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  1. #26
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    279.83 248.34, 234.03 means that there are +279 average processes waiting to access to the CPU currently, the other numbers are the average for the last 5 and 15 minutes.
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  2. #27
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    Hey everybody - I'm glad this problem has sparked some conversation in the matter. I received a reply from Dreamhost in regards to the server load:

    I had an admin take a look at the high load on the server and he found a
    site that was causing this high load and a bad apache service
    configuration that was contributing to this.
    While I do agree that "you get what you pay for", it also is unacceptable for a server to be entirely unusable for 3-5 hours at a time - shouldn't some type of monitoring alert admins of this load?

    And for the user who asked about what the loads meant, my site becomes very slow when loads get around 20, and becomes entirely unusable (500 Internal Server Error) around 70. Today my load was 200+, so you can imagine what that does for performance.

    Server loads aren't something you can exactly call "good" or "bad" because they are a simplistic metric - but in my case it was extremely clear.

    I have requested twice to be moved to a different server, but so far it has been neglected. I may pursue the switch, but to be honest I would feel more comfortable switching to a better host.
    Last edited by evan_w; 07-09-2009 at 08:59 PM.

  3. #28
    Their website says they have 24 technical support so I am assuming that means their techs should be monitoring the server on a 24 hour basis.

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Syfonic View Post
    I am assuming that means their techs should be monitoring the server on a 24 hour basis.
    You can assume that if you like .. I prefer to assume they are dancing in the DC wearing tutus
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  5. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by evan_w View Post
    Server loads aren't something you can exactly call "good" or "bad" because they are a simplistic metric - but in my case it was extremely clear.
    I am so glad that you have an understanding of load. There are so many clients out there that think that anything over a load of 4 is bad or anything over a load of 2 is bad... etc... It really doesn't work like that and it makes me very happy to see somebody openly posting that they at least have an understanding of load.

    Quote Originally Posted by evan_w View Post
    I have requested twice to be moved to a different server, but so far it has been neglected. I may pursue the switch, but to be honest I would feel more comfortable switching to a better host.
    Honestly - moving from one server to another is only a band-aid imho.
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  6. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by MikeDVB View Post


    Honestly - moving from one server to another is only a band-aid imho.
    you could be right of course - but, others will post load averages for shared servers with the same company that are dramatically different - and they will claim to have never had issues..

    such is the nature of this business model - it is all about probabilities - the larger the packages you sell, the cheaper your packages are and the more end users you pack into a given area - well, the higher the probability of having problem servers..

    it would be naive to think that DH does not have load monitoring and alarms setup - I would hazard a guess they do - more likely though is that this particular server has a higher then average number of users trying to utilize unlimited resources and likely has a higher then average number of clients running known exploitable scripts, etc..

    Hosting is a service - you are essentially paying for probabilities.. so sure, sometimes you get what you pay for, sometimes you get more then what you pay for and sometimes you get less - the only things that affect the chances of all of the above are simple probabilities.. if you pay more, from a good company, you chances are increased to get what you pay for or better - if you pay less, even with a good company - your chances of getting a certain level of reliability decrease...

    If you look at legitimate uptime and performance metrics of hosts with various different business models and reputations - referencing their entire fleet - you will see these probabilities take shape - it is afterall, inevitable...
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  7. #32
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    All I'm saying is that I personally wouldn't request to transfer from one server to another (unless the server was experiencing legitimate hardware issues). The only issue that I see on the server the OP is on is that 1) they're not monitoring it like they probably should be and 2) it's affecting the clients on the server.

    If it were a hardware issue then sure - transfer to another server - but being that it could happen to any of their servers and they don't appear to be watching for this situation - I wouldn't feel safe myself requesting another server as a resolution to the issue.

    Now if they were to bring the server I was on back to where it should be performance wise then I would be more likely to stay

    Really it just comes down to how the host handles the situation which from what I've read in this thread so far isn't exactly what I'd call "amazing" customer service but then again we are only seeing one side of the story.

    I'm not passing judgment but instead just sharing my opinion on the topic and obviously there are going to be others that have differing opinions on the subject

  8. #33
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    Jul 2009
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    Minneapolis, MN
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    I really can't complain about Dreamhost's customer service, they have replied to my tickets and have resolved the problems (albeit after a few hours, but that's to be expected I suppose). The real problem is the quality of their hosting service itself and the fact that these problems are recurring.

    I'm not entirely sure what a host can do to prevent these problems, because in both incidents the loads have been generated by other users on the shared server with scripts/settings gone awry. It certainly would be beneficial to the rest of us on the shared server if there were some proactive measures in place, though.

    Thanks again for all the feedback - I'll be digging through the forums to find a different host.

  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by cartika-andrew View Post
    but, others will post load averages for shared servers with the same company that are dramatically different
    What are you talking about?


















