Server Load High

You should consider installing a cache plugin (WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache). There are also some server-side things you can do, assuming you are running a VPS (which is you have a high traffic site you probably should be). https://codex.www.ads-software.com/High_Traffic_Tips_For_WordPress

So I’m trying to figure out why it works fine for the test domain, and then doesn’t work so fine for the domain I want to use.

At a guess, your TEST domain isn’t actually receiving the high traffic. The only way it would is if the high traffic domain is actually pointing it’s live traffic to your test domain.

high traffic = large server load

So yes.. .that’s to be expected. Do any caching? What kind of server are you on? RAM?

Thanks for the feedback. I installed the Super Cache plugin above, but it broke all my redirects that I was using. I am also only seeing about 700-1200 visits a day for this website. Is that considered high traffic volume?

Medium/High. If your server and site aren’t optimized for the traffic, then yes, it can cause problems.

I installed the Super Cache plugin above, but it broke all my redirects that I was using.

.htaccess redirects?

I’m using a Redirect plugin because we have so many of them.

How many is so many?

You may want to reconsider and do it manually via .htaccess (depending on the type of redirect, you may be able to use wildcards). That may also help speed things up, by changing processing to BEFORE WP ahas to do it.

25 total. It’s a redirection plugin. So maybe this plugin has a conflict with the cache plugin I was trying to use? Thanks for your help. I’ll try anything to get this load down.

25 isn’t ‘so many’ ??

I’d switch ’em to manual .htaccess, remove the plugin, and then try Super Cache again.

Ok, thanks. I’m actually using W3 Total Cache, not Super Cache…and it’s only the Portfolio posts that get broken when I ‘activate’ W3 Total Cache. All other pages and redirects work fine. Strange.

I don’t know what you mean by ‘Portfolio’ posts. Are these a Custom Post Type you made?

Also, while I love W3TC, it’s a hella-complex app and involves a lot of serious understanding to use correctly.

Yes, custom posts. I discarded the W3TC and added in the Super Cache. Hopefully this will help out. I’ve found a few load test sites to try and mimic the traffic, do you have any you could recommend or know of?

I have been load testing this new wordpress website and it continues to bring down my site, even on a new server. I’ve removed every plugin, a facebook iframe module, installed on a new server at Rackspace, had them install Total Cache, and it’s still not working right. I just have no idea what it could be. Any further recommendations or things to try?

Thanks.

What SERVER side caching did they do?

APC? eAccellerator?

Or you have some runaway queries with either your custom posts, your theme, or some section you’ve forgotten to mention.

like putting your own feed in the rss widget, for example.