Request for first time server optimization
 

Hi,
Please could someone have a look at my server settings below and let me know what I can change to improve the performance of my forums. My forum can be found at www.petforums.co.uk

1. Dedicated Server, does have a couple of other websites on the server which are mine but they are not very popular websites.

2. Server Specs
Dell , Intel Xeon Quad Core X3360 @ 2.83GHz
8GB Memory
220GB SCSI Hard Disk
linux CENTOS Enterprise 5.2 i686 on standard
apache : 2.2.8 (Unix)
PHP version: 5.2.5
MySQL version: 5.0.77-community

3. VBulletin version 3.7.0 running with VBSEO as well.

4. if you use mysql 4.x instead of mysql 3.23.x, do you have any innodb type databases/tables on your server ?
N/A

5. if possible how mysql was compiled/installed
Not Sure

6. top -
Quote:
20:21:48 up 154 days, 2:07, 1 user, load average: 0.77, 0.99, 1.12
Tasks: 334 total, 1 running, 333 sleeping, 0 stopped, 0 zombie
Cpu0 : 7.0%us, 2.0%sy, 0.0%ni, 89.0%id, 1.3%wa, 0.0%hi, 0.7%si, 0.0%st
Cpu1 : 17.3%us, 1.0%sy, 0.0%ni, 81.7%id, 0.0%wa, 0.0%hi, 0.0%si, 0.0%st
Cpu2 : 13.0%us, 1.0%sy, 0.0%ni, 86.0%id, 0.0%wa, 0.0%hi, 0.0%si, 0.0%st
Cpu3 : 32.6%us, 3.7%sy, 0.0%ni, 63.5%id, 0.0%wa, 0.0%hi, 0.3%si, 0.0%st
Mem: 3368612k total, 3114216k used, 254396k free, 159768k buffers
Swap: 2096472k total, 2884k used, 2093588k free, 1781572k cached
7. My.cnf Configuration
[mysqld]
set-variable = max_connections=500
set-variable = key_buffer_size=384M
set-variable = max_allowed_packet=64M
set-variable = connect_timeout=10
set-variable = query_cache_limit=6M
set-variable = query_cache_size=256M
set-variable = query_cache_type=1
set-variable = myisam_sort_buffer_size=64M
set-variable = sort_buffer_size=2M
safe-show-database
[myisamchk]
set-variable = key_buffer=128M
set-variable = sort_buffer=128M
set-variable = read_buffer=16M
set-variable = write_buffer=16M
[mysqlcheck]
set-variable = key_buffer=128M
set-variable = sort_buffer=128M
set-variable = read_buffer=16M
set-variable = write_buffer=16M

