4 ms·

i hope my linode doesn't crash again... edit: reboot #1. this is like monday all over again. i'm resizing my linode to 4gb now, then will install wpcache. will

by jmtame 16y ago

i hope my linode doesn't crash again... edit: reboot #1. this is like monday all over again. i'm resizing my linode to 4gb now, then will install wpcache. will be back up in 4 min. edit: wow, that was like 20 minutes of downtime. it should be working now.

jazzychad 16y ago
This advice may or may not be helpful, but I have survived plenty of traffic spikes from HN etc on low RAM machines by turning Keepalive Off in the apache config file. It is on by default with a long timeout, which will tie up all the resources during heavy traffic. Lots of people don't even know about it, so hopefully this will be helpful. (this assumes, of course, you are using apache, but other http servers have similar settings)
- jmtame 16y ago
  i changed it to that, although my apache log files aren't really giving me anything helpful. where are the cloudkick guys when you need them? ;)
  - carbocation 16y ago
    Do you use munin or similar monitoring tools? Jazzychad's suggestion will only help you if your apache server is fully saturated, so these monitoring tools would instantly confirm or refute the notion. I completely agree that jazzychad's suspicions are correct, by the way.
    - jmtame 16y ago
      no, but i'm going to set that up. thank you. i also realized linode is nothing like the way heroku works--that resize costed me $140. definitely not a cost-effective way to deal with traffic. i'll see if i can get it pro-rated with them since i'm only doing it for one day, and then i'll setup wpcache.
      - jsprinkles 16y ago
        It is pro-rated. When you resize back a credit for the unused time will be credited. You paid for May is why it cost so much.
mootothemax 16y ago
A tip for when you have a spare half hour - switch from Apache to nginx :) Let me convince you as to why: I have a 1GB VPS with prgmr.com, and it's comfortably survived being top story on the Hacker News homepage, all whilst running my regular web apps running in the background. Edit: If you're feeling really brave (or foolish - always a thin line), you could try setting up nginx now on a random port (e.g. 8080), and if it looks OK, kill Apache and move nginx to port 80. All depends on how much your server is struggling - would it be worth 20 mins downtime now if you don't have to worry about it again? Edit 2: Looks like you're using Wordpress - are you using a cache plugin as well? If not, install W3 Total Cache right this very instant :) If you'd like any help with this, I'll be around for the next couple of hours, email is in my profile :)
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- jsprinkles 16y ago
  I've survived front page of HN and Slashdot with a 512 MB Linode, Wordpress and Apache. Configuration is everything and Apache's distro defaults are usually the problem, not Apache.
- jmtame 16y ago
  i noticed phusion passenger is supported on nginx as well, i'll look into doing this. thanks, hopefully this will work nicely on the 512 that i had with linode. also, i'm installing w3 cache right now. you'll probably hear from me.
- petercooper 16y ago
  Good advice but still not entirely necessary. I run several VMs and dedicated servers and have had numerous HN front pages and other high traffic leads to 1GB VMs running Apache (WordPress without caching, even). The issue here seems to be a less than optimal Apache configuration and not having just enough memory to handle the requests properly (but 1GB seems to be a sweet spot for a regular Apache setup nowadays).
  - 16y ago

by jmtame 16y ago

jazzychad 16y ago

This advice may or may not be helpful, but I have survived plenty of traffic spikes from HN etc on low RAM machines by turning Keepalive Off in the apache config file. It is on by default with a long timeout, which will tie up all the resources during heavy traffic. Lots of people don't even know about it, so hopefully this will be helpful. (this assumes, of course, you are using apache, but other http servers have similar settings)

jmtame 16y ago
i changed it to that, although my apache log files aren't really giving me anything helpful. where are the cloudkick guys when you need them? ;)
- carbocation 16y ago
  Do you use munin or similar monitoring tools? Jazzychad's suggestion will only help you if your apache server is fully saturated, so these monitoring tools would instantly confirm or refute the notion. I completely agree that jazzychad's suspicions are correct, by the way.
  - jmtame 16y ago
    no, but i'm going to set that up. thank you. i also realized linode is nothing like the way heroku works--that resize costed me $140. definitely not a cost-effective way to deal with traffic. i'll see if i can get it pro-rated with them since i'm only doing it for one day, and then i'll setup wpcache.
    - jsprinkles 16y ago
      It is pro-rated. When you resize back a credit for the unused time will be credited. You paid for May is why it cost so much.

mootothemax 16y ago

A tip for when you have a spare half hour - switch from Apache to nginx :) Let me convince you as to why: I have a 1GB VPS with prgmr.com, and it's comfortably survived being top story on the Hacker News homepage, all whilst running my regular web apps running in the background. Edit: If you're feeling really brave (or foolish - always a thin line), you could try setting up nginx now on a random port (e.g. 8080), and if it looks OK, kill Apache and move nginx to port 80. All depends on how much your server is struggling - would it be worth 20 mins downtime now if you don't have to worry about it again? Edit 2: Looks like you're using Wordpress - are you using a cache plugin as well? If not, install W3 Total Cache right this very instant :) If you'd like any help with this, I'll be around for the next couple of hours, email is in my profile :)

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
jsprinkles 16y ago
I've survived front page of HN and Slashdot with a 512 MB Linode, Wordpress and Apache. Configuration is everything and Apache's distro defaults are usually the problem, not Apache.
jmtame 16y ago
i noticed phusion passenger is supported on nginx as well, i'll look into doing this. thanks, hopefully this will work nicely on the 512 that i had with linode. also, i'm installing w3 cache right now. you'll probably hear from me.
petercooper 16y ago
Good advice but still not entirely necessary. I run several VMs and dedicated servers and have had numerous HN front pages and other high traffic leads to 1GB VMs running Apache (WordPress without caching, even). The issue here seems to be a less than optimal Apache configuration and not having just enough memory to handle the requests properly (but 1GB seems to be a sweet spot for a regular Apache setup nowadays).
- 16y ago