w3wp.exe and Page Faults

Question

Hi all,

I am having problems with a web server that I am working on, and I just can't seem to figure this one out. The server is running Server 2003 and IIS6. My w3wp process on a medium traffic site has hit 100% CPU usage, and is having huge page faults (PF Delta is around 15k). At times where we have around 800 users online, the process uses around 200 threads. The main site is an ASP.NET site, but the high traffic comes from the phpBB forum attached to it. This is all ran through a Plesk install, if that makes any difference.

I've done every possible optimisation in MySQL and PHP to try and speed up the site, but I feel as though I am missing the bigger problem, which has to be the server configuration.

I have set up the app pool to run more worker processes, and recycle them after they hit a certain amount in VM. I have been through the processes with the MS Debugging tools, and have checked the ASP.NET code for problems, and there don't seem to be any that jump out at me.

Is there a checklist for what other possible causes I should be looking at, as I am running out of ideas. I am not allowed to remove Plesk, or IIS, or make any dramatic changes to the software stack.

Answer 1

w3wp.exe is the worker process running your ASP.NET application. If it's paging, or running at 100% CPU, that means your ASP.NET application is paging, or running 100% CPU.

You'll have to find out what's wrong with your application. It's not an IIS issue.

Answer 2

John's right. Examining the ASP.NET code for problems and having nothing jump out at you isn't a reason to believe that you have a server configuration issue. You need to involve the developers of this application in debugging their code. They will most likely (since you don't have permission to) profile it in depth to see what's going on and modify their software to fix it. Don't go down the "server configuration" road just because you don't have the power to investigate and fix the actual problem. You'll find yourself down a blind path and very frustrated.