Board Optimization - [DBTech] vB Optimise 2.0.1 (Lite)

vB Optimise Lite

This is ported from my original version released for vBulletin 3.8 located here. In this release I have re-coded vB Optimise from the gound and focused stability over features.

Professional version & feature list available @ www.DragonByte-Tech.com/forum
Priority support for Lite version is handled at the Developers Website.


What does it do?

vB Optimise is intended to optimise vBulletin software by integrating several PHP "cachers" and handling data before vBulletin. This works by encountering and handling data prior to vBulletin in order to skip the arbitary execution that would be more server intensive.

Real-Life Statistics

We've teamed up with some Big Forums to show you the impact of vB Optimise, you can view this public chart which shows both our statistics and theirs:

View Public vB Optimise Resource Statistics

Features - Lite

• Supported Extensions
  • APC
  • eAccelerator
  • Memcache
  • XCache
  • WinCache
  • Filecache
• Style Cacher
  Caches style data to globally reduce a query within all vBulletin forum-based pages.
• Template Cacher
  Caches template data to globally reduce a query within all vBulletin forum-based pages.
• Datastore Cacher
  Forces custom datastore items from modifications (including those from vB's blogs) to use your configured Datastore Cache method instead of being forced into the database. This reduces page queries by where affected.
• vB CMS Template Caching
  (Automatic) Corrects many uncached templates within vB CMS to reduce upto 20+ queries on CMS pages (number varies based on content).
• Optimal Settings Check
  Provides a quick interface to identify possible settings which can be changed on your forum for further optimisation.
• Self-System Tester
  Provides a relatively straight-forward system check to ensure your vB Optimise installation works fully.
• Automatic Cache Flusher
  Automatically flushes cache within the Admin CP based on specific triggers to make sure content does not remain stale on your forum.
• XCache Authentification
  Supports XCache Admin Authentification by allowing you specify the username/password in a configuration if needs be.

Features - Pro

• Notices Cacher
  Caches users dismissed notices to reduce a near-global query within all vBulletin forum-based pages.
• Showgroups Cacher
  Caches the showgroups query which becomes more intensive as your user-base grows.
• Forum Display Query Enhancement
  Enhances a stock vBulletin query within Forum Display to speed up the page.
• Forum Home WOL Cache
  Caches Forum Home "Who's Online" to remove an intensive query and allow larger sites to display this data without impact.
• vB Cache Override (Feature not available on vBulletin 3)
  Ability to override vBulletins new built-in database cacher for the CMS / Forum Sidebar Blocks to remove anything from 1 to 20+ queries based on your content.
• Full Guest Caching
  Ability to cache entire pages and serve them saving not only hundreds of queries but upto 90% of CPU processing towards Guests.
• Statistical Resource Savings
  Ability to see just exactly how many queries per day vB Optimise has saved your database. You'll be surprised at the numbers.
• Forum Resource Statistic
  Shows off vB Optimise resource saving statistics directly within forumhome statistics.
• ....and more!

Release Notes

If you've used vB Optimise before you'll be aware the previous version had phrase caching, however this caused complications with the way phrases are used within vBulletin so it has not been ported over at this time.


Available Translations
v1.6.0 French - Thanks to finereader

Change Log

[>>] Version 2.0.1
No change, just keeping in sync with vB 3.8/Pro

[>>] Version 1.6.1
Automatic Cache Flusher has additional parameters to make sure no data is stale
Resolved Bug: Potential PHP error when using eAccelerator which cannot flush within Admin CP on certain actions

[>>] Version 1.6.0
New OpCode Cacher Support: WinCache

[>>] Version 1.5.0
Resolved Bug: Style cache may have fetched ID 0 instead of correct file
Resolved Bug: Filecache permissions may not have worked
Optimisation: Re-wrote some base code to enhance operations.

[>>] Version 1.0.1
Added XCache Authentification Support
Added Filecache Support

Support

Priority support will be handled at DBTech.

