High server load

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Posted by xdk69, 10-10-2007, 05:38 AM
Hi, i am a bit concerned with my current host. Every time i check the server load i notice really high values. At the moment i can see those: 19.97 23.48 25.12 Yesterday load was almost 50 for more than 30 mins. And it happened many times during the day. I have contacted them about the issue first they said that was happening because of the backup process that it was running and i said to them that even if that's the case it is impossible to run backup every hour. Then they blamed that mysql was causing the problem. i suggested to try and find out the user that is responsible for that, but they didn't answer back. Is it time to find another host and move my reseller account?
Posted by rv_irl, 10-10-2007, 05:52 AM
Seems like an overloaded server. It is understandable that backups may cause high loads - however it is not an excuse. The host should do something about. Loads of 19 -> 50 are on the high side of things, but it does also depend on their set up. Are you noticing slow performance on those loads?
Posted by SSHocker, 10-10-2007, 06:00 AM
Sustained loads in that range are ridiculous irrespective of the setup, you would be well advised to start making an escape plan.
Posted by xdk69, 10-10-2007, 06:12 AM
Current values are 25.97 25.75 24.39 It has an effect on some mysql driven sites and on sites with lot's of graphics. Already searching for a new host since it looks like that they are not doing something to locate the problem and isolate it.
Posted by calvynlee, 10-10-2007, 07:52 AM
which hosting reseller are u using currently? may u share with us, so that we can aware from that company...
Posted by crucialx, 10-10-2007, 08:48 AM
The server is definitely overloaded, probably time to move if they aren't doing anything to fix it.
Posted by rv_irl, 10-10-2007, 09:33 AM
An old client of mine had a site with DreamHost. The load on the server was always hovering around 20, but the sites loaded just fine.. But generally, on typical set ups, I agree, those loads are simply not healthy one bit and are signs of an overloaded server.
Posted by david510, 10-10-2007, 09:49 AM
Type the following command to see the mysql processes. mysqladmin -i3 processlist Monitor it for sometime and find the database that is using more mysql resource. Check which domain is using that database and see if any new plugins was added to the software that uses it. Additionally you can use the following command to see if large apache connections are coming to your server from specific ips and block those IPs on the server. It will display number_of_connections IP
Posted by ldcdc, 10-10-2007, 10:50 AM
Indeed, their attitude is the main issue I see here. It doesn't instill much trust. Given that, and the fact that performance is affected, it does look like at least getting ready to change hosts is a good idea, just in case things take a turn for the worse. Out of curiosity, was the server load different in the past?
Posted by iHubNet-Matt, 10-10-2007, 11:09 AM
The server is really overloaded. I think you can start thinking about moving from them. By the way what is your host and what is your package? The thing is are you into some cheap hosting? And how long this has been happening? If it is for last 2 or 3 days, I think they may be working on that to tackle the issue and you can give it a couple of days more.
Posted by xdk69, 10-10-2007, 11:18 AM
I had noticed some high values in the past but i thought that it could be because of a backup process. Then there were times that my sites were loading realy slow, so i started monitoring the load many times every day. And i was surprised to see that it was kept high some times for hours. Earlier on i talked on live chat with them, saying that the problem still exists. I was told to wait for 10 mins and then to check and that it should be alright now. It was alright but not for long. I am starting to get mad because looks like they can't find the user that is causing this. I am giving them some time to see if they do something. If they don't i 'll have to disclose the company name so that people would be aware. Here is a screenshot of the current server load http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/3...verloadqy7.jpg Last edited by xdk69; 10-10-2007 at 11:22 AM.
Posted by ldcdc, 10-10-2007, 11:44 AM
Worst case scenario, there is no one user to blame, and it's just an overall increase of the load that customers' sites put on the server. It can easily happen as reseller add end user accounts on the server.
Posted by IHSL, 10-10-2007, 12:07 PM
For it to spike that high, there's definitely an isolated incident. Even something as general as mysql runaway processes or invalid RBL's can cause spikes like that. It isn't hard to find; they should have no trouble at all. If they are refusing, leave. Thankfully, hosting can be that simple sometimes. Simon
Posted by Orc Webhosting, 10-11-2007, 06:38 AM
It is also important to know what kind of server you are seeing such high loads on. While on one of the latest dual quad-core Clovertown servers with 8 processing cores a load of 24 isn't that high (it is like a load of 3 on a single CPU core system, with the added advantage that 8 cores can distribute the load), on a Pentium 4 machine that kind of load means the server is as good as down.

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