Re: [cobalt-users] Benchmarks ..

[Kris Dahl <krislists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

on 4/24/00 6:26 AM, Dhaval Kharod at dkharod@xxxxxx wrote:

> can someone help me with these questions ..for a RaQ3i
> 
> a)  benchmarking of the webserver  (does anyone have real numbers ?)

I don't know of any standardized benchmarks for web servers.  But I can tell
you that the Raq3i should be able to handle a fairly large load.

> b)  server security

Cobalt stays pretty up to date on security patches.  Other than that,
standard Linux & internet security issues.  Make sure you don't have
unnecessary services on (install ssh, disable telnet), etc.  Put up a
firewall perhaps.  You CGIs, etc., are your biggest security risk more than
likely.

The Cobalt experimental RPMs for MySQL have the huge MySQL hole and they
haven't updated them.  You have to be careful with installing RPMs & pkgs,
they are like a box of chocolates--you never know what you're going to get.
Make sure you do your due dilligence before installing and software
(especially binaries).

> c) server preformance

Not too shabby, for the money.

> d) redundency  

None.  This is the major reason why its a $3000 server.  If you need more
availability features (RAID, hot-swap drives, hot-swap power supplies,
etc.), you should be looking at some heavier machines.  I like the Sun Netra
T1, HP LPr, VA Linux Full-on 2x2, and the Dell 2450.  All are similar in
size, all out perform the Raq by a reasonable margin.  All have Hot-swap
SCSI drives and RAID.  All are at least twice-three times the price of a
Raq.  Such is the price of uptime, and as far as I am concerned, its saving
you a hell of a lot of money if you ever have a failed drive.

> e) how does the server handle under extreme loads?

Its a AMD K6.  Its going to perform like a Pentium II system.  As with
pretty much any server, RAM is going to be more important than CPU.  You
don't want your server to ever have to swap.  Most people can't overload a
Pentium-based system when used in a standard web server role.  If you are
doing some heavy database and scripting, or hosting a *lot* of sites,
hopefully you will be in a position to evaluate performance as you go.

> f)  upgrades (can these machines be upgraded on the fly?)

Software?  Its a slightly strange Linux machine, but is a Linux machine.
Software is industry standard and can be upgraded fairly easily.  Cobalt
periodically offers updates.  If you are planning to go beyond these
upgrades, you will need to perform the upgrades in the more traditional
matter.  This may void your warranty, so be careful.

Hardware?  Well... It doesn't have hot-swap drives or power supplies.  And
that is about all you're going to be able to upgrade on any reasonably
priced server without taking it down.

> g) scalability (distributions of files and packages)

I'm not really sure what you're asking here.  You certainly can use
off-the-shelf clustering software and hardware.  This would get beyond the
lack of availibility/reliability features in the Raq line, if you had a farm
of servers behind a load balancing router/switch or somthing.

> h) bandwidth usage (rate shaping/monitoring?)

Heh.  This is a $3000 server.  It has simple monitoring/log file analysis.
It has SNMP.  You can use whatever software you'd like to do bandwidth
monitoring.  Like MRTG.  Or this package which actually runs on the Raq:
http://www.etinc.com/bwmgr.htm
Beyond that you'd have to go out and get some standard monitoring software
(not cheap) that keeps track of traffic to your router, switch, server, etc.
Or you could go with some of like Cisco's gear which can get the job done.

Essentially, you're looking at the same problem you're going to have with
any server/OS.  Its pretty standard equipment--has the SNMP hooks etc., but
again, will need additional hardware/software for doing anything fancy.

> i)  kernel upgrades (with the new kernel, will modules need to be added
> to support thier hardware?)

Well, I would suggest not compiling new kernels yourself.  Cobalt tends to
use very stable kernels.  And seeing as there really isn't any new kernel
features that I've ever needed, I have never needed to manually update.

Essentially, what we are talking about here is a entry level server.  It
doesn't have the availability features that I think a mission critical
server needs to have.  Certainly it gets interesting when you think about
throwing it behind a load-balancing switch, etc.  But, if you're at that
level, you don't need Cobalt's single largest value-add: their web
interface.  So what I always suggest:

If you are looking at putting in a web server, and you don't have a lot of
administrative experience, a Raq is a great way to get your feet wet.  But
you have to realize that its designed to be an easy, yet surprisingly
effective solution--not a powerhouse mission critical web server.

So if you fall into these three categories, I can't suggest the Raq to you:

1) If you have a lot of administrative experience, you're going to to get
irritated at the shortfalls of the web interface, and you are probably
better off with a different solution.

2) If you are looking at doing something 'different' or more advanced with
the server, you're pretty much in the same group as 1).  You may be better
off with a different solution.

4) If you can't afford to ever be down, you need to look at a different
solution.  You're pretty much the same as 1)

Hope this helps.

-k