There should be less time for cross-over effects for the pages cache.

    Good to hear about the re-edit. I tested this on my own systems this morning with no effects. But I always get a bit worried about the ajax stuff. It is so susceptible to client side configuration.

    Finally got over my cold (by spending yesterday asleep). I caught the damn thing two days before the election, which made it one of the worst elections ever (even without the result). Now I feel reinvigorated. So it is sunday play-time again.

  5. lprent 5
    16 November 2008 at 2:29 pm

    It will be a bit slow for 20 minutes or so. Updated the search engine and I’m reindexing it now.

  6. randal 6
    16 November 2008 at 2:32 pm

    hell yeah lp
    optimisation eh
    I like that
    things here seem to be someones bright idea that is made to work
    if ya get my drift
    nothing is ever followed through on
    put ya left foot in
    take ya right foot out
    but
    now is the time to really scrutinise nationals performance
    make sure there are no changes without a firm theoretical base
    focussing on the money market is not neccessarily the primary objective
    can national really do the right deals to boost the economy without ruining everything else
    are they smart enough
    or just postmodern turkeys
    jet fighter design 1949-2008
    an object lesson in optimisation
    and business capacity
    and orgy of consumption
    that only now shows some signs of abating
    if one looks at the big picture
    so much to do and so little time
    the question is
    how to make the right decisons

    I could start naming names but that comes under looking for business
    and putting companies into play as they say
    we have to do better
    so does national know how to do better or do they only know how to rort the budget
    we shall see

  7. Anita 7
    16 November 2008 at 3:22 pm

    The comments bar stuff is still happening, right now the top most comment showing on this page is randal’s one on this thread (directly above this). If I look at the main page I can see three comments above randal’s (Ag, Anita, John BT).

    I think you were probably supposed to hold off the cold until 7pm on the 8th. Clinging to ones health while stressed and underslept is traditional IT industry isn’t it? 🙂 Then again, working long last minute days while sick is equally traditional.

    [edit – now I’ve posted the comments bar on this page has caught up. I wonder if the predictable wonkiness is showing the contents of the bar the last time the page was updated by a new comment]

    [edit again – yep that looks likely, the C|T thread page has the most recent comments on that page as the top-most in the comments bar]

  8. randal 8
    16 November 2008 at 6:41 pm

    anita
    aw shucks
    I can handle that
    being no1all the time is hard
    lol

  9. Scalia 9
    16 November 2008 at 8:55 pm

    How much did that cost the taxpayer?

    [lprent: Ok – so you have now proven yourself to be an ignorant and particularly stupid fruitloop. You obviously haven’t read the About.

    Tell me, why do you think I do this on a sunday? But of course thinking would probably strain the fruitcake that makes up your (alleged) brain. Adding you to moderation where you can stay until you can prove to me that you’re a human worthy of commenting here.]

  10. Chris S 10
    16 November 2008 at 9:19 pm

    Careful, Scalia, you keep up those lies and you won’t be posting here much longer.

    If you’re going to keep bringing up thoroughly debunked and disproved rumors, I suggest you keep it for your own blog.

    By the way, National control the treasury benches now… you think they would fund The Standard? Thought not.

  11. lprent 11
    16 November 2008 at 10:52 pm

    Anita: Yeah I know. Got a bad case of headaches on Wednesday night. Fever on thursday morning. Sucked up the panadol, dressed warm, and stayed home thursday. Got the sore throat friday along with a drippy nose, and had a hacking cough saturday.

    Fortunately all of my major work for the election had been completed on the prior monday. So on saturday all I had to do was monitor the systems running (and they worked perfectly). But going to the election do on Saturday night to see Helen resign was not a good idea. Suffered the cold at work for all of last week to get the project out of the way.

    I hate summer colds…

  12. lprent 12
    16 November 2008 at 11:09 pm

    tev reported this

    Sorry to be off topic here but I can’t link to the “first cut” post I get a lot of garbage.

    [lprent: Interesting. It looks like I’ve found the source of the KB garbage problem. No – not the posted content, the occasional flurry of binary it sends. Looks like it is the accelerator cache…]

    If anyone else notices it, then let me know here.

  13. Anita 13
    17 November 2008 at 3:04 pm

    lprent,

    I was getting the flurry of garbage occasionally last week and the week before. At the time I thought it was something to do with the network connection I have when I’m in Palmerston North (which is slower and more temperamental than at home or any other working-away venue I’ve been at recently).

    I’ll keep an eye out for it and stop assuming it’s the net gods punishing me for going to an inland town 🙂

    Yeah, spring/summer colds are awful, they lull you into a false sense of security and then leap on you. Good on you for working through it tho, keeping systems up through piles of tissues is a definite plus on the ledger 🙂

    [edit – the garbage just came back and I’m in sunny Wellington on a good net connection, I shall email you a screenshot (cos what you really want is garbage 🙂 ]

  14. lprent 14
    17 November 2008 at 7:08 pm

    Ok that looks like WP Super Cache (installed 5 weeks ago). I’ll have a read of the code later in the week. It usually goes away after a wee while.

    In the meantime I’ll dial back the params ie trade CPU for reliability and see if that makes a difference.

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.