Web Hosting Performance Measurement. Approach of a Web Hosting Benchmark in Times of Virtualization

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• 1 Introduction
  • 1.1 Motivation for this Thesis
    • 1.1.1 A Challenge for Companies
    • 1.1.2 Evolution of key metrics in web hosting
    • 1.1.3 Virtualization as a Game Changer
    • 1.1.4 Absence of Meaningful Specifications
    • 1.1.5 Cloudisation as an Amplifier
    • 1.1.6 Why Traditional Benchmarking Fails
    • 1.1.7 Later Commercial Use
  • 1.2 Thesis Goal and Scope
  • 1.3 Limitations
    • 1.3.1 Dynamic Rich Media Web Pages
    • 1.3.2 Specialisation in WordPress Benchmarking
    • 1.3.3 Executable Benchmarks in Limited Environments
    • 1.3.4 Excluded non-technical Factors
    • 1.3.5 Edge Computing
  • 1.4 Thesis Structure
  • 1.5 Research objective and questions
• 2 Foundational Concepts
  • 2.1 Definition of Web Hosting
  • 2.2 Common Concepts in Web Hosting
    • 2.2.1 The Web Hosting Trinity
    • 2.2.2 Different Hosting Architectures
    • 2.2.3 Virtualisation
    • 2.2.4 Cloud Computing
    • 2.2.5 Content Delivery Networks
    • 2.2.6 Managed Services
  • 2.3 Software Concepts
  • 2.4 Web Performance Metrics
  • 2.5 Network Performance
• 3 Research Design
  • 3.1 Research Goals
  • 3.2 Research Methods
    • 3.2.1 Literature review
    • 3.2.2 Expert Interviews
    • 3.2.3 Benchmark Analysis
  • 3.3 Challenges
• 4 Literature review
  • 4.1 State of the Art
  • 4.2 The Hosting Industry
  • 4.3 Web Server Optimisation

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis aims to develop an approach for evaluating the performance of web hosting solutions, enabling comparison between different providers and assisting companies in selecting suitable services. The research focuses on methodologies for collecting reproducible performance metrics within virtualized environments using only PHP and MySQL functions. The limitations of existing benchmarks and the need for a multi-layered approach considering various user needs are central to the study.

• Methodology for measuring web hosting performance in virtualized environments.
• Analysis of existing web hosting benchmarks and their limitations.
• Development of a multi-layered approach to benchmarking considering various user needs.
• Evaluation of the feasibility of using only PHP and MySQL functions for performance measurement.
• Importance of considering both website loading speed and back-end administrative interface performance.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the problem of effectively comparing web hosting solutions, highlighting the challenges faced by companies in choosing appropriate services. It discusses the evolution of key metrics in web hosting, the impact of virtualization, the lack of meaningful specifications, and the shortcomings of traditional benchmarking approaches. The chapter defines the thesis's goal and scope, outlining its limitations and structure. It emphasizes the focus on developing a benchmarking approach usable within the constraints of common virtualized environments, leveraging only PHP and MySQL functionalities. The chapter also lays out the research questions that drive the investigation.

2 Foundational Concepts: This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of essential concepts in web hosting, including definitions of web hosting itself, different hosting architectures (shared, dedicated, colocation), virtualization, cloud computing, content delivery networks, and managed services. It also delves into relevant software concepts, covering web servers (Apache, NGINX), PHP, databases (MySQL), control panels, key-value cache stores, and content management systems (CMS). The chapter lays the theoretical groundwork for the subsequent chapters by establishing a clear understanding of the technical landscape within which web hosting performance is measured. This foundational knowledge is crucial for comprehending the limitations and possibilities of various benchmarking approaches discussed later.

