Re: [htdig-dev] server_wait_time directive

[Gilles D. <gr...@sc...>]

According to Geoff Hutchison:
> > I'd rather vote for ignoring it when pcs are on. Or maybe as Geoff 
> > says, after the max requests in a row are reached.
> 
> No one else seems to have much opinion on this matter. But as I said 
> before, I think if server_wait_time is set, you *should* wait at some 
> point. To me, it makes logical sense that if the user has set 
> max_connection_requests, then we should follow that and wait afterwards. 
> If we *never* wait when persistent connections are enabled, we won't be 
> good network citizens and won't enable ourselves to "throttle back" on a 
> webserver.
> 
> In a multiple-server context, there will be at least *some* wait while 
> htdig switches to the next server after max_connection_requests. I feel 
> that enabling server_wait_time at this point is consistent and will 
> prevent server melt-down.

Actually, I do have an opinion on the matter, and a strong one at that,
but haven't had a chance to voice it.  Basically, Geoff, I agree with you.
Quite emphatically so, to the point of wondering why the issue is even
subject to debate.  I can see NO OTHER logical way of doing this, and
certainly haven't seen any good argument for ignoring server_wait_time
between connections.  It just doesn't make sense, if the user specifies
a delay between connections, not to use that delay just because you're
transferring more than one document through that connection.  The whole
point of persistant connections, and the delay, is to allow the user some
control over how much of a load htdig puts on the server, and to get the
data from the server to htdig as quickly and efficiently as is practical
without bogging things down.  Respecting BOTH server_wait_time and
max_connection_requests is the only reasonable way I can see to give the
user that control.  If htdig is currently ignoring server_wait_time, for
any reason, then I'd say it's a bug, not a feature, and should be fixed.

-- 
Gilles R. Detillieux              E-mail: <gr...@sc...>
Spinal Cord Research Centre       WWW:    http://www.scrc.umanitoba.ca/
Dept. Physiology, U. of Manitoba  Winnipeg, MB  R3E 3J7  (Canada)