Checksum Arcanius

In the last two days, I

1. Changed my blog’s MySQL tables storage engines from the MyISAM to InnoDB
2. Installed the WordPress Memcache Plugin to mimimize database queries (16-25 queries reduced to 2-7)
3. Installed APC (Alternative PHP Cache) to reduce PHP bytecode compilation overhead. As a result, all PHP sites on mimimus should be faster.

In addition, I did some general cleaning up and upgrading of software on minimus and nexus.

Altogether, these changes reduce the typical Checksum Arcanius page load from 2.5-3.5 seconds to 0.5-1.5 seconds, a 2-7x improvement.

These are very easy steps to take — I would suggest them to anyone running WordPress. Step-by-step directions follow (assuming Ubuntu Linux):

1. For each table in your blog’s database, execute the following SQL via a mysql client instance, phpMyAdmin, etc:
   ALTER TABLE <tablename> ENGINE = InnoDB;
2. Install memcache:
   sudo apt-get install memcache
3. Download the WordPress Memcache Plugin and place it in your wp-content directory. That is all you have to do to get memcache support in WordPress!
4. Install APC:
   sudo apt-get install php-apc
5. Restart Apache:
   sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

Very simple steps with a very high payoff.

The Trend is Clear

As I have become more involved with Facebook and Twitter, the number of idea that actually mature enough for me to blog about them go down. Also, I’m not taking enough time to review my thoughts and write about them.

My first resolution of 2010: I resolve to do blog more. I need that time to reflect reflect on my life. Status updates are not sufficient.