3 Research Design: This chapter details the research methodology employed in the thesis. It outlines the research goals, which center on developing a robust and repeatable method for benchmarking web hosting performance in virtualized environments. The chapter describes the methods used, including a literature review of academic and professional publications, expert interviews with industry professionals, and a detailed analysis of existing benchmarking tools and techniques. The inherent challenges involved in conducting research in this specific area are also discussed, providing important context for interpreting the results presented in later chapters. The methodology emphasizes a mixed-methods approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

4 Literature review: This chapter presents a comprehensive review of existing literature related to web hosting performance measurement, web server optimization, and the hosting industry as a whole. It examines the current state-of-the-art techniques and technologies used to assess and improve web server performance. The review analyzes various approaches to server configuration and optimization, providing a context for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different benchmarking methods and the challenges involved in creating a reliable and universally applicable approach. The discussion lays the groundwork for the thesis’s proposed methodology, highlighting gaps in existing research and paving the way for the development of a novel approach to web hosting performance benchmarking.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Web hosting performance, benchmarking, virtualization, PHP, MySQL, WordPress, web server optimization, performance metrics, cloud hosting, shared hosting, dedicated server, reproducibility, virtual private server (VPS), content delivery network (CDN), managed services.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Was ist der Zweck dieses Dokuments?

Dieses Dokument ist eine umfassende Sprachvorschau, die den Titel, das Inhaltsverzeichnis, die Zielsetzungen und Themenschwerpunkte, Kapitelzusammenfassungen und Schlüsselwörter einer wissenschaftlichen Arbeit oder Veröffentlichung enthält. Es dient dazu, einen Überblick über den Inhalt und die wichtigsten Aspekte des Dokuments zu geben.

Was sind die Hauptthemen der Arbeit?

Die Hauptthemen umfassen die Entwicklung einer Methodik zur Bewertung der Leistung von Webhosting-Lösungen, die Analyse bestehender Benchmarks und ihrer Einschränkungen, die Entwicklung eines mehrschichtigen Ansatzes zur Messung der Performance unter Berücksichtigung verschiedener Nutzerbedürfnisse sowie die Bewertung der Machbarkeit, ausschließlich PHP- und MySQL-Funktionen zur Leistungsmessung zu verwenden.

Welche Arten von Webhosting werden betrachtet?

Das Dokument bezieht sich auf verschiedene Hosting-Architekturen wie Shared Hosting, Dedicated Server, Colocation, Virtualisierung, Cloud Computing und Content Delivery Networks (CDNs).

Welche Software-Konzepte sind relevant?

Relevante Software-Konzepte umfassen Webserver (Apache, NGINX), PHP, Datenbanken (MySQL), Control Panels, Key-Value Cache Stores und Content Management Systeme (CMS).

Welche Leistungsmetriken werden berücksichtigt?

Das Dokument konzentriert sich auf Web Performance Metrics und Network Performance zur Messung der Leistung von Webhosting-Umgebungen.

Welche Forschungsmethoden werden verwendet?

Die Forschungsmethoden umfassen eine Literaturrecherche, Experteninterviews und eine Benchmark-Analyse.

Was sind die Einschränkungen des Ansatzes?

Die Einschränkungen umfassen die Fokussierung auf dynamische Rich-Media-Webseiten, die Spezialisierung auf WordPress-Benchmarking, die Verwendung von ausführbaren Benchmarks in begrenzten Umgebungen und den Ausschluss nicht-technischer Faktoren.

Was sind die Forschungsziele?

Die Forschungsziele zielen darauf ab, eine robuste und wiederholbare Methode zur Messung der Webhosting-Performance in virtualisierten Umgebungen zu entwickeln.

Welche Schlüsselwörter sind relevant?

Relevante Schlüsselwörter sind Webhosting-Performance, Benchmarking, Virtualisierung, PHP, MySQL, WordPress, Webserver-Optimierung, Performance-Metriken, Cloud-Hosting, Shared-Hosting, Dedicated Server, Reproduzierbarkeit, Virtual Private Server (VPS), Content Delivery Network (CDN) und Managed Services.

Worauf konzentriert sich die Literaturübersicht?

Die Literaturübersicht konzentriert sich auf bestehende Literatur zur Messung der Webhosting-Performance, zur Webserver-Optimierung und zur Hosting-Branche im Allgemeinen.

Warum wird Virtualisierung hervorgehoben?

Virtualisierung wird als wichtiger Aspekt hervorgehoben, da sie einen Game Changer in der Webhosting-Industrie darstellt und traditionelle Benchmarking-Methoden in Frage stellt.