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I have been searching for a definitive answer for the max load for a LAMP server. I have 4 dual core processors, so does this mean that the max load is 4.0, or is it based on cores - 8.0?

The server has 4 CPUs, Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU 5160 @ 3.00GHz. The distro is CLOUDLINUX 6.5 (built on CentOS).

Ian
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    You should do proper load testing for your site. Nobody else can know exactly how your system will work. – Jenny D Sep 12 '14 at 08:10
  • You might want to read up here: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/340564/best-way-to-stress-test-a-website – Reaces Sep 12 '14 at 08:21
  • Hi, thanks both for the reply, but I am not looking to stress test, I was just asking if the max load, seen via top, is either 4.00 or 8.00 - I have read conflicting answers and was looking for a definitive one. – Ian Sep 12 '14 at 08:28
  • Again, thanks for the reply, but not looking to benchmark or work out maximum capacity. – Ian Sep 12 '14 at 08:30
  • So you want your max load, but not work out the maximum capacity. I'm sorry but you lost me. What's the distinction? – Reaces Sep 12 '14 at 08:47

1 Answers1

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There is no maximum load for a system, as it easily can reach values in the hundreds when hundreds of processes are waiting to get processor time.

However, with 8 cores you can assume that a load below 8 indicates a system that is not overloaded and beyond that, there are permanently processes waiting for processor time. This is heavily influenced by other factors like I/O wait times though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_%28computing%29

Sven
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