This article will cover everything you need to do to ensure that your VPS is performing as fast as possible, which mostly focuses on optimizing your memory usage. Please ensure you make backups of your existing my.cnf & httpd.conf we will not be held responsible for any problems.

What you will need to action this guide:

1. Your server specs (most importantly Guaranteed RAM & Burst RAM)
2. Access to your Web Host Support for installation of
3. Root access to your VPS via SSH
4. FTP Access to your server
5. A brief knowledge of an editior (i.e. VI) if not I’ll provide the commands you need to know
6. How to restart mysql & apache in your server operating environment
7. Access to WHM

Viewing your PHPinfo

Create a file called phpinfo.php & include the follow in it:

[coolcode] ?>[/coolcode]

Navigate to that file on your server i.e. http://www.yourserver.com/phpinfo.php, you should see something like this:

What you need to ask your host to do:

1. Ensure that you have the latest PHP version (currently 5.28)
2. Make sure that PHP is compiled with the latest version of Zend Optimizer, Eaccelerator & Ioncube Accelerator.
3. Ensure that you have the latest apache version (currently 2.0.63)

Viewing your current resource usage

Log in via SSH, I normally use the Putty client for this.

Commands:

top: your current server load & resource usage.
ps aux: all your processes & which ones are using the most memory/cpu
free -m: allocated memory, usage & free memory

If you use the top command you can get an overview of the load on the server & memory usage. You can see in the screenshot above my VPS has a load of 0.02 during the last 1minute, 5 minutes & 10 minutes.

No-one really knows what the ideal “load average” should be but my general rule is that anything over below 1 is good & above 1 is average. Above 3 & you may start to notice performance issues.

With memory usage you should ideally have 100MB or so free (if not more), you really need that buffer for large traffic spikes. If you’re coming close to your allocated memory usage then any allocated burst ram will kick in. On my server I have no burst ram, just guaranteed which means I don’t have that buffer, but my system is more stable (as everyone on the VPS can make use of the burst ram).

Removing & Tweaking Unnecessary Services

There’s a number of services that you can remove or tweak to increase performance. To remove any of these services log into WHM & go to Service Configuration > Service Manager or Cpanel > Plugins in the left menu.

Clamd: This is a virus scanning service, it uses up a ton of memory do generally I’ll remove it.

Entropy Chat: Disable this.

Spamd: This uses a lot of processes & memory. You shouldn’t remove this, instead we can tweak it. Go to Cpanel > Plugins & install spamdconf, once done go to the bottom of WHM & click on Setup Spamd Startup Configuration. Change the maximum children to 1 or 2. This will stop spamd spawning too many child processes.

Cpanel Tweak Settings

In WHM under Server Configuration > Tweak Settings:

1. Make sure default catch-all mail address is set to FAIL, this will use the least CPU time.
2. Untick Mailman, this is a resource hog.
3. Change the number of minutes between mail server queues to 180
4. Uncheck Analog Stats, I also usually uncheck Webalizer.
5. Make sure you tick delete each domains access logs after run, otherwise you’ll start using heaps of Disk Space.

Mysql Optimisation

You can edit your mysql configuration (/etc/my.cnf) by typing vi /etc/my.cnf

In order to add something in vi you need to hit insert, once completed hit esc then :wq to save & quit. If you want to save without quitting type :q!

There’s a few important variables that we’re going to tweak:

1. max_connections
2. wait_timeout
3. thread_cache_size
4. table_cache
5. key_buffer_size
6. query_cache_size
7. tmp_table_size

Via ssh you can type ‘mysqladmin variables’ to see their current values & you can also see a refreshed processlist by using the command ‘mysqladmin –i10 processlist extended-status’.

