Re: [cobalt-users] How many can I host on a T1 Line (Cobalt 4)

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nicolae wrote:

> I wanted to know how many sites I can host on a Cobalt Raq 4
> that it is hosted on a T1 line with a approx. 120-130Kbps download.

Could you be more clear?  Where's your RaQ4?  Is it on your cable line,
or at your cable-company head, or at a separate ISP?

> I have a cable modem at home with speeds over T1 or so.

Cable speed is notoriously variable.  Cable companies notoriously
oversell their upstream bandwidth.

> I have my system patched for extra speed.

Where did you find this patch?  Some patches advertised to speed up
systems actually slow them down.  You shouldn't mess with any settings
not given you by your ISP (your cable company), and sometimes even they
may not work; you should always be able to go back.  I presume you
changed your MTU setting.  Most people have no idea how to change MTU
settings, but they go around telling people to raise it or lower it. 
Bad idea.

And certainly not a RaQ issue or one for this list <wry grin>.

> I uploaded a 30MB file to my RAQ.  I let is download for awhile.
> I saw the burst of 240kbs or so than after few seconds it stayed
> at approx 120-130kbs.

The internet can slow down anywhere.  It often does at cable-company
heads, because that's where they take a few thousand customers each of
which presumably can operate at T-1 speed, and squeeze them all into one
or two T-1s to the Internet.

> Why I am asking is because I get 1.3Mbs approx. while download
> via FTP from the site, but I get 130kbs via httpd.

If this is repeatable, then it could be a difference in speed between
what httpd serves and what ftp serves.  Have you got the site (or any
site on the same IP#) set in your RaQ to cap bandwidth?

> I have no CAPed bandwidth (my isp says).

Which ISP?  Your cable company is your ISP.  Do you mean the colocation
place that hosts your RaQ?  If so where is s/he, who is s/he, and what
does their connectivity look like?

Lots of variables here; no easy answers.

> I also get speeds of 2.28Mbps (with ApolloHosting) when downloading
> file(s) via FTP.  The burst I get via HTTP is 600 and quickly goes down
> to 235 and stays there.

Presuming ApolloHosting is another company and NOT your RaQ, then it
sounds like your cable company may very well be shaping or caping port
80 traffic.  I'd almost bet on it.

> That worries me is when I get 20 users at the same time downloading
> pictures, viewing galleries or maybe even playing small sample
> *.ra (real player) files of approx 1-3mgs encoded at: 65k in the gallery.
> Will my raq hold it. I know the raq is not made for streaming but how
> many concured "live" connection can 140kbs can hold.

Where did this 140kbs come from?  140kbs is certainly NOT a T-1 line. 
140kbs can handle roughly three modem-based connections at a time.

> I also thought of getting an alternative Server and wondered about the
> DELL PowerEdge 1550, Compaq or maybe a white box (home built).

Too many variables.  Certainly an 800 mHz processor is going to serve
asp faster than a 450 mHz processor.

Jeff
-- 
Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Linux and Cobalt/Sun/RaQ Consulting
nobaloney.net
P. O. Box 52672, Riverside, CA  92517
voice: (909) 778-9980  *  fax: (702) 548-9484