FAQ

Q: I have WinCache installed, but vB Optimise tells me it's not?
A: WinCache only introduced OpCode support in version 1.1, if you're using version 1.0.x you will need to upgrade.

Q: I'm using the XCache method, flushing doesn't work?
A: If you have XCache authentification, turn the admin option on within vB Optimise Settings, then edit ./vboptimise/config.php and specify your XCache username/password. Alternatively you can disable XCache authentification within php.ini:

xcache.admin.enable_auth = Off

Q: I have eAccelerator installed, but vB Optimise tells me it's not?
A: eAccelerator does not provide the caching extension by default, you will need to recompile PHP with additional flags. For more information read eAccelerator documentation located here: http://eaccelerator.net/wiki/CompileConfiguration (Specifically look at: with-eaccelerator-shared-memory)

[kmohamed]

Originally Posted by Deceptor

If Memcache is failing to store data, the instance may have too little space or ran out. Restart your memcache daemon process with more allocated space (or ask your host to do this), without doing so vB Optimise will have no impact as cache will never be stored.

its working and it really change the speed of my site
great mod
installed
MOTM

[Deceptor]

star - I've never encountered that error when using Memcached on vBulletin, do both your websites have unique prefix's assigned in both the config.php and vB Optimise settings (assuming you're using it on both websites)?.

I'd try running one site with Memcache configured and seeing if the problem occurs, if not trying both sites and then seeing - but with unique prefix's there should not be any collision.

[stardotstar]

Deceptor, thanks for the reply. I have not set up the second forum to use memcache as per my original mistake - I had setup memcache on the server but completely failed to activate it in the vB configs. All I have done is actiavte it (with and without a prefix) on one of the forums.

I am going to try it on the other forum to see if the same error occurs when editing posts.

In the mean time I believe I can report substantial performance improvement on the site with filecache running with your product in combination with the yslow mod.

I do hope that I can get memcache working as it is bound to be even faster and may allow me to investigate the even further potential of using your commercial version.
(sorry I had failed to mark as installed - done that now - I had had it tagged but was not holding off marking as installed - this is an excellent mod and beautifully executed)

[Deceptor]

star - Thanks for the information, given this is surrounding the datastore you can opt of using it within vBulletin (in the config.php line, comment out: $config['Datastore']['class'] = 'vB_Datastore_Memcached'. If the bug doesn't appear then, it's the vBulletin Datastore.

Alternatively, you can disable Datastore Cacher on vB Optimise - however this only forces custom datastore items to use the correct datastore method (as vb doesn't handle them correctly).

Let me know if I can be of any further help, Memcache will surpass Filecache immensly (Memcache uses RAM, Filecache uses your HDD) so it'd be great if you got it working without problems

[stardotstar]

Thanks Deceptor !

So, please help me ensure that I have this correct...

If I comment out the line

$config['Datastore']['class'] = 'vB_Datastore_Memcached';

from the vB config.php
BUT leave the other memcached lines in the file as is then memcache will not be used by vB's natively coded datastore - which you state is sub-optimal -
BUT AT THE SAME TIME switch vBOptimise's cache setting to memcache then we will still get memcache performance enhancements for all "customised datastore" and therefore won't be as good as having the vB native datastore using memcache PLUS the customised datastore through vbOptimised...

Not sure I got that down properly, will do some testing and see if I can get my head around it. I think that what you are suggesting will just bring up the original issue that prompted you to ask if I had the memcache setup properly in vB config.php to begin with...

Will

I appreciate the support very much!



[UPDATE]
Yes, as I currently have the memcache off in vB's config.php to prevent the wierd error; I have reenabled memcache as the optimisation method in your product and get the same/following results when I run the system test:

Running Test: Connection to memcache
Test completed successfully
Running Test: Store Cache
Your Opcache Operator extension is functioning, however it is unable to store data. Please check your extension configuration.
Running Test: Fetch Cache
Your Opcache Operator extension is functioning, however it is unable to store data. Please check your extension configuration.
Running Test: Flush Cache
Test completed successfully

In this state I can confirm that I can edit and save posts without the "maxloggedin" error showing.