The settings below should work well for a server with 512MB Guaranteed RAM (also leaving you enough free for traffic spikes), if you have burstable then you can probably look at increasing the number of max_connections to 400 & possibly the key_buffer to 64M:

[coolcode]
[mysqld]
max_connections = 300
key_buffer = 32M
myisam_sort_buffer_size = 32M
join_buffer_size = 1M
read_buffer_size = 1M
sort_buffer_size = 2M
table_cache = 4000
thread_cache_size = 286
interactive_timeout = 25
wait_timeout = 7000
connect_timeout = 10
max_allowed_packet = 16M
max_connect_errors = 10
query_cache_limit = 2M
query_cache_size = 12M
query_cache_type = 1
tmp_table_size = 16M
skip-innodb
[mysqld_safe]
open_files_limit = 8192
[mysqldump]
quick
max_allowed_packet = 16M
[myisamchk]
key_buffer = 64M
sort_buffer = 64M
read_buffer = 16M
write_buffer = 16M
[mysqlhotcopy]
interactive-timeout[/coolcode]

Apache Optimisation

Apache settings are located in httpd.conf, you can use ‘locate httpd.conf’ or ‘whereis httpd.conf’ to find it.

Optimal settings for apache should look something like this, I like to keep the min & start servers slightly lower to stop too many child processes spawning & using memory:

[coolcode]
KeepAlive On
MaxKeepAliveRequests 100
KeepAliveTimeout 1
MinSpareServers 5
MaxSpareServers 10
StartServers 5
MaxClients 150
MaxRequestsPerChild 1000[/coolcode]

Restarting Mysql & Apache

Once you’re done you’ll want to restart mysql & apache. You can do this via the command line or via WHM.

Restart Mysql: /etc/init.d/mysql restart (if mysql doesn’t restart consider commenting out skip-innodb in my.cnf)
Restart Apache: /etc/init.d/httpd restart

These commands may vary depending on what your server is running.

Monitoring Changes

Use the ‘top’ command, ‘free – m’ & ‘ps aux’ to get an idea of how the server is responding. Pay attention to how much RAM you have left & also how much CPU Mysql & Apache is using. You may need to leave Mysql running for 24-48 hours to get a true picture here.

Thinking about upgrading to a VPS but not sure who to choose, let us help you with our VPS Web Hosting Reviews, tailored specifically for Affiliate Marketers or check out some VPS Coupons also check out PhotonVPS

[coolcode]top – 19:56:30 up 27 days, 4:11, 1 user, load average: 0.04, 0.07, 0.09
Mem: 524288k total, 386432k used, 137856k free, 0k buffers[/coolcode]

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They’re called Hostican & they currently offer for $10.95/month:

1. 500GB Space
2. UNLIMITED BANDWIDTH (Handy for this post)
3. Free Domain for life

Now if that’s not a good deal for anyone experimenting with Affiliate Marketing or making money online in general I don’t know what is. Hostican will also buy out your old contract & move all your files.

I’m planning on moving all my dreamhost domains over to these guys asap as I’m eating up a tonne of bandwidth.

Affiliate Program

They also have a rad affiliate program that pays out between $70-$90 per verified sale. And with deals like this currently running you should have no problem pushing these guys.

Sign up Here

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The main problem lies with the WordPress Caching however there are also some simple server tweaks that you can apply to help streamline things even further.

I must admit I’ve applied a few of these tweaks to this blog but I’ve always known that my content isn’t overly “diggable” what with it being about SEO & Affiliate Marketing :p But regardless you should see a nice reduction in server load & mysql queries.

Upgrade to WordPress 2.7

WordPress 2.1 contains a lot of performance upgrades over previous versions. It contains much more efficient database code as all of the queries were carefully examined by some stop Mysql programmers before the release.

Install the WP Super Cache Plugin

WP-Cache 2.10 will cache a physical copy of each post into a specified folder on your server. Since WordPress usually serves content dynamically it has to query mysql everytime it goes to load a post. If you get dugg you’ll end up with an insane amount of mysql queries that your server won’t be able to handle. Since this plugin creates a static copy of the page on the server you’re not actually loading any content from the database at all therefore the post will:

1. Load Quicker
2. Put less strain on the server

In theory you are able to server literally hundreds more pages per second than you normally would have before.

