CPU Performance

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  1. CPU Performance: A Guide for MediaWiki Server Administrators

This article details the importance of CPU performance for a healthy and responsive MediaWiki installation. Understanding CPU limitations and how to monitor them is crucial for maintaining a positive user experience, especially as your wiki grows. This guide is geared towards those new to server administration and aims to provide a foundational understanding.

Why CPU Matters for MediaWiki

MediaWiki, while relying on a database for data storage, is surprisingly CPU-intensive. Many operations, such as Parser, Transformations, and Extension execution, place considerable load on the processor. Slow CPU performance directly translates to slower page loads, longer edit times, and overall sluggishness. A weak CPU can quickly become the bottleneck in your system, regardless of how optimized your Database or Caching is. This is especially true with complex pages, numerous extensions, or a high volume of concurrent users.

Understanding CPU Specifications

Several key CPU specifications influence MediaWiki performance. Here's a breakdown:

Specification Description Importance to MediaWiki
Clock Speed (GHz) The rate at which the CPU executes instructions. Higher is generally better. High importance; directly impacts processing speed.
Core Count The number of independent processing units within the CPU. Very important; allows for parallel processing of tasks.
Cache Size (L1, L2, L3) Temporary storage for frequently accessed data. Larger cache improves performance. Important; reduces the need to access slower memory.
Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) The set of instructions the CPU can understand (e.g., x86-64, ARM). Generally not a concern for standard MediaWiki installations.
Threads per Core (Hyper-Threading) Allows a single core to handle multiple threads concurrently. Moderate importance; can improve performance but isn't as significant as core count.

Choosing the right CPU involves balancing these specifications based on your wiki's size and traffic. For small wikis with limited traffic, a modern dual-core processor might suffice. For larger, heavily used wikis, a multi-core processor with a high clock speed is recommended.


Monitoring CPU Usage

Regularly monitoring CPU usage is vital for identifying performance bottlenecks. Several tools are available, depending on your operating system.

  • **Linux:** Use tools like `top`, `htop`, `vmstat`, and `mpstat`.
  • **Windows:** Utilize Task Manager or Resource Monitor.

Pay attention to these metrics:

  • **CPU Utilization:** The percentage of time the CPU is actively processing tasks. Sustained high utilization (above 80-90%) indicates a potential bottleneck.
  • **Load Average (Linux):** Represents the average number of processes waiting to run. A high load average suggests the CPU is struggling to keep up with demand.
  • **System Time vs. User Time:** Distinguishes between time spent executing kernel code (system time) and user-level applications (user time). High system time can indicate issues with drivers or the operating system itself.

Sample CPU Configurations for Different Wiki Sizes

Here's a guideline for CPU configurations based on estimated wiki size and user activity. These are *estimates* and may vary depending on your specific configuration and extensions.

Wiki Size Estimated Concurrent Users Recommended CPU Notes
Small (Under 10,000 pages) 1-10 Intel Celeron/Pentium or AMD Athlon Single core or dual-core processor. Focus on RAM and SSD storage.
Medium (10,000 - 100,000 pages) 10-50 Intel Core i5/i7 or AMD Ryzen 5/7 Quad-core or six-core processor. Good balance of performance and cost.
Large (Over 100,000 pages) 50+ Intel Core i7/i9 or AMD Ryzen 7/9/EPYC Eight or more cores. Consider server-grade processors for high availability and scalability.

It's important to note that these are just starting points. You may need to upgrade your CPU as your wiki grows and your user base expands.

Optimizing for CPU Performance

Beyond hardware selection, several software-level optimizations can improve CPU performance:

  • **Caching:** Implement effective Caching strategies using Memcached, Redis, or the built-in MediaWiki caching mechanisms. This reduces the load on the CPU by serving frequently accessed content from memory.
  • **PHP Optimization:** Use a modern PHP version (7.4 or later) and configure it for optimal performance. Consider using an opcode cache like OPcache.
  • **Extension Management:** Disable or remove unnecessary Extensions. Each extension adds to the CPU load. Regularly review and prune your extension list.
  • **Database Optimization:** A well-optimized Database reduces the amount of work the CPU needs to do to retrieve and process data.
  • **Web Server Configuration:** Optimize your Web Server (Apache or Nginx) settings to efficiently handle requests. Consider using a reverse proxy like Varnish to cache static content.
  • **Regular Updates:** Keep MediaWiki and all extensions updated to benefit from performance improvements and bug fixes.

Troubleshooting CPU Bottlenecks

If you suspect the CPU is a bottleneck, consider these troubleshooting steps:

1. **Identify the Process:** Use monitoring tools to pinpoint the specific process consuming the most CPU resources. Is it the PHP process, the database server, or something else? 2. **Profile PHP Code:** Use a PHP profiler (like Xdebug) to identify slow-running functions or code sections within MediaWiki. 3. **Database Queries:** Analyze slow database queries using the Slow query log and optimize them. 4. **Check Extension Conflicts:** Disable extensions one by one to see if any are causing excessive CPU usage. 5. **Scale Horizontally:** If the CPU is consistently overloaded, consider adding more servers to distribute the load (horizontal scaling).

Finally, remember to review your Server logs for any error messages or warnings that might indicate a CPU-related issue.


Further Resources


Intel-Based Server Configurations

Configuration Specifications Benchmark
Core i7-6700K/7700 Server 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB CPU Benchmark: 8046
Core i7-8700 Server 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB CPU Benchmark: 13124
Core i9-9900K Server 128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB CPU Benchmark: 49969
Core i9-13900 Server (64GB) 64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD
Core i9-13900 Server (128GB) 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD
Core i5-13500 Server (64GB) 64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD
Core i5-13500 Server (128GB) 128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD
Core i5-13500 Workstation 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000

AMD-Based Server Configurations

Configuration Specifications Benchmark
Ryzen 5 3600 Server 64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 17849
Ryzen 7 7700 Server 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 35224
Ryzen 9 5950X Server 128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 46045
Ryzen 9 7950X Server 128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 63561
EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB) 128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 48021
EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB) 128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 48021
EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB) 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 48021
EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB) 256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 48021
EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB) 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe CPU Benchmark: 48021
EPYC 9454P Server 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe

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⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️

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