The site has been going in and out quite a bit lately, and yesterday it was down almost all day.
We were having cpu load problems and about a month ago decided to try moving to a different host server to see if we could pinpoint the problem. At first it looked as if everything was solved, because the connections/queries ratio looked good, but the server had been cutting us off periodically for very high traffic and cpu load. Yesterday we tripped the switch again.
High traffic is good, but after weeks of fiddling, we just couldn’t seem to get to the crux of the cpu load problem, which was not entirely related to traffic.
Many tech savvy sources inform me that Word Press is a cpu heavy program, and our new features – the Comic Press Plugin, the Next Gen Gallery, etc – are the source of much of the problem.
While our old host service suggested some kind of cache file plug in to take the load off the server, he could not install it himself and did not know what to recommend. I found WP SuperCache, but neither I nor my tech lady could seem to get it up and running correctly.
After moving to the new server, we thought the problem was solved, and simply deactivated it, since it wasn’t working anyway.
Alas, the site gets high traffic, thousands of hits a day sometimes, and it was all just too much for our new host server Dreamhost.
I had read some very good and very bad reports about Dreamhost, and was concerned when I kept having blackouts. Would I be able to get customer service? I wondered if I’d just have to move my server again.
Within about three hours of filing a report, I had a phone call from them and a very kind and understanding tech named Travis Takenouchi was not only able to pinpoint the entire problem, he went the extra mile and made the correct installation of WP Supercache for me, which he does NOT have to do. In addition, he taught me how to access my SSH Terminal (which I had no idea even existed), and now I can keep an eye on my cpu usage second by second.
Since the installation of WP Supercache, my cpu load has dropped exponentially. Usage was shooting up to 70% and staying there. Now it shoots up to maybe 21% for a second and then drops immediately to 0.0, no matter how many people are online at one time.
Because the site does get quite a lot of traffic, and because I do not want to lose some of the nice features we have, I may have to go ahead and move to a VPS at some point. But Travis not only did not try to upsell me, he advised me to wait and see how the WP Supercache works out and to stick with my current plan. Even if I do need to upgrade to the VPS, my usage has dropped so much I may save quite a lot of money in monthly server fees, which were going to eat me alive at my current rate of usage. And I am very appreciative of customer service that does not immediately try to upsell the customer to plans they may not need.
I dropped a tip in the jar of the WP SuperCache developer Donncha O Caoimh, and am sure the plug in will save me a lot more money than I just gave the dude.
I may have saved $100 or more a month in hosting fees by adding WP Supercache to handle my Comic Press plug in. Since neither I nor my tech lady could get it up and running, you may need some help yourself. Some people have no trouble loading it up, but every site has different needs.
I have removed the Next Gen gallery feature from the sidebar entirely. We already have a very nice gallery function at the top of the page, and it does not eat cpu. I’ve temporarily removed a couple of little extras that I bet you won’t even notice. I am going to test them to see how they load, and if they are too much wear on the cpu, out they go.
Thanks to Dreamhost for their excellent customer service, especially Travis Takenouchi, who took a great deal of time going over the matter with me in a courteous and kind way.
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Wow, it sounds as though Dreamhost really went above and beyond the call of duty. Good for them (and you, of course). It’s nice to hear about businesses that do more than talk about being customer-focused.
I’m particularly impressed that your Dreamhost service rep chose not to use your technical issue as an excuse to upsell you. One of my first jobs as a salesman was with a major software company (which will remain nameless) with a policy of trying to upsell the customer even when they simply needed service. I didn’t last too long, because I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It’s stupid! Overselling may increase revenue in the short term, but it’s like stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. If you consistently treat the customer well, they’ll learn to trust you and spend more of their money with you over the long term.
I took a gander at their site, and damn! Their prices are good, too. I may have to give them a look when my contract with my current web host expires.
I’m glad to hear you’ve identified a solution to the server CPU usage issue. I know how frustrating it can be to divert time away from your core tasks — the ones that actually make you money — to deal with IT-related issues.
Travis went WAY beyond the call of duty here. He did NOT have to do that install and tech work for me. It’s not at all included in the Dreamhost service.
If he hadn’t been able to do it, I would definitely have had to go elsewhere because there was no way I would have been able to figure out what was going on myself. So, he saved a customer right there.
There are other host providers that offer 24/7 phone support, but Dreamhost does not.
If you are a small site with little need for tech help, Dreamhost is a good call.
If I were Dreamhost, I would offer an upscale tech support service with 24/7 access for a higher price. I would be willing to pay it. It is nervewracking not to be able to access your site and to be getting emails from people wondering if you went out of business! And to have to wait awhile to find out what happened.
Now that I know what happened, I know how to watch for it in future, but I am going to have to consider my options as my traffic goes up, as it has been since the site redesign. It looks like there’s a VPS in my future, and because Travis took the time to explain everything to me so thoroughly and courteously, I am very likely to get that service with Dreamhost.
And I now know this problem is standard with Word Press plug ins. They are so cool and look so great, but without SuperCache, they will devour space on the cpu.
It is nervewracking not to be able to access your site and to be getting emails from people wondering if you went out of business!
I once worked for a small company that lost its phone and internet service for a couple of days. I couldn’t call, fax, or e-mail anyone — and my job was to conduct surveys of area businesses! I had to sit around with my thumb up my you-know-where while watching little clocks with wings flying out the window. (Not really, but you get the idea.)
I can only imagine how much worse it must be when you’re the business owner and you have a major systems outage like that. Anyway, glad to see the site back up and running.
Oh, and to an entrepeneur or self-employed individual, I suppose a major systems outage like that would result in little dollar signs with wings flying out the window rather than clocks..
And how. No advertising dollars, no book sales!
One of the plug-ins I have had to deactivate: The Comic Press t-shirt ad. It was really eating up the cpu, and when I turn it on, the site slows to a crawl. I think we’re going to have to do without it. I’ve tried it three times today.
I kinda miss the sidebar gallery, but whatever.
When I submitted my prior post in this thread, the site returned a “500 error” page. Fortunately, when I hit refresh the page came back just fine.
It would be just my luck to come here and congratulate you for solving the problem with your site, only to somehow tank it again for you. Or at least give the appearance.
(I’m actually aware that simply submitting a post couldn’t damage your site. But I was raised Catholic. Enough said.)
I put the Comic Press ad back up right before your post, and I bet that is what did it. The site kept freezing.
I think I’ll be going to a VPS sooner rather than later.