Choose the right Webhost

Naturally having a dedicated server with a fast processor & heaps of ram is considered the best there are less expensive options that you can consider.

If you have a VPS, please make sure you read my VPS Optimization Guide which will really give you the lowdown on tuning MYSQL & HTTPD.

The following Shared Hosts have been tested to be Digg Proof but it all depends on how many users are on your node & also how big the strain is on your server:

1. MediaTemple
2. Dreamhost
3. GoDaddy
4. A2Hosting
5. A Small Orange
6. Webfaction

Mysql Query Cache

Since pages are served dynamically every page load in WordPress results in a Mysql Query, as stated before the WP-Cache plugin helps to reduce these queries but it’s also important to make sure you have the Query Cache optimised for maximum performance.

To activate the Mysql Query Cache:

1. Find your mysql configuration file my.cnf
2. Find the setting query-cache-type & change the value to 1
3. Find the query-cache-size & change the value to 20M
4. Find the query-cache-limit & change the value to 2M

You will need to make sure your host allows root access to the server in order to do this tweak.

PHP Compiler Cache

The PHP Compiler cache saves scripts in their compiled format on the server so that they’re not getting recompiled every time you call them from WordPress.

It increases the performance of PHP scripts by caching them in their compiled state, so that the overhead of compiling is almost completely eliminated. It also optimises scripts to speed up their execution. It typically reduces server load and increases the speed of your PHP code by 1-10 times.

Two popular Compiler Caches are APC & eAccelerator however I’m not going to go into any details about installing or configuring them.

Disable Unused Plugins

Disable any plugins that you currently don’t utilise in the plugins section of wordpress. It’s easy to leave 30-50 plugins active even when you’re not using them simply because most webmasters will try out so many different versions of a particular plugin.

Configuring Apache for Maximum Performance

Check out the complete guide to configuring apache for maximum performance this will help you make those fine tweaks to your httpd.conf. You’ll need root access to do this.

Optimising your Mysql Database

Optimising your Mysql Database can have a huge performance on your load times & load on the server, especially if you have a big database. Check out this picture of the effect it had on Weblogtools collection cpu usage.

Optimising your Mysql database is pretty easy:

1. Log into PHPMyAdmin
2. Locate your WordPress DatabaseTables
3. Make a Backup First
4. Check all the tables in the Check Boxes
5. Select the Optimise Tables Option
6. That’s it!

I’ve also heard rumours that switching to InnoDB instead of MyIsam can have an effect on performance although I’ve not tested that myself, in fact I’m not even sure if it’s possible without causing errors.

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Usually the best way to get started is to create a website about something that you love or enjoy. The advantages of undertaking this first project can teach you the basics before you jump feet first into serious, product focused, Affiliate Marketing.

So, let’s say that you’re crazy about surfing in a particular spot on the Southern Coast of Australia. Why not create a nice informative site about the spot, with related information. Or maybe you enjoy Beach Volleyball, make a small site about that…

But how can doing something like this help me?

Jumping in at the deep end can be VERY frustrating. If you know nothing about how the internet works, how website promotion works & how affiliate marketing works it’s unlikely that you will be able to create a website that can compete with the hundreds of other competitors out there.

This was definitely one of the first mistakes I made. I tried to create an ecommerce site & failed miserably getting little or no traffic everyday. It made me want to quit the internet altogether. So I said, ok I’ll create a site about something that I love. That way, I’ll put more passion into the site, there will probably be less competition & It’ll help me get a feel for things.

I aim on this blog to try & give you as much of this information as I can, but at the same time much of the information is a journey of self discovery & experimentation, much like writing this is too.

So, it worked. I created a small site about a hobby I’m interested in. It ranked quickly in Google & I started getting some traffic. Much more traffic than I was getting trying to put together my Ecommerce Site. This was encouraging, it made me think: “Hey, you don’t NEED to write about mainstream stuff to get visitors & make money, the money is in the Niche markets.”

