First off, make sure you're running with page caching enabled. Cached pages are drastically faster than non-cached pages. Unfortunately they only work for anonymous users. If you're running a dedicated server, install an opcode cache. That will have a huge impact on any PHP application, but particularly to large ones like Drupal that have a lot of code. After that, you get into more detailed benchmarking. Try using the devel module to see what queries are being run, and if any of them are especially slow. After analyzing the queries, you may find that adding an index or three to the database could get you a nice performance boost. If you're using Views, I always recommend using a List or Table view rather than Full or Teaser view. Full and Teaser views run a full node_load() on each node returned, and each node_load() can be anywhere from 3 to 10 queries depending on what you have installed. List and Table views are always two queries: A data query and a count query. And of course, try upgrading. :-) Most modules get faster over time rather than slower, and Drupal 5 is faster for anonymous users than 4.7. Once on Drupal 5, make sure you use the CSS compressor. I've been able to cut a page's load time in half just by switching on the CSS compressor. Drupal 6 will include a Javascript compressor as well for the same reason. Cheers. On Sunday 14 October 2007, blogdiva@culturekitchen.com wrote:

This is the #1 complaint I get from users of my site and no matter what I do, I can't figure how to make my pages load faster. I would like to know what suggestions you have. I really don't think this is an issue with what's on the pages. I think this is something to do with the DB and how it calls in blocks.

I am running D4.7

/ liza

Liza Sabater, Publisher www.culturekitchen.com www.dailygotham.com

MOB - 646.552.7365 AIM - cultkitdiva

-- Larry Garfield AIM: LOLG42 larry@garfieldtech.com ICQ: 6817012 "If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it." -- Thomas Jefferson

Hi Liza, Knowing your general opposition to going through an upgrade if at all avoidable (though 4.7 to 5.2 is quite a smooth and generally painless upgrade), one thing that can have immediate benefits is to use block cache. It creates cached versions of all your blocks and makes the cached versions available in the blocks administration. Then you can replace your existing blocks with cached versions, as appropriate. Each block has its own configuration settings to determine how frequently it should be refreshed. This will not affect node loads, menu loads (unless you use cached versions), comment loads or global user permission checks, etc., but it can help sites on underpowered servers. Figure 20-30 minutes of configuration time because you need to configure each block separately, and the cached versions will not automatically inherit the block visibility settings you may have on each block. You do not need to take your site down to do this, either. Hope this helps! Laura On Oct 14, 2007, at 9:03 PM, blogdiva@culturekitchen.com wrote:

This is the #1 complaint I get from users of my site and no matter what I do, I can't figure how to make my pages load faster. I would like to know what suggestions you have. I really don't think this is an issue with what's on the pages. I think this is something to do with the DB and how it calls in blocks.

I am running D4.7

/ liza

Liza Sabater, Publisher www.culturekitchen.com www.dailygotham.com

MOB - 646.552.7365 AIM - cultkitdiva

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