    21:58:33 up 89 days, 9:26, 6 users, load average: 0.72, 1.30, 1.50


  10. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by evan_w View Post
    I really can't complain about Dreamhost's customer service, they have replied to my tickets and have resolved the problems (albeit after a few hours, but that's to be expected I suppose). The real problem is the quality of their hosting service itself and the fact that these problems are recurring.
    As long as they resolved the issues in what you would consider a timely fashion I wouldn't necessarily jump ship.

    Quote Originally Posted by evan_w View Post
    I'm not entirely sure what a host can do to prevent these problems, because in both incidents the loads have been generated by other users on the shared server with scripts/settings gone awry. It certainly would be beneficial to the rest of us on the shared server if there were some proactive measures in place, though.
    Really there isn't much that can be done to prevent it but there are systems and procedures that can be put in place to quickly resolve such issues before they become real issues. I mean if a server goes to 200+ load for 5 minutes the chances of it having any *real* impact on you is small however if it's hours of 200+ loads then that's a major issue for sure.

    Quote Originally Posted by evan_w View Post
    Thanks again for all the feedback - I'll be digging through the forums to find a different host.
    Good luck!

  11. #36
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike in FL View Post
    What are you talking about?


















    21:58:33 up 89 days, 9:26, 6 users, load average: 0.72, 1.30, 1.50

    exactly

    just probabilities...

    DH obviously does a better then average job on most of their servers - but, with their model, etc - you can expect x% of their servers to be "problem" servers - not a shot at them or any other "unlimited" type of provider - just the nature of the business model..

    If you are on a problem server, try to get moved to a different server - will likely solve your problems most of the time..
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  12. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by SSHocker View Post
    Without meaning to sound unsympathetic, I suppose thats what you get on a server loaded with people who want unlimited everything for 5 dollars
    Would the problem be any different if customers were paying $50 a month and limited to say 20GB of disk space and 100GB of transfer a month?

  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by tim2718281 View Post
    Would the problem be any different if customers were paying $50 a month and limited to say 20GB of disk space and 100GB of transfer a month?
    Probably the server would be less crowded and chances of have that kind of overload would be reduced too.
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  14. #39
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    500 Internal Server Errors with high server load is seen during large attacks.

  15. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by bentink View Post
    500 Internal Server Errors with high server load is seen during large attacks.
    Or.. just high loads
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  16. #41
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    Actually, one could offer unlimited for millions of pounds a month and not have a system overloaded, however Dreamhost/Bluehost charge $5 for the privilege and so they have to cram a lot of users onto their servers to rake in a profit.

  17. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by CodyRo View Post
    Or.. just high loads
    Apache might have crossed the connection limit.

  18. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by bentink View Post
    Apache might have crossed the connection limit.
    Yeah, or a meteor could have fallen from the sky and struck the server... Why does it matter ?

    There's no sense in discussing the possibilities that could lead to a high load but since you brought it up - in my experiences Apache crossing the connection limit will not cause a high load unless Apache is configured to have more connections than the server can support (usually this causes the server to use a lot of SWAP which causes the load to skyrocket due to Disk I/O Wait time).

    A server that is properly configured will do one of two things 1) It will respond that the server is too busy at the moment or 2) Apache will simply crash.

    At any rate, it really doesn't matter.
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  19. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by HP-Kevin View Post
    If the load was "actually that high" you wouldn't have been able to login and run uptime.
    I certainly wouldn't say that. Earlier this week one of our client's servers was at around 290 and I was able to get in, stop httpd and mysql and bring the load down while watching top. Was it ultra fast? No, but it was loading.
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  20. #45
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    I still use DreamHost and have since 2005. I stand behind them 100%. If you get what you pay for with DreamHost, you get a damn good deal. Request to be moved to another cluster, they will do it for free. They also offer clusters that have multiple MySQL servers for redundency for extra $$. My cluster has a webmail server, the webserver, a file server and three MySQL servers. Most people on this cluster (All 10 of them) use MySQL for their sites, and we have had one MySQL outage since I have been there. I check the support blog and all that, not to mention the emails I get when service is down.

    Out of my cluster (Keep in mind, since 2004), I have had to open one support ticket.

    With DreamHost, I really believe it all depends on what cluster you get put on. Some of their clusters are overloaded with websites that brake TOS and other crap like that, and it might take a few moves to find the perfect cluster. I love DreamHost, and would get a Dedicated Server from them if they sill offered them.

  21. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wrestler08 View Post
    I still use DreamHost and have since 2005. I stand behind them 100%. If you get what you pay for with DreamHost, you get a damn good deal.

    I love DreamHost, and would get a Dedicated Server from them if they sill offered them.
    I couldn't agree more. Exactly why we won't cancel the dedicated servers we have
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