1. You’re creating a site with little competition, you’ll find it easier to rank in the search engines therefore it’ll teach you the basics of how search engines work & treat your site.
2. Once you start getting visitors you can learn how they find your site, what they’re looking for & how to analyze the data.
3. You can also learn to monetize the website by advertising services & using Affiliate Marketing on it.
4. You can experiment with placement of Advertising.
5. You can do research on Affiliate Marketing, product Research & Competitor Research.

The main beauty is that you know your subject. But at the same time it can help you learn all the little things that you need to know about getting your site off the ground.

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Webhosting comes in various different forms & in general can be quite confusing for someone who doesn’t know that they’re looking for. I’m going to give you a quick run down of what I personally feel is important for you to have with a webhost, recommend a few hosts I’ve had experience with & at least then you will be a bit more knowledgable when the time comes to make the leap.

What do you need Webhosting for?

Webhosting allows you to create websites, pages, forums, shops, newsletters & much more. It allows you to market your products however you see fit, it allows you to set up a personal blog, communicate with people who visit it or even receieve email to your personal address (yourname@yourwebsite.com).

It is vitally important if you want to try & earn money online that you have a good reliable webhost, one thing also to remember is that expensive often doesn’t mean reliable. I’ve used about 6 webhosts over the past 5 years & it’s amazing how much things have changed, especially things that people now take for granted.

So what do I need to look out for with a Webhost?

Cost: Cost is important to me, I like to shop around, compare companies & find the best deal. So should you, don’t be implusive about buying Webhosting because it can bite you in the ass later. At this stage you really shouldn’t need to spend more than $10-15/month on Hosting. Also avoid hosts with huge setup fees.

Server Space: This is the amount of space that you get on your Webhost’s Server. It’s basically hard drive space like on your own computer. Webhost’s range from 1GB anywhere up to 1000GB+. So lets be realistic, you want enough space to do what you need, but you also want enough space to grow incase you build up a hefty portfolio of websites.

Bandwidth: This is the amount of data that you can send to & from the host in a calendar month. Anything from 10GB+ should be great for what you need it for, unless you’re streaming video or have a very Image intensive site. Again it’s important to plan for growth.

Unlimited Domain Names: Once you have a hosting package you can just buy domain names & add them in. This means that when you want to create a new site it only costs you $5 or whatever the domain name costs to buy. Some Webhost’s only allow you a limited number of domains that you can host, I personally would avoid this at all costs & go with a host that will allow you to host as many domains & subdomains as you need.

Unlimited Databases: Software such as this blogging platform that I’m using, uses Databases. It’s a much easier way of storing information on your Web Server without having to create bulky pages. So if you can get a hosts that gives you lots, or unlimited databases that’s awesome.

Good Support & Customer Service: If you have a problem you want quick help, if your tech knowledge is limited ideally you want somewhere that has 24/7 telephone support, if not then email support. Many hosts now run blogs that give you up to the minute details on outages, problems & other news.

Do your Research: If you find a good webhost that you like, do some research. Search Google about them, read forums, read other peoples experiences then make up your mind

What Webhost do you Reccommend?

I Personally have used Dreamhost for about 1 year now. I moved over from IX Hosting & haven’t looked back. Here’s a brief rundown of what I get.

I pay $7.95/month (although I paid upfront for 2 years), so there was no setup fee.

• 20GB Server Space (Which increases by 160MB per Week)
• 1000GB Bandwidth (Which increases by 8GB per Week)
• Unlimited Domains & Subdomains
• Unlimited Databases
• 97 Day Money Back if you’re not Happy

One of the main reasons that I chose Dreamhost was the increasing bandwidth & diskspace always gave me room for growth & the plan was one third of the price of any other host I looked at. I’ve had no problems so far, maybe 3 outages in the past 6 months for a few hours or so. You can also visit this site for Web Hosting Reviews

If you want to give Dreamhost a go I’ve organised a special discount voucher for all readers of this blog. It’ll give you $97 off the yearly or two year hosting plan. That’s the maximum discount. Enjoy

Dreamhost Discount Coupon Code: EARNER97

Recommended Resources:

• Dreamhost

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