RE: [BENCHMARK] Server Resources

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At 02:02 AM 1/16/2005 +0000, Tom Gazzini wrote:
>How does this help if the server hosts only one sites which is base on, say,
>Mason, and where every page request would require mod_perl?

This is covered in delightfully interminable detail in the "Choosing the 
Right Strategy" section of the guide, but I'll summarize.

When you're only running a mod_perl server, you wind up with a 30MB process 
sitting in memory, waiting around for some putz in Iowa on a 28.8 dialup 
line to download the output, including the script output, as well as the 
images and the useless Flash navigation menu, etc.  While it's doing that, 
it can't do anything else.

When you put a 3MB proxy process in front of it, two things happen:

- The mod_perl process is responsible for *only* the dynamic 
content.  Everything else is served directly from the lightweight 
server.  That allows your server to do more work with the resources that it 
has.

- The mod_perl process no longer has to wait for the download to 
complete.  The proxy server takes the output from the mod_perl server 
instantly, and sends it out over the wire to the client.  This also allows 
the server to do more work with the resources that it has.

Those are the two big benefits, there are others that are covered in the guide.

<http://perl.apache.org/docs/1.0/guide/strategy.html#Adding_a_Proxy_Server_in_http_Accelerator_Mode>;

I've been running this setup for a few years now, it's been good to 
me.  Highly recommended.