Performance count

[richard@iguana.co.nz]

Just some quick notes.

Using iostat from the sysstat package, with Linux 2.3.37/netfilter 0.1.14,
we're doing packet filtering, accounting, klogd, masq and load-balancing
NAT from a floppy disk with 130kb/sec of http traffic (Yes I know this
isn't a lot, I'm usually busy during our high-point :), iostats reports an
idle CPU % of 99.4 -> 100 consistently on a P3-500.

A quick test to make sure proc wasn't buggy by artificially loading the
machine was successful, so I can only assume that netfilter is in fact
pretty damn good at the particular job of load-balancing HTTP requests.

Not only this, but the disk in use has proved very stable, with no known
failures since initial boot a month and a bit ago, and the log output from
netfilter was readily parseable for generating a nice "these guys tried
this" style internal page.

This is kind of a combined "Thanks Rusty" and "If you were wondering
whether to use netfilter for your web boxes, here's some heartwarming
stats" message :)

Richard.