WSBF Engineering: First Post

A common problem WSBF experiences involves load placed on our Web server due to heavy listenership. The server at http://wsbf.net, beside running Windows Server 2003, also runs all of the following processes all the time.

• Apache Web server
• PHP: PHP Hypertext Preprocessor
• MySQL/MyISAM database
• Chief Engineer Kevin Haag's RDS sender
• Icecast, for streaming via MP3 to multiple listeners
• StreamRipper, for archiving all of WSBF's programming based on DJ and show.

It's a dual core system. Anyone see a problem here?

Suffice it to say, our single Web server suffered badly from thrashing, which basically is what happens when many intensive processes fight with one another for processor time. When the number of concurrent listeners exceeds 15 or so, the Web server runs ran out of resources and times out.

Our solution involves moving streaming capabilities to a separate server. This additional machine, accessible at stream.wsbf.net, runs Icecast and only Icecast.