[aklug] Re: Linux Counter Project

On Thu, 24 Sep 2009, Shane R. Spencer wrote:

> If I'm not misunderstanding, you're stating that most SMTP servers hold
> off on sending messages that are queued once per day until cycles are
> available? If I'm not mistaken the SMTP server is as available for
> processing cycles as any other program. Publishing to HTTP directly
> from the machine update script would consume far less resources than
> running an SMTP server. When compared with a daemon a script that
> publishes every to a server every few minutes would appear to have more
> "loading" time per day than a daemonized process that is already
> resident and ready to rock and or roll. However that process wouldn't
> have to write to disk at all. Since this script runs daily, I'd say
> it's mostly harmless to publish directly to HTTP and take that CPU hit
> of loading a script interpereter for 2 seconds.

<snip>

No, I'm saying that the Linux Counter runs on heavily loaded donated
hardware, and once it *recieves* the e-mail, it doesn't have to process it
immediately, it can do so during the lesser loaded periods as a batch
process. The overhead of the SMTP process is going to be minimal compared
to the database.

Which is not to say that's why or how Harald processes the updates, but in
his situation it's something I'd certainly consider to be a benefit.

Furthermore, depending on the script once doesn't need local SMTP services
to be loaded, it's trivial with Net::SMTP to connect to any outbound relay
or directly to the recipient MX host. If he's using an external mail
program, then he is handicapped.

Again, I don't run the script, so I don't know what he's doing. The update
script is provided as source.

:-) Feel free to have whatever fun you want with it.

         --Arthur Corliss
           Live Free or Die
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Received on Thu Sep 24 10:39:02 2009