new to servlets

["John D. Mitchell" <johnm-advanced-java@non.net>]

>>>>> "Jason" == Jason R Kretzer <jason@OpinionOne.com> writes:
[...]
> I have been put in charge of testing various configurations to determine
> which has the most efficient use of CPU time and which can support the
> most users.  Note we have a shoestring budget for this.

Unless you have a huge user base, any decently designed and built solution
can be sufficiently speedy.  And you'll only really know once you've
written the first take at *your* application and have profiled it. :-)


> I am new to the servlet game so this is what I have to work with right
> now.

You should check out the various Servlet specific resources like the
servlets-interest list and the jGuru Servlets FAQ.


> WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN: Clients connect to our servers and run a java
> application via servlets.


> DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS:(which is more efficient?)  Servers:
> Tomcat(alone) Tomcat(with Apache) Apache(with Resin) Any other free/cheap
> ones you may suggest.  We only need to be able to run servlets.

Then I would suggest that you dump Apache out of the loop.

More importantly, I'd say it's much more critical to find a reliable,
robust, manageable system.


> Operating Systems: Win 2k server Some Linux distro

Personally, I think any production deployment of anything on a Windows
server is malpractice unless proven otherwise.


> JRE: IBM Sun Others?

Depending on your platforms, also:  JRocket, BulletTrain, and TowerJ.


> We have done some preliminary testing and found that a server with a
> 1.4GHz and 1GB ram can only handle about 10-15 users.  Is this about
> right?  Or should it be higher?  We are hoping for up to 40 or 50 and
> maybe even 100.

Those numbers are meaningless without know what your application is
actually doing.


> Also, we are looking for some server stress testing software for
> simulating many users trying the server.  Again, we are trying to operate
> on a smallish budget.

There's lots of expensive tools out there.  There are a number of
open-source tools out there too.  Check out JMeter and httpunit.

Take care,
	John