I have been working on a Varnish front-end for Apache, to be used with WordPress sites. I described the architecture in Load Balancing Virtualmin WordPress Hosting Server with Varnish on AWS. I now have a configuration that seems to work for all WordPress features, including logged-out commenting. This configuration also works well with W3 Total Cache.

This configuration is for Varnish on a separate server, but should also work on a single server with appropriate changes to the port and backend IP settings.

Varnish Config (/etc/sysconfig/varnish)

# Configuration file for varnish
#
# /etc/init.d/varnish expects the variable $DAEMON_OPTS to be set from this
# shell script fragment.
#
#
# Maximum number of open files (for ulimit -n)
NFILES=131072
#
# Locked shared memory (for ulimit -l)
# Default log size is 82MB + header
MEMLOCK=82000
#
# Maximum size of corefile (for ulimit -c). Default in Fedora is 0
# DAEMON_COREFILE_LIMIT="unlimited"
#
# Set this to 1 to make init script reload try to switch vcl without restart.
# To make this work, you need to set the following variables
# explicit: VARNISH_VCL_CONF, VARNISH_ADMIN_LISTEN_ADDRESS,
# VARNISH_ADMIN_LISTEN_PORT, VARNISH_SECRET_FILE
RELOAD_VCL=1
#
## Advanced configuration
#
# # Main configuration file.
VARNISH_VCL_CONF=/etc/varnish/wordpress-varnish3.vcl
#
# # Default address and port to bind to
# # Blank address means all IPv4 and IPv6 interfaces, otherwise specify
# # a host name, an IPv4 dotted quad, or an IPv6 address in brackets.
# VARNISH_LISTEN_ADDRESS=
VARNISH_LISTEN_PORT=80
#
# # Telnet admin interface listen address and port
VARNISH_ADMIN_LISTEN_ADDRESS=127.0.0.1
VARNISH_ADMIN_LISTEN_PORT=6082
#
# # Shared secret file for admin interface
VARNISH_SECRET_FILE=/etc/varnish/secret
#
# # The minimum number of worker threads to start
VARNISH_MIN_THREADS=1
#
# # The Maximum number of worker threads to start
VARNISH_MAX_THREADS=1000
#
# # Idle timeout for worker threads
VARNISH_THREAD_TIMEOUT=120
#
# # Cache file location if using file cache
#VARNISH_STORAGE_FILE=/var/lib/varnish/varnish_storage.bin
#
# # Cache size: in bytes, optionally using k / M / G / T suffix,
# # or in percentage of available disk space using the % suffix.
VARNISH_STORAGE_SIZE=3G
#
# # Backend storage specification
# malloc runs from RAM, file from file
VARNISH_STORAGE="malloc,${VARNISH_STORAGE_SIZE}"
#VARNISH_STORAGE="file,${VARNISH_STORAGE_FILE},${VARNISH_STORAGE_SIZE}"
#
# # Default TTL used when the backend does not specify one
VARNISH_TTL=120
#
# # DAEMON_OPTS is used by the init script. If you add or remove options,
# # be sure you update this section, too.
DAEMON_OPTS="-a ${VARNISH_LISTEN_ADDRESS}:${VARNISH_LISTEN_PORT} \
-f ${VARNISH_VCL_CONF} \
-T ${VARNISH_ADMIN_LISTEN_ADDRESS}:${VARNISH_ADMIN_LISTEN_PORT} \
-t ${VARNISH_TTL} \
-w ${VARNISH_MIN_THREADS},${VARNISH_MAX_THREADS},${VARNISH_THREAD_TIMEOUT} \
-u varnish -g varnish \
-S ${VARNISH_SECRET_FILE} \
-s ${VARNISH_STORAGE}"
#

Varnish VCL (/etc/varnish/wordpress-varnish3.vcl)

