Very slow performance with asp?

My web host provider says asp causes my site to be slow.

[Meryl_Smith]

Hi!
I have an asp-based web site which uses a visual foxpro database using ODBC, connection-based. I have been recently experiencing very slow performance on some of my queries, which, when I run on my local test web server, run quickly.

The technical support person where they host the website (this was HostPro and is now Interland) tells me the problem is because I use asp on a webserver. He says I will only have good performance if I use a dedicated (not shared) server. He also recommends I use a separate host for my data and convert to SQLserver.

Hey -- this is alot of work and expense for me! Is he handing me a line or is there any truth here?

Should I be looking for a new hosting company, or is it my application?

Thanks!
Meryl Smith

[korkus2000]

It depends on processor speed, ram, and how many people are using asp on your box. I use asp on virtual hosting all the time and have no problems in speed using access and SQLServer. I have never used foxpro but i would think that if it runs quick on another box it should be fine. If it is running to slow for you to take, find another host. They sound like they are not interested in helping you, only selling a higher package.

How large is your database?

[txbakers]

It could be your database, or your queries. Are you killing all your objects after you are finished with them? (Set Object = nothing).

With Access, and probably FoxPro, these connections and query objects can linger and eat up memory.

I would ask your host if other sites were just as slow, or just yours.

The speed has nothing to do with running ASP scripts in general, but everything to do with your queries and object creation/deletion.

I was using Access and my site ground to a halt after about 7 users. I switched to mySQL (free) and never had a problem again.

[IanTurner]

It is much more likely to be a database performance issue. As has been said by txbakers and korkus.

There are things you can do to improve performance such as ensuring your database is indexed correctly and optimising your SQL queries.

[sun818]

Meryl said:

which, when I run on my local test web server, run quickly.

Although it could be the database, I think it has to do more with the server load than the FoxPro DB. My last host served over 800 accounts. The ASP scripts querying the AccessDB took forever (over 10 seconds sometimes) to load. Like you, when I browsed the pages on the local server everything came up quickly.

Its time to find a new host.

[Meryl_Smith]

Hi!
I am using connection-based, rather than DSN-less, database access. One technical person from another hosting company warned me that this could, on a shared host, be a resource problem.

As far as my cleaning up, I do cloae and set to null the recordset and database connections.

Thanks for your ideas so far! I am shopping for a new host, and any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks!
Meryl

[IanTurner]

How much data is in the database on the live server and on the test server?

This will give a good indication of whether the performance dropoff for the hosted version is database related.

[duckhunter]

I run a site on a shared box using ASP and SQL with 100K+ records searched regularly and over 500 products that get served up all the time with query response times in the 1 second range. ASP is not your problem.

ODBC does add an additional layer in the connection and can be problematic on shared servers. Use a DSN-Less connection mentioned above "Provider=<yourprovider>;Server=<yourserver>;UID=PWD=;" and tune up the indexes on your database.

Does your production DB change frequently and local one doesn't? If so, you might need to run regular re-indexing jobs to keep fresh.

[duckhunter]

Its time to find a new host.

This could be your problem too. Always remember, in webhosting, as in life, you do GET what you PAY for :)

[AussieStu]

Just adding emphasis to Duckhunter's point: "asp is not your problem". My current project queries a 33GB SQL database with users entering search criteria and ASP building the queries dynamically. Again the vast majority of the queries run in 1 second.

The servers have plenty of grunt and they're not shared by too many other applications. Of course, it's important to be efficient in your code and database design but it sounds like you're on top of that.

Bottom line: better hosting service required.

[jmbishop]

I was with HostPro and then Interland for awhile also.. I had good database connectivity speed when it was HostPro but the minute Interland took over things started to get real slow.

I sped things up a bit by removing the ODBC connection and just using a DSN-less connection but other problems started to compound the issue...

So I moved all my accounts to CrystalTech Web Hosting and I haven't had a problem since.

Jerrod Bishop

[Meryl_Smith]

Just wanted to thank everyone for their help. I have moved my site and the performance has been just fine! I'm even paying much less.

Thanks again!
Meryl