Identifying and Solving Cloud Server Performance Bottlenecks

Introduction

The use of cloud servers, especially in virtual server rentals and cloud computing, has become widespread. However, performance bottlenecks are common when adequate resources are not allocated. In this article, we will analyze CPU and RAM consumption to identify and solve performance bottlenecks.

Issue Diagnosis

To diagnose performance issues, you can use the following commands:

• top: Provides real-time information about CPU and memory usage. To run the command, enter the following in the terminal:

top

In the output, you can press Shift + M to sort by memory usage to view the processes consuming the most resources.

• htop: Offers a more visual interface to monitor processes and memory usage. To detect high memory-consuming applications:

htop

Again, you can sort by pressing Shift + M.

• dmesg: Used to check system errors and warnings. You can use this command to see memory errors or other critical issues:

dmesg | grep -i error

Causes of Performance Bottlenecks

Performance bottlenecks in cloud servers are generally caused by the following:

• Insufficient RAM allocation
• High CPU usage
• Misconfigured services (e.g., Apache, MySQL)
• Inadequate disk speed (not using NVMe SSD instead of HDD)

Solution Steps

You can follow these steps to resolve these issues:

1. Reducing RAM and CPU Consumption

To stop unnecessary services:

sudo systemctl stop 

For example, to stop the Apache server:

sudo systemctl stop apache2

2. Restarting Services

It is crucial to restart the relevant services after making changes to configuration files. For MySQL:

sudo systemctl restart mysql

3. Optimizing Configuration Files

To optimize MySQL, you can add the following parameters to the my.cnf file:

[mysqld]
innodb_buffer_pool_size=1G
max_connections=100

In the httpd.conf file for Apache, you can update the following settings:

KeepAlive On
MaxKeepAliveRequests 100
KeepAliveTimeout 5

4. Increasing Disk Performance

Using NVMe SSD is a critical step to enhance disk performance. If your current disk is HDD, you should consider switching to NVMe SSD.

Conclusion

Identifying and solving performance bottlenecks in cloud servers is essential for improving system efficiency. By following the steps outlined above, you can optimize your system’s performance and enhance user experience.