backend origin {
.host = "10.11.12.13";
.port = "80";
.connect_timeout = 60s;
.first_byte_timeout = 60s;
.between_bytes_timeout = 60s;
}
#
sub vcl_recv {
# only using one backend
set req.backend = origin;
#
# set standard proxied ip header for getting original remote address
set req.http.X-Forwarded-For = client.ip;
#
# logged in users must always pass
if( req.url ~ "^/wp-(login|admin)" || req.http.Cookie ~ "wordpress_logged_in_" ){
return (pass);
}
# accept purges from w3tc and varnish http purge
if (req.request == "PURGE") {
return (lookup);
}
#
# don't cache search results
if( req.url ~ "\?s=" ){
return (pass);
}
#
# always pass through posted requests and those with basic auth
if ( req.request == "POST" || req.http.Authorization ) {
return (pass);
}
#
# else ok to fetch a cached page
unset req.http.Cookie;
return (lookup);
}
#
# accept purges from w3tc and varnish http purge
sub vcl_hit {
if (req.request == "PURGE") { purge; }
return (deliver);
}
#
# accept purges from w3tc and varnish http purge
sub vcl_miss {
if (req.request == "PURGE") { purge; }
return (fetch);
}
#
sub vcl_fetch {
#
# remove some headers we never want to see
unset beresp.http.Server;
unset beresp.http.X-Powered-By;
#
# only allow cookies to be set if we're in admin area - i.e. commenters stay logged out
if( beresp.http.Set-Cookie && req.url !~ "^/wp-(login|admin)" ){
unset beresp.http.Set-Cookie;
}
#
# don't cache response to posted requests or those with basic auth
if ( req.request == "POST" || req.http.Authorization ) {
return (hit_for_pass);
}
#
# only cache status ok
if ( beresp.status != 200 ) {
return (hit_for_pass);
}
#
# don't cache search results
if( req.url ~ "\?s=" ){
return (hit_for_pass);
}
#
# else ok to cache the response
set beresp.ttl = 24h;
return (deliver);
}
#
sub vcl_deliver {
# add debugging headers, so we can see what's cached
if (obj.hits > 0) {
set resp.http.X-Cache = "HIT";
}
else {
set resp.http.X-Cache = "MISS";
}
# remove some headers added by varnish
unset resp.http.Via;
unset resp.http.X-Varnish;
}
#
sub vcl_hash {
hash_data( req.url );
# altering hash so subdomains are ignored.
# don't do this if you actually run different sites on different subdomains
if ( req.http.host ) {
hash_data( regsub( req.http.host, "^([^\.]+\.)+([a-z]+)$", "\1\2" ) );
} else {
hash_data( server.ip );
}
# ensure separate cache for mobile clients (WPTouch workaround)
if( req.http.User-Agent ~ "(iPod|iPhone|incognito|webmate|dream|CUPCAKE|WebOS|blackberry9\d\d\d)" ){
hash_data("touch");
}
return (hash);
}

The post Varnish VCL and Config for WordPress with W3 Total Cache appeared first on Chris Gilligan » new media.

SoccerNews.com is a high traffic WordPress site with over 600,000 unique visitors and over 2,000,000 page impressions per month. It is a content republisher and aggregator, presenting custom XML feeds for (what else?) soccer news from all over the world. The site has a very active user base, providing content in the forms of editorials and comments on news items. Advertising and sponsored referrals provide the revenue stream.

SoccerNews.com website

I was contacted by the publisher after responding to a plea for assistance in a WordPress.org support forum. Though the site was running on a dedicated server with 8GB RAM, it was crashing frequently under load. The developer tried implementing APC Alternative PHP Cache and W3 Total Cache, but these measures turned out to be incompatible with some of the custom PHP code and the software architecture of the Cpanel server. Haphazardly implementing randomly suggested “solutions” had actually made the problems worse, resulting in an “own goal” that brought down the server.

I did an assessment of the software, hardware and traffic load and found that there were many improvements to be made. Among the changes:

• Implemented a Stateful Packet Inspection firewall and Login Failure Daemon to block malicious IP addresses, malware servers, bad bots, content scrapers, etc. Many of the problems leading to site crashes were due to constant bad bot traffic, security probes and Denial of Service attacks. Connection Tracking in the firewall now limits the amount of resources a single legitimate IP address can monopolize, in addition to blacklisting attackers.
  • This is the first step to proper web server performance in today’s Internet climate. Popular sites that do not have a solid security and load balancing strategy are subject to crippling traffic from the Internet’s millions of malicious and compromised servers and personal computers.
• Reconfigured Apache web server, PHP and MySQL to better utilize the server’s horsepower. Cpanel’s efault Apache and MySQL configurations were limiting the number of concurrent user sessions the server could handle. Changed PHP to run as FastCGI (fcgid) and recompiled Apache to better handle the needs of a high traffic WordPress site. Configured a large MySQL table and query cache based on performance and load testing.
• Configured Amazon CloudFront Content Distribution Network, page cache, browser cache, and object cache with the WordPress plugin, W3 Total Cache. Due to the sheer number of ad scripts being served per page, there were inevitable JavaScript and PHP conflicts, but W3TC is very flexible and was able to handle the task.
• Suggested a scheduled, offsite backup strategy that would utilize existing resources, and eliminate the need for a 3rd-party backup solution that was causing more load issues and costing $45.00 per month.

Results? I’ll let the publisher speak to that!

The site has been as good as “flawless” since, with no downtime, and we couldn’t be happier. Everything is running smoothly and it’s a great relief knowing that we made the site faster, safer and more reliable. The site feels a lot more stable and faster. So you’ve done a great job. 

