performance issues between linux and w32

geoffs

i have two servers running, one is a redhat box with apache 1.3.19, php 4.0.4 and mysql 3.23 running on a dual pentium pro 200 with 128mb ram

server two is running win2k advanced server on a p3 700 w/ 256mb ram, php 4.1, mysql 4, apache 1.3.24

the script is identical...except each server uses its own 'localhost' database. Data in each database is identical.

http://www.sinfield.com/wheels/test -> Linux machine

http://www.richfool.com -> w32 machine

why is the w32 machine lagging so far behind? It should in theory be at least equal in speed to the linux box.

Anon

why is the w32 machine lagging so far behind? It should in theory be at
least equal in speed to the linux box.

Oh my... Where to begin when comparing apples and oranges...

One machine is a dual processor and the other is a single processor system. There are advantages and disadvantages to both of these processor configurations. Stop by www.2cpu.com for a lot of good technical info on dualies.
The machines also most likely running different motherboards, memory, I/O busses, disk drives, etc. All of these would contribute in different ways.
mySQL 3.x is not tuned for native operation under Windows. It uses an intermediate call layer. See the mySQL website for more details on why performance may be different.
mySQL 4.x is "Alpha release" code so all bets are off on performance, stability, reliability, etc. In other words: "use at your own risk" and "your mileage may vary".
Apache 1.3.x is not tuned for high performance under Windows. For details see http://httpd.apache.org/docs/windows.html
PHP 4.1 is different than PHP 4.0.4. Depending on what functions you are using, this could make a difference.
What other services, applications, memory-hungry programs were running on the Win2KAS at the time of the testing? 256MB is rather low for a server, let alone a Win2KAS box. Microsoft recommends at least 256MB just to install the Win2KAS OS, and that is assuming you are just going to install the OS, not be running any applications on it.
Was mySQL configured the same way on both machines? If they was (or even if they wasn't), that could explain the differences. You just can't copy configuration files between OSes and expect the same results. Tuning a database requires knowledge of how the DB is going to interact with the OS and the other applications on the system. That is why skilled DBAs get paid the big bucks.
Were the databases indexed the same way? Even if the data is identical were the tables built with the same table formats? Either of these can drastically impact performance.

And that is just the start of the list of things that could be causing the difference.

-- Michael
Darkstreak Computing & Innovations
www.darkstreak.com

Anon

🙂 thats a good list... but I think the most important point to note is the 'apache on windows' one...

apache is not expected to be either very stable or very fast on Windows if you used PHP/IIS on your windows box you would get better results (noting that IIS/Win32 is still going to be slower and less scalable than Apache/*NIX)

geoffs

well, i am stumped...here is an update. When I hit the win32 address on my local network...i get response times that are much faster then the linux machine... it just seems to take forever when I am accessing the site from an outside IP address. What might cause this?

When I am accessing it locally it is faster then the linux box...which should be the case.

I also tried running this with IIS instead of apache and it make almost no difference in load times. It is still dog slow.

any ideas?