8. MySQL stats (mysqladmin -u root -p var ext stat ver proc )
Quote:
+-----------------------------------+------------+
| Aborted_clients | 1 |
| Aborted_connects | 5 |
| Binlog_cache_disk_use | 0 |
| Binlog_cache_use | 0 |
| Bytes_received | 1948111359 |
| Bytes_sent | 931755634 |
| Com_admin_commands | 0 |
| Com_alter_db | 0 |
| Com_alter_table | 0 |
| Com_analyze | 0 |
| Com_backup_table | 0 |
| Com_begin | 12420 |
| Com_call_procedure | 0 |
| Com_change_db | 943075 |
| Com_change_master | 0 |
| Com_check | 0 |
| Com_checksum | 0 |
| Com_commit | 10261 |
| Com_create_db | 0 |
| Com_create_function | 0 |
| Com_create_index | 72 |
| Com_create_table | 360 |
| Com_create_user | 0 |
| Com_dealloc_sql | 96 |
| Com_delete | 11864 |
| Com_delete_multi | 3 |
| Com_do | 0 |
| Com_drop_db | 0 |
| Com_drop_function | 0 |
| Com_drop_index | 0 |
| Com_drop_table | 264 |
| Com_drop_user | 0 |
| Com_execute_sql | 1680 |
| Com_flush | 0 |
| Com_grant | 0 |
| Com_ha_close | 0 |
| Com_ha_open | 0 |
| Com_ha_read | 0 |
| Com_help | 0 |
| Com_insert | 581953 |
| Com_insert_select | 240 |
| Com_kill | 0 |
| Com_load | 0 |
| Com_load_master_data | 0 |
| Com_load_master_table | 0 |
| Com_lock_tables | 50 |
| Com_optimize | 1 |
| Com_preload_keys | 0 |
| Com_prepare_sql | 264 |
| Com_purge | 0 |
| Com_purge_before_date | 0 |
| Com_rename_table | 0 |
| Com_repair | 0 |
| Com_replace | 9790 |
| Com_replace_select | 0 |
| Com_reset | 0 |
| Com_restore_table | 0 |
| Com_revoke | 0 |
| Com_revoke_all | 0 |
| Com_rollback | 0 |
| Com_savepoint | 0 |
| Com_select | 1249884 |
| Com_set_option | 498527 |
| Com_show_binlog_events | 0 |
| Com_show_binlogs | 0 |
| Com_show_charsets | 0 |
| Com_show_collations | 0 |
| Com_show_column_types | 0 |
| Com_show_create_db | 0 |
| Com_show_create_table | 0 |
| Com_show_databases | 0 |
| Com_show_errors | 0 |
| Com_show_fields | 472 |
| Com_show_grants | 0 |
| Com_show_innodb_status | 0 |
| Com_show_keys | 1892 |
| Com_show_logs | 0 |
| Com_show_master_status | 0 |
| Com_show_ndb_status | 0 |
| Com_show_new_master | 0 |
| Com_show_open_tables | 0 |
| Com_show_privileges | 0 |
| Com_show_processlist | 291 |
| Com_show_slave_hosts | 0 |
| Com_show_slave_status | 0 |
| Com_show_status | 4 |
| Com_show_storage_engines | 0 |
| Com_show_tables | 265 |
| Com_show_triggers | 0 |
| Com_show_variables | 88 |
| Com_show_warnings | 0 |
| Com_slave_start | 0 |
| Com_slave_stop | 0 |
| Com_stmt_close | 96 |
| Com_stmt_execute | 1680 |
| Com_stmt_fetch | 0 |
| Com_stmt_prepare | 264 |
| Com_stmt_reset | 0 |
| Com_stmt_send_long_data | 0 |
| Com_truncate | 72 |
| Com_unlock_tables | 50 |
| Com_update | 245416 |
| Com_update_multi | 82 |
| Com_xa_commit | 0 |
| Com_xa_end | 0 |
| Com_xa_prepare | 0 |
| Com_xa_recover | 0 |
| Com_xa_rollback | 0 |
| Com_xa_start | 0 |
| Compression | OFF |
| Connections | 838964 |
| Created_tmp_disk_tables | 36658 |
| Created_tmp_files | 76687 |
| Created_tmp_tables | 61399 |
| Delayed_errors | 0 |
| Delayed_insert_threads | 0 |
| Delayed_writes | 0 |
| Flush_commands | 1 |
| Handler_commit | 18072 |
| Handler_delete | 545616 |
| Handler_discover | 0 |
| Handler_prepare | 0 |
| Handler_read_first | 253194 |
| Handler_read_key | 52981995 |
| Handler_read_next | 1455295863 |
| Handler_read_prev | 2004024 |
| Handler_read_rnd | 4359640 |
| Handler_read_rnd_next | 928845466 |
| Handler_rollback | 3 |
| Handler_savepoint | 0 |
| Handler_savepoint_rollback | 0 |
| Handler_update | 6338836 |
| Handler_write | 43104295 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_data | 474 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_dirty | 0 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_flushed | 7278 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_free | 31 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_misc | 7 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_total | 512 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_read_ahead_rnd | 2 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_read_ahead_seq | 9 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_read_requests | 2238441 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_reads | 387 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_wait_free | 0 |
