ClearWay NITRO PowerPlug 2.2

Copyright © 1998-1999 ClearWay Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The latest version of this software can be found at <http://www.clearway.com/NITRO/>

 

Contents

• What is ClearWay NITRO PowerPlug?
• What's new in this version?
• System Requirements
• Installation
• How much speed-up will I get?
• Side note: How to measure "Latency" with existing tools
• Troubleshooting
• Getting More Performance
• How NITRO Works - The Short Version
• Pricing and Ordering
• Lots more information online
• NITRO and network security
• About ClearWay Technologies, Inc.
• Credits

What is ClearWay NITRO PowerPlug?

ClearWay NITRO PowerPlug ("NITRO") is a WebSTAR plug-in that accelerates WebSTAR in three ways.

• First, it makes WebSTAR respond faster to each hit (lowers server latency),
• Second, it increases the speed and network efficiency with which WebSTAR processes each hit, and
• Third, it dramatically accelerates the execution of all installed WebSTAR plug-ins.

Practically every WebSTAR Webmaster will see an immediate increase in server responsiveness and performance with NITRO installed.

Yes, it really works. The real world is the real test - try NITRO for yourself.

What's new in this version?

The NITRO 2.2 release contains three significant changes from NITRO 2.1, with the focus on even higher performance and improved compatibility.
- 2.2 uses server memory more efficiently on servers with 4Mb+ of free RAM.
- 2.2works better with Tenon's WebTen and Social Engineering's Quid Pro Quo.
- 2.2 is more tolerant of plug-ins that do sloppy things with server memory.

If you have had performance or compatibility problems with NITRO in the past, NITRO 2.2 is likely to solve them.

If you are running Lasso, Tango, WebFM, NetCloak, WebCatalog, or FireSite, we very strongly recommend that you install both NITRO and the (free) ClearWay Thread Tweaker, available from http://www.clearway.com/ThreadTweaker/

System Requirements

You will need WebSTAR 1.3.2, 2.0, 2.1, or 3.0.x, on either PowerPC or 68K processors. NITRO is reported to work with Quid Pro Quo (2.1 and later) and WebTen (2.0.3 and later).

You will need to increase your WebSTAR memory about 1-2Mb, depending on your particular server setup.

Installation

NITRO requires a License Key to run. You can get an "instant" two-week Demo Key here. Simply enter your name and e-mail address below, and a two-week NITRO demo key will be e-mailed to you immediately.

     Name:   
     E-Mail:    
             Your Key will be e-mailed directly to this
             address; please enter it carefully.

If you wish, you may fill out the same form at <http://www.clearway.com/NITRO/demo.html> or you may contact ClearWay customer support directly and we can provide a demo key by telephone, fax, or any other convenient method.

Once you have a Demo or License Key, install it this way:

1. Create a text file called NitroKey.txt containing ONLY your NITRO License (or Demo) Key.
2. Move this new text file into your WebSTAR plug-ins folder.
3. Place the NITRO Super plug-in (to start with) in your WebSTAR plug-ins folder.
4. You will need to increase your WebSTAR memory about 1-2Mb, depending on your particular server setup. Start with a 2Mb increase.
5. Restart WebSTAR.

When NITRO starts up, it will automatically change the type and creator of your key file so that browsers cannot access it remotely, and your key remains private and secure.

There is no need to alter or replace any of your existing plug-ins (unless they are old versions that have bugs that have been fixed in later versions - this is not really a NITRO problem, but bugs in other plug-ins can interfere with NITRO.)

How much speed-up will I get?

Server latency, efficiency, and processing speed vary considerably from server to server, and your unique setup will produce unique results. However, here is what you are likely to see with NITRO:

• Responsiveness (1/Latency). Your server is likely to be 10%-50% quicker responding to each hit with NITRO. You will see this immediately with snappier page delivery for every hit. There is a substantial and measurable reduction in server latency with NITRO installed, usually in the 10%-50% range. Reduced latency makes the whole server run faster and definitely makes it "feel faster" to browsers.
   
• Network efficiency (Saturation duty cycle). A more efficient server reaches network saturation more quickly and thus completes each hit sooner. The server can then start processing the next hit earlier, and more hits can be processed in the same amount of time. You will probably see a 5%-25% increase in server efficiency with NITRO. You can measure this increase by benchmarking "hits per second"; NITRO will usually increase WebSTAR's "hits per second" score by 5%-25%.
   
• Plug-in speed. NITRO accelerates the execution speed of all installed WebSTAR plug-ins, up to 200% or more, depending on the plug-in and usage patterns. WebSTAR SSI, Tango, Lasso, WEB-FM, NetCloak 3.0, WebCatalog, and Typhoon are all accelerated. You can measure the acceleration by benchmarking the time required to serve 1000 plug-in hits.