— Kim Vincenzius, StarScape LLC

The post Apache and MySql Performance Tuning for High Traffic WordPress Website on Cpanel appeared first on Chris Gilligan » new media.

Tennessee Galvanizing website

Tennessee Galvanizing had an aging Joomla site that needed major software updates. So, I migrated the site to WordPress for ease of use and ease of updates. WordPress is much more user friendly than Joomla, and also easier to maintain.

• Simple WordPress site with front page slide show, news blog and contact form

The post Industrial Galvanizer Website appeared first on Chris Gilligan » new media.

Office Coordinators Inc. website

I worked with Office Coordinators Inc’s talented in-house designers to update the OCI website. OCI chose an e-commerce theme, and we completely reworked the CSS and layout to match their colors and logo treatment. After a previous failed attempt with another developer, they were surprised at how quickly the site came together, and how easy it is to manage with WordPress!

• “Inquiry mode” e-commerce: customers can select items, add to shopping cart, then email for more information or price quote
• Search Engine Optimization: Google Analytics and Sitemaps
• WordPress Content Management
• Social Networking with Facebook “score card”

Thank you for your persistence. You’re our favorite website/technically savvy guy ever.
— Emily Vaughn, OCI

The post Office Furniture Retail Showcase appeared first on Chris Gilligan » new media.

Suck Creek Cycle website

I’ve been hosting and helping with Suck Creek Cycle’s website since they opened in 1998. The site was long overdue for an upgrade, so I took an existing template design and tweaked it a bit to look like the bike shop, then integrated social media and syndicated content from their vendors.

• Facebook local business page integration — publish from WordPress directly to Facebook
• Facebook Friends and Wall displayed on the website
• RSS Syndication for news from cycling sites and bike vendors

The post Bike Shop Website with Facebook Features appeared first on Chris Gilligan » new media.

Main St Farmers Market website

This is a major redesign of the website for Chattanooga’s Main St Farmers Market. Local designers Widgets & Stone came up with the logos and suggested the look and feel, and I worked with Padgett Arnold to get the visuals and content just right.

• Interactive home page presents tons of information in a compact javascript slider
• Fresh content includes recipes and a list of what’s available each week
• Facebook fan page gets automatically updated with new content
• New photos and videos are easily uploaded via SlideShowPro and YouTuber for a fun, engaging user experience
• Lightweight CSS3 design and an alternative layout for mobile browsers present the site quickly and efficiently

The post Farmers Market Website appeared first on Chris Gilligan » new media.

Craig Design Group Website

This is a simple website for a Chattanooga based landscape architect that focuses on beautiful portfolio slideshows. We’ve also added Twitter and Facebook integration to keep fans and customers updated on the latest projects.

The post Landscape Architect Website with Slideshows & Social Media Integration appeared first on Chris Gilligan » new media.

Sequatchie Cove Farm website

This site was produced in tandem with Widgets & Stone, a Chattanooga design firm. We’re members of Sequatchie Cove Farm’s Community Shared Agriculture program, so we are very familiar with the quality of the eggs, dairy, meat and produce coming out of the clean and fertile Sequatchie Valley.

(Will Work for Food!)

• WordPress Content Management System allows the farmers to easily add their opinions, information and images
• Automated updates to Facebook Pages, with linkback
• Automatic Twitter tweets for new posts, with linkback
• Social Media bookmarking
• SlideShowPro gives the site a slick Flash-based Image Management System so the site can feature seasonal images.
• MailMan manages a plethora of mailing lists for the weekly emails that keep the farmers connected to the communities and individuals they serve

The post Organic Farm Website with Slideshows and Content Management appeared first on Chris Gilligan » new media.

Zero Sum Website

This is a project for Create Here, a Chattanooga think tank nonprofit that connects entrepreneurs and artists with creative communicators to promote sustainable, creative initiatives and showcases. Zero Sum is an exhibit that examines the role of games in contemporary culture and the impact they have on our social experience, psyche, morality and approach to critical thinking.

• Online forms for artistic submissions
• Database to collect and organize submissions, including file uploads
• Search Engine Optimization, sitemaps, Google Analytics to provide info about traffic and visitors

The post Art Competition with Submission Form appeared first on Chris Gilligan » new media.

Sequatchie Valley Institute website

I visited Sequatchie Valley Institute years ago with my children, and made a long-term goal to some day live and work with the folks I met there. We use the web extensively to communicate with our members, the public, and the media.

• SlideShowPro Director provides an engaging and easily-updated frontpage show, and a gallery of current and past events
• Event Calendar manages our online calendar
• Registration forms and contact forms for events and communication, routed to the proper folks
• MailMan takes care of our e-mail blasts
• Vanilla forum helps the board of directors sort out our business

The post Non-profit website with Calendar and Slideshows appeared first on Chris Gilligan » new media.