I take it that this means that the product is going to have NO effect and that I need to get the vB side sorted before I can proceed.

In which case falling back to filecache is my next best option>?

[stardotstar]

OK here's the thing.
I have configured my other less-modified board to use memcached by uninhibiting the memcached datastore section of the config.php. Interestingly the board crashed out complaining that it couldn't find the vboptimise scripts - which was unexpected as it is not a mod I have added to that board but I figured that it must have something to do with data in the cache so I set the prefix option and the board operates as normal - furthermore it does not have the 'maxloggedin' error. What this tells me is that one of my hacks is causing that on my bigger board and I would seriously like to find out which ... Any tips on where to start with this - unsure that I can easily start switching things off systematically without bothering my users but will do that if necessary - is there anything I can do that will help me troubleshoot the error if I can get it to start happening again.

Thanks for the help so far and I understand that you don't support the base code itself and nor will vb.com so I am just asking for any tips - completely understand if you want me to take it to another thread.

Will

[UPDATE] This mod works PERFECTLY on my other board - all I had to do was ensure I used the prefix for the datastore in config.ini and went through the other optimisation settings recommended by Deceptor's product - awesome - thank you this is a fantastic product!

When I get my other board sorted I will be purchasing this for both sites.
Will

[stardotstar]

OK (sorry to be avalanching in this product thread Deceptor and others ops: ) but I need to clarify something further:

I have the vBOptimise product on and passing all tests on my smaller board - it does not throw the wierd 'maxloggedin' error on editing and saving posts. This is therefore a "full" implementation of this product and the vB core memcached datastore engine...

Further I have commented out the "$config['Datastore']['class'] = 'vB_Datastore_Memcached';" line - and only that line in the bigger board config.php and can say that the vBOptimise system tests are all passing - so this is encouraging - especially as I can still edit and save posts there ...

BUT and this is a big BUT... Despite having separate "prefixes" for the two sites they seem to be merging a lot of the common (but different) cached data - ie my forum logo, all the ads served up by openx - various image elements from the css's.

I have had to switch to filecache on the smaller board to stop it inherriting all the stuff from the bigger one.

I doubt that I have the expertise to sort this out right now and it is very hard to full explain - I also don't want to spam the thread of your excellent product.

So I will await any suggestions otherwise I'll sit tight and see what my users say - if its somewhat better I'll leave it at that for now!


Thanks again and sorry for the verbose troubleshooting posts!

Will

[Deceptor]

Hi star,

Don't worry about the mass of posts, just glad you can provide me all this information to help you diagnose the issue

Firstly, regarding the "cache collisions", I understand you've set alternative prefix's within vbulletins config.php - however that prefix is only used by vBulletin. vB Optimise has its own prefix within the main settings (default is "vbo_"), make sure those 2 are seperate on your forums and the cache collision should go away.

Secondly, regarding the mod invoking the "maxloggedin" issue. I'm afraid it could be any, mainly those that interface with the datastore itself (most probably). You could try backtrace the error the root of the cause but that'd be tricky - the simplest method would be as you said, trial and error until the error goes away.

If there's anything I missed out let me know, those 2 seem to be your main current issues

[stardotstar]

Deceptor:
"Optimise has its own prefix"
oh: yet again I am so far ahead of myself I have missed the obvious - of course it does! This will make a real difference. Thank you for the attention to detail. Your product is really well thought out and implemented.
I will dig into the 'maxloggedin' issue and right now I will make sure that the vbo cache prefix is properly set.

Thanks for all the help
Will

[Deceptor]

No problem star Let me know if you have any further questions or issues, enjoy!