Who's Online sidebox a server load issue?

My client has a zencart site (up to date version 1.38 running on unix server), and her website host has recently been sold to a new company. (Aussie HQ) They've moved all of the websites to their own servers (it was an interstate move).

Yesterday she discovered that her 'who's online' sidebox was no longer working, (it threw up a '60 second timeout' error message when she tried to view the whos online details in admin) and rang the hosts. They told her that:

'Your Who's Online script has been stopped because it was causing undue server load.
My assumption is that this script is requesting data too often and placing an undue process load on the server, the simplest solution would be to increase the time for update request to a couple of seconds or even half a minute. A simple exit statement has been made in the current script to stop it working, when you are happy that the script has been altered enough to stop the process load you are welcome to remove the script and start it up again.'

They even told her that the site was contravening the rules of server use…..and that if they didn’t turn off the script – they would have to suspend the site.

Is there any way l can ask the who's online script to check who is online a little less? (even though this obviously doesn't make sense).

%^$%#&%$ hosts!

Gabbie

scrapgabbie:

My client has a zencart site (up to date version 1.38 running on unix server), and her website host has recently been sold to a new company. (Aussie HQ) They've moved all of the websites to their own servers (it was an interstate move).

Yesterday she discovered that her 'who's online' sidebox was no longer working, (it threw up a '60 second timeout' error message when she tried to view the whos online details in admin) and rang the hosts. They told her that:

'Your Who's Online script has been stopped because it was causing undue server load.
My assumption is that this script is requesting data too often and placing an undue process load on the server, the simplest solution would be to increase the time for update request to a couple of seconds or even half a minute. A simple exit statement has been made in the current script to stop it working, when you are happy that the script has been altered enough to stop the process load you are welcome to remove the script and start it up again.'

They even told her that the site was contravening the rules of server use…..and that if they didn’t turn off the script – they would have to suspend the site.

Is there any way l can ask the who's online script to check who is online a little less? (even though this obviously doesn't make sense).

%^$%#&%$ hosts!

Gabbie

1. Turn it off in admin as it is pointless anyway.
   The shop owners care but ....
   Customers don't care if you only have 1 person online (them) or a 1000 customers online (I wish)

2. Move to a better host that isn't on such an overloaded server and is optimised better for a dynamic mysql data driven website like zen-cart.

gilby, thanks for your reply, but l would actually like to fix/mod it if at all possible. My client does use it, (see quote below) and l also use it quite frequently in the backend on my own site, so l know l would be feeling frustrated too if something l had gotten used to was suddenly snatched away. I'd love to move hosts, but the time and effort involved in organising all of that for such a big store is something l'd like to avoid if at all possible.

'I use the whos online drop down in tools 10-20 times a day, particularly when the site is busy, it also helps me with customers that are not completing the checkout process properly as I can see what they are doing and guide them through'

scrapgabbie:

gilby, thanks for your reply, but l would actually like to fix/mod it if at all possible. My client does use it, (see quote below) and l also use it quite frequently in the backend on my own site, so l know l would be feeling frustrated too if something l had gotten used to was suddenly snatched away. I'd love to move hosts, but the time and effort involved in organising all of that for such a big store is something l'd like to avoid if at all possible.

'I use the whos online drop down in tools 10-20 times a day, particularly when the site is busy, it also helps me with customers that are not completing the checkout process properly as I can see what they are doing and guide them through'

I thought you were refering to the store front whosonline sidebox thats the bit that I was refering to, to remove.

The admin side whosonline is essential, my sites use that hundreds of times a day and always with very short response times.
If it is this thats causing you problems then the slowdown would mean you'd be almost unable to run your store.
What is store front load times like?
I still say that you need to move and the sooner the better.