Tuning Web Performance

The speed with which a Web responds to requests from a FrontPage Client depends a lot on the Web's size, particularly the number of pages and other files it contains. You can improve a Web's response time by "tuning" it. When you tune a Web, the FrontPage Server Extensions set aside a certain amount of cache for the Web, based on the number of Web pages. For example, you can tune a Web for less than 100 pages or more than 1,000. You can also customize cache size and full-text search index size.

Performance settings in the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) provide you with options that will help you optimize your site. There are four options to choose from: As a general practice, it is best to select from the first three options. These options are predefined with settings that match the number of pages in your site. You can choose custom settings if you want to manage the settings listed below. This is an option for advanced users.

Performance

In this dialog box, you specify an amount of cache for each type of information that is frequently used on a Web. By specifying amounts of cache that are appropriate for the selected Web, you can improve the Web's response to user activities.

In-memory document cache (CacheMaxDocMeta)

Enter the maximum number of documents whose property information, such as link maps and Web parameters, you want to keep active in memory. This number represents the maximum number of documents that can be held in the cache. For example, if you specify 4096 documents, when the 4097th document is read, then the cache clears itself and only includes the 4097th document. The cache will then increase in size as documents are read and clear itself again after the 4096th limit is reached again.

When you use the preset options, this value is set as follows:



Include file cache (CacheMaxInclude)

Enter the number of files that you want to keep available in memory for inclusion in other files. For example, there might be header, footer, and copyright files that you want to include in some or all of a Web site's Web pages. The predefined setting is set for 16. This is the 16 most commonly used files. If the number is a little low, you will still get optimization for the currently-being-processed files. If the number is high, there could be a performance hit as the time to parse the cache increases.



Image file cache (CacheMaxImage)

Enter the number of image files in memory that the FrontPage Server Extensions can use to create layered pictures in Web pages. For example, one file may consist of a background, another of a Navigation button. The Server Extensions can compose a picture by adding the background to a Web page and then overlaying the Navigation button image. The picture can be composed faster if the component files are in a cache. If the number is a little low, you will still get optimization for the currently-being- processed files. If the number is high, there could be a performance hit as the time to parse the cache increases.



Full-text search index size (TextMemory)

Enter the maximum amount of disk space that can be allotted for storing a full-text search index. When this amount is reached, no other pages on the Web site can be indexed (unless you increase this number).



Max cached document size (CacheMaxIncludeSize)

Enter the maximum size of a document that can be stored in memory. This size limit applies to include files, image files, and other files that may be stored in a cache.



These settings are made in the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) on a computer running IIS 4.0 and later on the Server Extensions Tab of the virtual server's property sheet. For all other Web servers on Windows platforms, the settings are made in the standalone FrontPage MMC Snap-in, the Server Extensions Administrator. On UNIX, the settings are applied globally in /Usr/Local/Frontpage/Version4.0/Frontpage.cnf, or per virtual server in Wennn.cnf (where nnn is the Web server's port number).

It is also possible to make the performance settings per subweb. Please refer to the Appendixes of the Server Extensions Resource Kit (SERK) for additional details. The SERK can be found at http://office update.microsoft.com/frontpage/wpp/serk.