KB10297 - How many simultaneous users can a web mapping application based on the TatukGIS IS handle? What is the average response per request speed?

This question is difficult to definitively answer because so many variables are involved, e.g., the specifications of the server machine, type of any linked database product, type of request/task that each user is performing, frequency in which the average user clicks on the application, amount of data involved, etc. But we can base an answer on the observed performance of the "On-line map" demos presented on the TatukGIS web site during the last 18 months. These samples are running on a relatively outdated server machine, with two 600MHz Intel Pentium III processors and 384 MB of RAM. We have observed that the refresh response time to user queries has averaged approximately 0.1 second per query. Therefore we can reason that, if each user clicks on a mapping application an average of once every 30 seconds, the map server configuration in our office could theoretically handle 30/0.1 = 300 simultaneous users without degradation of speed. But, realistically, we would expect some noticeable speed degradation at the level of approximately 100 simultaneous users. A more advanced server would support more simultaneous users, and the IS supports cluster and load balancing for heavy load environments.

An idea of the map application response speed can also be obtained by clicking on the map demo samples on the www.tatukgis.com web site. Keep in mind that the server hosting the samples is outdated and located in Poland.