UnixReview: HTTP Benchmarking, Part 3: Tips and Tweaks

“One advantage that operating systems like Solaris have over Linux or FreeBSD is the availability of tuning documentation.
Sun has spent a lot of money providing its customers with documentation on ways to tweak Solaris. There are also ways to
tweak Linux and improve performance, but they aren’t as well documented.”

“… One of the ways to boost hard disk performance — besides buying faster drives — is to tweak the hard drive parameters.
The hdparm command can help you do this. You can use hdparm with IDE and SCSI drives (and the ancient MFM/RLL
interface disks — but if you’re still using one of those, you can forget about a performance machine!), but it’s most useful
with IDE drives. If you’re using IDE drives, hdparm can dramatically improve performance.”

One of the ways to boost hard disk performance — besides buying faster drives — is to tweak the hard drive parameters.
The hdparm command can help you do this. You can use hdparm with IDE and SCSI drives (and the ancient MFM/RLL
interface disks — but if you’re still using one of those, you can forget about a performance machine!), but it’s most useful
with IDE drives. If you’re using IDE drives, hdparm can dramatically improve performance.