[consulting] Drupal server requirements

[Boris Mann]

On 28-Mar-06, at 12:13 AM, Lists wrote:

> These suggestions, while certainly useful, are applicable only to a  
> small
> percentage of the CMS administrator population.
>
> (Actually, the PHP optimizing tools for a MySQL db or table is  
> applicable to
> almost everyone. Using phpMyAdmin or one's hosting control panel to  
> keep
> databases and tables in solid working order is highly recommended  
> and being
> able to plug that in to a Drupal page is a great idea.)

The dba.module does some functions.

> By far the most common arrangement for organizations with respect  
> to their
> web site is that it is hosted by some virtual hosting company. That  
> covers
> nearly all of the web sites we encounter every day, with the  
> exception of
> large companies, very large organizations, and major internet portals.

I would add to that list web application providers. Many of whom are  
increasingly choosing Drupal as the base framework to build  
interesting applications on top of.

Also, increasingly, Virtual Private Servers are the norm for  
deploying web application stacks, with the same control over an  
entire server environment as a "real" piece of dedicated hardware,  
never mind the ability to scale memory/CPU/etc. just by upgrading  
your account.

> In the typical Drupal user's world, where virtual hosting would be  
> the norm,
> then your suggestions are not particular applicable.

<snip>

> If Drupal should grow to be a widely recognized and deployed tool,  
> then it
> will really need to remember that having physical access to a  
> hosting server
> is not a common reality, and suggestions geared toward improving  
> its speed
> and stability will need to keep this in mind.
>
> One can not blame the horse if the wagon is over-loaded.

Umm....we were specifically talking about optimizing for high  
traffic / high load situations. Drupal *is* being deployed into these  
situations. The tension here is that "default", out-of-the-box  
settings/system architecture that might be appropriate for a small  
virtual hosting setup are not appropriate for high load/high  
availability systems.

(and yes, throw more hardware/memory/etc. at it is a valid answer if  
those options are cheaper than the consulting time you'll spend  
tuning, which it often is...)

Hope everyone is finding this useful/interesting....tricky things  
like "What sort of hardware/architecture should I recommend to my  
clients?" I think is definitely on topic...

--
Boris Mann
Vancouver 778-896-2747 San Francisco 415-367-3595
SKYPE borismann
http://www.bryght.com