Supposedly the Linux 2.6 kernel has a much improved process scheduler, and the 2.5 dev kernels are getting close to ready.

With a couple hundred mysql and apache/php processes fighting for just 2 CPUs, would a kernel upgrade give Wikipedia better performance?

Just how stable is 2.5? Do we dare try it?

It does have a much improved process scheduler, but I don't think this is as much of an issue with merely a dual processor system. 2.4 scales pretty optimally for two processors, and I don't think we would see much of an improvement in performance. I especially don't think this would be a good idea considering that we value stability over speed (as it should be).

What version of the 2.4 kernel are we running? Are we running pre-VM craziness, or post? If we are indeed running an older version of the kernel, newer versions of the 2.4 kernel should give us a reasonable performance increase. --Marumari 21:25 24 Mar 2003 (UTC)

2.4.7. It's a Red Hat patched kernel, so I don't know what kinds of fun are in there. --Brion VIBBER
Well, if I were you, I would upgrade to the newest Redhat kernel, then. Later 2.4 kernels are supposed to be noticably better at handling heavier loads than early ones. --Marumari 02:56 25 Mar 2003 (UTC)

Presently we're running 2.4.20. --Brion VIBBER 00:05 23 May 2003 (UTC)