faster! optimize your cascade server experience, by justin klingman, beacon technologies

Faster! Optimize Your Cascade Experience

2012 Cascade Server User’s ConferenceJustin Klingman, Manager, Web Software DevelopmentBeacon Technologies, Inc. | beacontechnologies.com

September 17, 2012

@JustinVT99 #csuc12

2012 Cascade Server User’s Conference

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Mission:◦ AUTOMATE, GROW, and CONNECT Your Business

Services Offered:◦ Web Development, Digital Marketing, Web Hosting

Currently supporting 185 active Web clients

Hannon Hill Development and Hosting Partner◦ > 80 sites in 25 Cascade instances since 2005

Beacon Technologies

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Session Overview

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Objective: Speed up your Cascade experience

Infrastructure Index Blocks: Problems & Solutions Data Definitions Publishing Tips for End Users Used Cascade 7 w/32-bit engine and

legacy (6.x) caching


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Minimum CPU is Dual Core; recommend Quad Core with 4GB of RAM

Separate Application and Database◦ Server #1: Cascade software (front-end)◦ Server #2: Database Server (back-end)

Notes:◦ Servers should not be used for other applications◦ If using virtual servers, use 15K RPM SCSI Drives

on separate disk drives and RAID spindles in your SAN Provides greater disk access speed

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Infrastructure | Hardware


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Upgrade Cascade! Use latest supported OS and Database

versions 64-bit OS and Java

◦ Much faster with raised memory allocation 74% decrease in page rendering in our testing

◦ 64-bit allows for more memory to be allocated Java Settings

◦ Allocate > 1.5 GB RAM (64-bit only)◦ Investigate Initial RAM, Max RAM, and

MaxPermSize settings

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Infrastructure | Software


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Network◦ Use Gigabit connections between all servers◦ Avoid FTP publishing if possible◦ Best publishing methods

Cascade Windows → Windows: Windows File Transfer Cascade Windows → Linux: Samba Cascade Linux → Linux: NFS

Restart Cascade weekly

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Infrastructure | Network / Restart


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One of the biggest factors in page rendering & publishing times

Don’t index more than you need◦ Carefully enable Index Block options◦ Deactivate / Delete unused assets

Index Blocks

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Index Blocks | Top Navigation w/ Dropdown


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Experiment: Top Navigation dropdown menu showing sub-links under each main item◦ GREAT feature for your Web site visitors◦ Requires indexing all site folders, but only 3 levels

deep


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Optimized index block:


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Change one option at a time to show performance impact

Results◦ 1,200 pages, single page rendered(minimal publishing

differences)

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Block Option Optimized Render

Non-optimized Render

Depth of Index 3

0:10

4 0:18

Max Rendered Assets

0 (unlimited) 200 0:05

Indexed Asset Types

Pages / Blocks Pages / Blocks /Files 0:20

Page XML Do not render page XML inline

Render page XML inline 1:13

Indexed Asset Content

Regular Content /User Metadata

Regular Content /System Metadata / User Metadata

0:11

Other Indexed Info <not selected> Append Calling Page Data 0:11


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Optimal Solution: Feed Block◦ Publish XML file of Top Navigation◦ In Cascade, Feed Block reads published XML file

(like external RSS feed)◦ Top navigation is rendered normally, but is faster

since Cascade isn’t processing index block◦ Top Navigation XML is published manually, using

scheduled Publish Set, or Workflow Publish Trigger Format: If page’s “Last Published On” value does not

exist, it has never been published, so hide

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<xsl:apply-templates select=“system-page[last-published-on]”>


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Optimal Solution: Feed Block◦ Advantage:

Cuts render time in half (0:10 → 0:05)◦ Disadvantage:

Navigation changes not displayed in Cascade until XML is published

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Index Blocks | Left Navigation


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Accordion / Fly-out Navigation:◦ Subfolder navigation

appears without changing pages

◦ Disadvantage: Must index entire site Relative indexing cannot see

into parent folders

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Optimal Solution: Relative Indexing◦ Index the current page’s parent folders and

siblings◦ Doesn’t

index everypage in asection

◦ OptimizedIndex Block:

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Results◦ 70-page section, single page rendered

If Accordion is needed, use Feed Block◦ Same solution as Top Navigation◦ Disadvantages:

Navigation changes not displayed in Cascade until XML is published

Accordion cannot be viewed in Cascade Requires .NET, PHP to process XML file

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Solution Render

Accordion 0:31

Relative Indexing 0:10


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Usually have to index content from pages Much faster to index Metadata only Example: Faculty Directory

◦ Listing Page: Name, College, Phone, Email◦ Optimized Index Block

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Index Blocks | Listing Pages


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Example: Faculty Directory◦ Data Definition: Index page content◦ Metadata: Only index page metadata◦ Results

(450 Faculty pages)

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Index Blocks | Listing Pages

Data Definition Metadata

0:29 0:10


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How do you know what data you need and don’t need?◦ Need to see the data the page is seeing◦ “XML” configuration in each Configuration Set

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Index Blocks | Know Your Data


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How do you know what data you need and don’t need?◦ Edit page and attach appropriate block to XML

configuration (e.g. “Press Releases”)◦ View XML configuration to see the XML the page

is seeing◦ Edit Index

Block optionsto find optimalsettings

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Index Blocks | Know Your Data


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The bigger they are, the harder they fall(or render, or save)

Use Data Definition Blocks◦ Breaks up fields in page’s Data Definition

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Data Definitions


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Do full-site publishes at night when server load is light

Publish only what’s needed

Avoid full-site publishes when possible◦ Solution: Includes for common template regions

Publishing over Network is faster than FTP

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Publishing


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Choose your Web browser wisely◦ My #1 choice is Google Chrome,

followed by Firefox, Safari◦ Aren’t I forgetting a browser?

Browsing in Cascade◦ Use context menus◦ Don’t have to wait for a page to

load before selecting action(Edit, Publish, etc.)

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For End Users


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Gather list of modules / regions to evaluate Benchmark current setup

◦ Metrics: “Rendering Time”and “Slow Regions”

◦ Publish times: single page,full site

Index Block◦ Evaluate XSLT to determine what data it needs◦ Create XML Configuration for all Configuration

Sets◦ Attach index block to see what the page is seeing◦ Tune Index Blocks settings to get minimum data

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Audit Process


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Modules◦ Consider different approach (e.g. Feed Block)◦ Listing Pages: Data Definition vs. Metadata

Data Definitions◦ Opportunities to split into Data Definition Blocks

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Audit Process


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Infrastructure◦ Cascade / OS / DB versions◦ Front- and back-end architecture & specs

1 or 2 servers? Processor / Memory / Disk

◦ Java Engine 32- or 64-bit? Memory allocated

◦ Publishing Via Network or FTP?

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Audit Process


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09/17/2012

FREE Performance Audit A “look under the hood”

◦ Page render/publishspeed, configuration, code andinfrastructure implementation

Valuable insights & actionable recommendations◦ Improve the user experience and

simplify maintenance QR code, card in Swag Bag, stop

by our booth, see Rick Boccard or me, or visitbeacontechnologies.com/cascade-server-analysis/

http://www.beacontechnologies.com/cascade-server-analysis/


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Contact Information:Justin KlingmanBeacon Technologies, Inc.beacontechnologies.comjklingman@beacontechnologies.com336.232.5685@JustinVT99

Questions?

09/17/2012

faster! optimize your cascade server experience, by justin klingman, beacon technologies

Technology

cascade instances

upgrade cascade

database server

end users

samba cascade linux

page data

index page content metadata

index page metadata