| Innodb_buffer_pool_write_requests | 27848 |
| Innodb_data_fsyncs | 8619 |
| Innodb_data_pending_fsyncs | 0 |
| Innodb_data_pending_reads | 0 |
| Innodb_data_pending_writes | 0 |
| Innodb_data_read | 9588736 |
| Innodb_data_reads | 419 |
| Innodb_data_writes | 13856 |
| Innodb_data_written | 243969024 |
| Innodb_dblwr_pages_written | 7278 |
| Innodb_dblwr_writes | 1347 |
| Innodb_log_waits | 0 |
| Innodb_log_write_requests | 6078 |
| Innodb_log_writes | 4574 |
| Innodb_os_log_fsyncs | 5763 |
| Innodb_os_log_pending_fsyncs | 0 |
| Innodb_os_log_pending_writes | 0 |
| Innodb_os_log_written | 4875264 |
| Innodb_page_size | 16384 |
| Innodb_pages_created | 22 |
| Innodb_pages_read | 452 |
| Innodb_pages_written | 7278 |
| Innodb_row_lock_current_waits | 0 |
| Innodb_row_lock_time | 0 |
| Innodb_row_lock_time_avg | 0 |
| Innodb_row_lock_time_max | 0 |
| Innodb_row_lock_waits | 1 |
| Innodb_rows_deleted | 264 |
| Innodb_rows_inserted | 284 |
| Innodb_rows_read | 5098042 |
| Innodb_rows_updated | 4367 |
| Key_blocks_not_flushed | 0 |
| Key_blocks_unused | 321604 |
| Key_blocks_used | 47324 |
| Key_read_requests | 276003581 |
| Key_reads | 792272 |
| Key_write_requests | 5104583 |
| Key_writes | 2473865 |
| Last_query_cost | 0.000000 |
| Max_used_connections | 141 |
| Ndb_cluster_node_id | 0 |
| Ndb_config_from_host | |
| Ndb_config_from_port | 0 |
| Ndb_number_of_data_nodes | 0 |
| Not_flushed_delayed_rows | 0 |
| Open_files | 120 |
| Open_streams | 0 |
| Open_tables | 64 |
| Opened_tables | 82714 |
| Prepared_stmt_count | 0 |
| Qcache_free_blocks | 16826 |
| Qcache_free_memory | 192905672 |
| Qcache_hits | 1766885 |
| Qcache_inserts | 1201475 |
| Qcache_lowmem_prunes | 0 |
| Qcache_not_cached | 51040 |
| Qcache_queries_in_cache | 29508 |
| Qcache_total_blocks | 76739 |
| Queries | 6175571 |
| Questions | 6175571 |
| Rpl_status | NULL |
| Select_full_join | 4410 |
| Select_full_range_join | 0 |
| Select_range | 401001 |
| Select_range_check | 0 |
| Select_scan | 190633 |
| Slave_open_temp_tables | 0 |
| Slave_retried_transactions | 0 |
| Slave_running | OFF |
| Slow_launch_threads | 0 |
| Slow_queries | 2 |
| Sort_merge_passes | 38341 |
| Sort_range | 258170 |
| Sort_rows | 949553937 |
| Sort_scan | 77018 |
| Table_locks_immediate | 3659068 |
| Table_locks_waited | 31984 |
| Tc_log_max_pages_used | 0 |
| Tc_log_page_size | 0 |
| Tc_log_page_waits | 0 |
| Threads_cached | 0 |
| Threads_connected | 3 |
| Threads_created | 838963 |
| Threads_running | 2 |
| Uptime | 86680 |
| Uptime_since_flush_status | 6175571 |
+-----------------------------------+------------+
Uptime: 86680 Threads: 3 Questions: 6175576 Slow queries: 2 Opens: 82714 Flush tables: 1 Open tables: 64 Queries per second avg: 71.246
mysqladmin Ver 8.41 Distrib 5.0.77, for pc-linux-gnu on i686
Copyright (C) 2000-2006 MySQL AB
This software comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY. This is free software,
and you are welcome to modify and redistribute it under the GPL license
Server version 5.0.77-community
Protocol version 10
Connection Localhost via UNIX socket
UNIX socket /var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock
Uptime: 1 day 4 min 40 sec
Threads: 3 Questions: 6175576 Slow queries: 2 Opens: 82714 Flush tables: 1 Open tables: 64 Queries per second avg: 71.246
+--------+---------------+-----------------+-----------------+---------+------+-------+------------------+
| Id | User | Host | db | Command | Time | State | Info |
+--------+---------------+-----------------+-----------------+---------+------+-------+------------------+
| 838960 | root | localhost | | Query | 0 | | show processlist |
| 838961 | petforum_user | localhost:37002 | petforum_forums | Sleep | 0 | | |
| 838962 | petforum_user | localhost:37003 | petforum_forums | Sleep | 0 | | |
+--------+---------------+-----------------+-----------------+---------+------+-------+------------------+
9. As mentioned earlier I have a couple of other websites, a wordpress blog which hardly has any visitors at the moment and a website running OpenX ad serving software to display banners on a
couple of my websites.

