Topic: Reverse Proxy - Low Download Transfer Rate

[Eulers]

Hi,

I set up Apache 2.0.54 as a reverse proxy on one server serving a website located on a different server. I can access the website via IP (thus not going through the proxy) or via DNS (using the reverse proxy).

When I download a large file (10-100 MB) I get a transfer rate of ~800 KB/second using the IP, but only ~350 KB/second using the reverse proxy. Given that the route is the same, except for the proxy, I assume that Apache is slowing the download down.

How could this be? I searched the web but couldn't find any hints as to what it might be.

Thanks for any help on this.

[tdonovan]

Is your reverse-proxy Apache system simultaneously reading responses from your website and forwarding these responses all through a single network interface card?

If so, this alone would effectively cut your speed in half. You are moving twice as much data through the same device.

- or do you have two NICs on your proxy machine?
If you do have two NICs (one serving clients - the other to the website machine)
then I think you should expect pretty close to the same ~800 KB/second, all other things being equal.
Proxying requests shouldn't introduce much overhead.

-tom-

[Eulers]

Hi,

It turns out that the decrease in transfer rate was caused by a faulty network switch. It seems that it wasn't an Apache issue.