--with-libdir=lib64

The reason being the build doesn’t know at this point that it is dealing with a 64-bit OS. If adding the above switch does not work, be sure to install the MySQL client and libraries.

That’s all folks!

Cluster

Building clusters is not for everyone. It is a complex engineering task. The complexity resides in making the whole, called cluster, accomplish the tasks efficiently and seamlessly. It becomes even more complex when one implements load balancing and database replication. Load balancing is the act of distributing tasks across two or more server with identical configurations. Database replication is the synchronization of database tables and meta data across two or more servers. Having two identical databases scales out well especially when it has been designated as the bottleneck.

Advanced Cluster

Too often I get asked, why not deploy a monster server with 32 cores and 64GB of memory instead of building a cluster? While such server might or might not sustain the traffic, there are many points that need to be thought out. The truth is such monster server is cost prohibitive. The price to value is too high and not worth it. The reason being there is currently no commodity server that can handle 32 cores. One would need a considerable budget. For much less, one can get a 32-core cluster. The other point to consider is the fact that the motherboard bus will not be able to sustain the throughput required for a high traffic server. It will not be able to seamlessly pull 64GB/s in and out of the memory system.

Another important point is disaster recovery, one would need another equally powerful server or a very aggressive (read extremely expensive) part-replacement contract. On the other hand, commodity hardware is so affordable one could keep a few spares without breaking the bank! Plus, a monster server will never handle Digg or Slashdot effects. The cluster, however, can scale to accommodate for traffic spikes.

Keep in mind that UNIXy builds clusters for current customers free of charge. The support and service is included with your purchased dedicated servers. Contact us today and we will go above and beyond to help out.

That’s all folks!

Suppose that you’re copying a 10GB file from one disk to another. Let us assume that the only bottleneck is the disks’ own IOPS, which in case is 120. We are also only focusing on the disk where the data is copied to and assume that the other disk has no IOPS limitation. Because we are writing about 10GB, the majority of the IOPS are going to be writes and not reads.

We will also assume that the disk has a block size of 64KB. In other words we are copying a maxium of 64KB of data in one operation (120 operations per second). That gives us a sustained throughput of about 7MB/s (120 * 64 * 1024). For a 10GB file, it would take about 1462 (10GB/7MB) seconds to copy the 10GB file.

Disk system manufacturers obtain IOPS numbers via benchmarking. There are tools that measure disk throughput and capacity by performing several read and write tests. For example, Iometer is a tool that can measure disk system performance and produce the IOPS value for such system. One needs to be aware of the fact that some manufacturers provide the IOPS based on cached read and write tests. The latter is a best case scenario test and does not reflect real-life usage.

So what happens when a system reaches the IOPS threshold number? I did use the word “reach” because in theory the disk system will almost never exceed the advertised IOPS. Back to the question, when the system reaches the IOPS threshold, it starts queuing requests. A busy queue generally indicates a bottleneck.

How often have you found yourself with a bottlenecked 2TB disk choking after barely putting a few files? Disk size capacity has no bearing on its IOPS capacity. A 2TB disk could have the same IOPS capacity as a 250GB disk! So when does one need to upgrade the disk system or the configuration at least? We shall post a new entry on this blog with the instructions.

That’s all folks!

Before we delve into the main differences, there is one element that makes server processors stand out from the rest: validation. It is about the effort spent validating processors that differentiates desktop from server CPUs. As an analogy, it makes perfect sense that a passenger aircraft engine would require much more stringent validation than a car engine. The risk is undoubtedly higher for an aircraft engine. The same applies to server processors. A desktop processor is designed to cater to the needs of one person. On the other hand, there is much more at stake with a server processor!

Let us cover each point one by one.

Validation

Server processors are put through all kinds of tests under stressful conditions such as higher temperatures, strict environmental conditions, and high computing loads. The time spent performing these tests increases the costs and time to delivery considerably.

Dependable

Server processors are designed for reliability. For example, if your desktop processor were to somehow fail, the whole workstation becomes inoperable. Server CPUs have the smarts to be able to failover, in the case of a dual CPU server, without having to crash or shutdown. Granted, one would have to have a dual CPU configuration. It is important to note that desktop CPUs do not support dual processor configurations.

Self Correcting

Server processors have the circuitry in place to correct memory errors that can affect stability. The technology is called Error Code Correction (ECC). Some desktop configurations are also capable of ECC but the feature is not validated as is the case with server CPUs. Hence, my stressing the importance of validation first and foremost.

Higher trafficking

Server CPUs are designed with buses that operate at much higher frequencies (bandwidth). This means that they can process more data in and out of memory and other subsystems. Heat can be a concern for these buses as it impedes the flow of electricity and hence throughput. This is why server-grade processors have their matching powerful fan blowers.

That’s all folks!