10. Average users is 90 to 120 members and 200+ guests (usually 250 - 350 users) with 450 Max. The timeout is set to 1200.

11. http://www.petforums.co.uk/phpinfo.php

12. Cant find these settings in my httpd.conf

13. No, cant find any.
14. uname -a
Linux server.petmedia.co.uk 2.6.18-53.1.14.el5 #1 SMP Wed Mar 5 11:36:49 EST 2008 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
ulimit -aH
core file size (blocks, -c) 1000000
data seg size (kbytes, -d) unlimited
scheduling priority (-e) 0
file size (blocks, -f) unlimited
pending signals (-i) 65536
max locked memory (kbytes, -l) 32
max memory size (kbytes, -m) unlimited
open files (-n) 4096
pipe size (512 bytes, -p) 8
POSIX message queues (bytes, -q) 819200
real-time priority (-r) 0
stack size (kbytes, -s) 8192
cpu time (seconds, -t) unlimited
max user processes (-u) 14335
virtual memory (kbytes, -v) unlimited
file locks (-x) unlimited

cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor : 0
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 23
model name : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU X3360 @ 2.83GHz
stepping : 7
cpu MHz : 2833.858
cache size : 6144 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 4
core id : 0
cpu cores : 4
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 10
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe nx lm constant_tsc pni monitor ds_cpl vmx smx est tm2 cx16 xtpr
lahf_lm
bogomips : 5670.22
processor : 1
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 23
model name : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU X3360 @ 2.83GHz
stepping : 7
cpu MHz : 2833.858
cache size : 6144 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 4
core id : 1
cpu cores : 4
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 10
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe nx lm constant_tsc pni monitor ds_cpl vmx smx est tm2 cx16 xtpr
lahf_lm
bogomips : 5667.04
processor : 2
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 23
model name : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU X3360 @ 2.83GHz
stepping : 7
cpu MHz : 2833.858
cache size : 6144 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 4
core id : 2
cpu cores : 4
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 10
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe nx lm constant_tsc pni monitor ds_cpl vmx smx est tm2 cx16 xtpr
lahf_lm
bogomips : 5667.07
processor : 3
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 23
model name : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU X3360 @ 2.83GHz
stepping : 7
cpu MHz : 2833.858
cache size : 6144 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 4
core id : 3
cpu cores : 4
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 10
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe nx lm constant_tsc pni monitor ds_cpl vmx smx est tm2 cx16 xtpr
lahf_lm
bogomips : 5667.07