Web Performance Tuning

Appendix C. Solaris 2.x—Tuning Your TCP/IP Stack and More

This appendix is written by Jens-S. Vöckler, and is used with his permission. Patrick Killelea edited and abridged it for this publication. The most recent version of this document is on the Web at http://www.rvs.uni-hannover.de/people/voeckler/tune/EN/tune.html. Use at your own risk!

If your system behaves erratically after applying some of these tweaks, please don’t blame me. Always make backup copies of the files you are changing, and have those backups handy before starting to tune. I have carefully assembled the information you see here, but there are no guarantees that what worked for me will work for you. Please don’t assume my recommendations are infallible: they are starting points, not absolutes. Always read my reasoning, don’t use the recommendations blindly.

Before you start, you ought to grab a copy of the TCP state transition diagram as specified in RFC 793. The drawback is the missing error correction supplied by later RFCs. There is an easier way to obtain blowup printouts to staple to your office walls. Grab a copy of the PostScript file pocket guide accompanying Stevens’ TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1. Or simply open that book at Figure 18.12.

Please Share Your Knowledge

I try to assemble this page and related material for everybody interested in gaining more from her or his system. If you have an item that I didn’t cover, but that you deem worthwhile, please write to me at [e-mail]. A dozen ...