If you are running Lasso, Tango, WebFM, NetCloak, WebCatalog, or FireSite, we very strongly recommend that you install both NITRO and the (free) ClearWay Thread Tweaker, available from http://www.clearway.com/ThreadTweaker/

Side note: How to measure "Latency" with existing tools

Even though it is probably the most important element of Web server performance, there are no commonly available tools for measuring Web server latency. Here's how to use NetSplat or Pounder II to measure the relative latency of a server under different configurations: use only one "simulated client", and then run a test of 1,000 hits. Record the "hits per second" (Pounder II) or "Average time" (NetSplat) as your relative latency numbers. Then add NITRO and try the tests again. Hits per second should go up, Average time should go down.

By only simulating one client at a time, the testing this way focuses on how fast the server can accept, process, and return each individual hit. Factors such as network speed, multithreading, etc., are largely eliminated, and what's left is latency.

Troubleshooting

• Make sure you have ONLY ONE NITRO plug-in installed at a time!
   
• Make sure to increase WebSTAR's memory partition 1-2Mb! Start with a 2Mb increase, and reduce it later if you wish and WebSTAR has enough RAM to run.
   
• If your server crashes with NITRO Super installed, remove NITRO Super and install NITRO Regular. It probably won't be a problem for most Web servers, but NITRO Regular is included just in case. In practice, almost every server can run even NITRO Ultra.

Getting Best Performance

If you server is stable and fast with NITRO Super, you may want to remove it and try installeding NITRO Ultra.

If the server is no longer stable with NITRO Ultra, switch back to Super.

In practice, almost every server can run with NITRO Ultra. The only conflicts with NITRO Ultra are from old "filter" plug-ins. Usually upgrading to the latest version of your filter plug-in will eliminate the conflict and let you run NITRO Ultra.

How NITRO Works - The Short Version

There are two components to NITRO: a new scheduler and a new memory manager. The new NITRO scheduler alters the way WebSTAR manages connections. NITRO's scheduler makes WebSTAR more responsive and efficient. The new NITRO memory manager runs much faster than the MacOS memory manager, and is 100% fragmentation-free. Since all plug-ins use memory, NITRO's memory manager makes all plug-ins execute faster.

Pricing and Ordering

NITRO costs US$149 per server, US$500 for five servers, or US$2,500 for a site license.

Substantial edutational discounts are available; please write to info@clearway.com.

To order, visit <http://www.clearway.com/NITRO/order.html>

NITRO 2.2 will be a free upgrade for NITRO 1.0, 2.0, and 2.1 owners; NITRO 1.0, 2.0, and 2.1 license keys are valid with NITRO 2.2.

Lots more information online

There is lots and lots more information on how NITRO works, how to best use it, what to expect, how to best tune your server, etc. on the ClearWay Web site at <http://www.clearway.com/NITRO/>

NITRO and network security

At startup, NITRO performs a "serial number check." To prevent a network hacker from being able to capture your NITRO License Key, the Key is never transmitted or exposed on the network; only an abbreviated "support ID code" is actually checked. This abbreviated support code is also displayed in the WebSTAR window for your information.

 

About ClearWay Technologies, Inc.

ClearWay Technologies, Inc. is a smart, friendly, helpful company that consitently delivers astoundingly useful professional-qualify Internet products and supports them with great customer service. ClearWay was founded in January 1996, is privately held, and currently employs five people building and marketing great Internet products.

Check out our Top "Twenty" Tips for Mac Webmasters! <http://mac-web-tips.clearway.com/>

Credits

ClearWay NITRO PowerPlug was written by Ben Wyckoff and Mark Kriegsman. Components of the high-performance NITRO system was originially developed as part of FireSite Web Site Accelerator. <http://www.clearway.com/firesite/>

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THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED AS-IS. CLEARWAY TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (CLEARWAY) MAKES NO CLAIMS AS TO THE SUITABILITY OF THIS SOFTWARE TO ANY TASK. BY USING THIS UNSUPPORTED SOFTWARE, YOU ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY AND ALL INJURIES, DAMAGES, OR LOSSES RESULTING EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY FROM THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND OR ACCEPT THESE TERMS, OR IF THIS WAIVER OF LIABILITY IS NOT VALID OR CANNOT BE ENFORCED IN YOUR LOCATION, YOU MUST NOT USE THIS SOFTWARE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BECOMING A LAWYER, CONSULT THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION AT <HTTP://WWW.ABANET.ORG/>