How to estimate server load? To find out how busy the server is on the Linux operating system, use the average load value – load average. It shows how many processes are currently in the queue in order to be executed. At high rates, the processes that are in the queue must wait until the others run out to free hosting resources. Thus, the running time of certain processes becomes too long. As a result, with a high load on the server in Linux, it turns out that too many processes are accumulating in the queue and the site may completely stop processing them.
Three values in load average show how many processes on average await execution at time intervals: one, five, and fifteen minutes. In theory, it would be nice if this value did not exceed the number of cores of your processor. As a rule, when hosting on a dedicated server, the user rarely gets more than one core. For this reason, load average should not exceed a value of 1-1.5, otherwise delays may occur. Since one core cannot execute more than one process at a time, and its scheduler seeks to allocate resources so that there is enough for each process, the illusion that processes are running simultaneously arises. But some processes are necessarily in standby mode. When considering a processor with a single core, we can say that:
- at load average (average load) is less than one – there is no load;
- with an average load of 1 to 3 – there is a load, but it is considered normal;
- with an average load of 3 to 10 – a strong server load, you should think about searching for a reason and its solution;
- with an average load of more than 10 – overload, you need to solve the problem;
- with an average load of more than 20 – it is difficult to get a response from the server due to strong lags.
To recalculate these numbers for processors with a different number of cores, simply multiply them by the number of cores. If you need to know the actual average load, type the top command.
What causes a large load on the server
Why there is a high workload:
- high processor load;
- insufficient amount of server RAM;
- too high disk load;
- high load on the network port.
If you want to know how busy your processor, RAM or server disk is, you need to use the “top” command. She shows these loads in a given period of time. If you want to see the load in some period in the past or just the whole load history, then you need to use the sar tool.
How to transfer site to another hosting
If there is a problem of increased load, then your web resource may not work correctly and give periodic failures. In this case, it is better to immediately find the reason and do everything possible to eliminate it. If the reason lies in the hosting provider, you will need to transfer your site to the server of a more reliable company. In this situation, https://justvps.com is a great option. Here you can always find a wide range of different hosting services, so finding the optimal option for your project will not be difficult. It is very important to consider the needs of your resource and how many people visit it regularly. The most optimal hosting option will depend on this. Moreover, if you initially make the choice in favor of shared hosting, then be prepared for the fact that in the future you will need to change your mind and purchase a more expensive option.
With a well-executed transfer of the site to another hosting, users will not notice any changes. For visitors, the site should function as before and with the same functionality. And the owner will have much greater potential for optimizing the site, reducing financial resources for its maintenance, as well as expanding the functionality and convenience of the site, which ultimately will attract more users to the site.
