Tranquil IT Forum

Hello,

We currently have a Windows Server 2022 on which WAPT 2.6.1.17472 is installed and manages over 1000 agents (this installation has been in place for several years).

I have just consulted your documentation and noted that, when installed on a Windows server, WAPTServer can only support 200 agents due to a technical limitation related to Nginx.

At this stage, I haven't noticed any particular problems on our server. Can you confirm whether there is a risk in continuing with this configuration, or if it is recommended to migrate to a Linux server?

Thank you in advance for your reply.

Have a good day,
Christophe

Hello Christophe,

actually the problem with the 200-user limit isn't related to the Wapt code itself, but to Wapt's use of the Nginx web server. Nginx is a very good web server under Linux, but it hasn't been optimized for Windows at all. The Windows version doesn't support many "long" requests (several seconds) in parallel, such as during the installation of a large Wapt package or an OS deployment.

We therefore included this limitation in the documentation to allow support to direct the client to a Linux server if there are performance issues.

But if your server is working well for you, there's no rush to switch. That said, as a fan of command lines and black screens, I encourage you to look into Debian; once you've tried it, you won't want to go back.

Best regards,

Denis

Hi Christophe,

Well, it's my turn to respond to your post.

Yesterday, I started installing a 200MB update on about 100 machines simultaneously (I needed to see the result quickly), and my console froze for a good minute.
I don't know your server's specs, but mine has 4 vCPUs and 16GB of RAM, which must be limiting it a bit.

And since I've been using WAPT, this is the first time I think I've put this much strain on the server, because usually I let the machines manage their updates as they see fit.

I think the main thing is your own experience and, above all, properly sizing the server.
If I could, I'd definitely increase the RAM on mine...

Hi Julien,

So, my server has 8 vCPUs and 16 GB of RAM.

I'm experiencing console freezes when installing software on multiple PCs simultaneously, for example, when redeploying a computer lab. Also, sometimes not all the software installs at once (I install about fifty programs on the PCs).

But overall, it works.

I still think I'll have to switch to Linux.

Hello Christophe,

the console freezing issues and failed installations are largely related to the nginx problem on Windows. Switching to a Wapt Linux server, and if that's not enough, enabling uwsgi mode should greatly reduce, or even completely eliminate, these freezes given the size of your network.

We've also significantly improved console performance in the upcoming Wapt 2.7 release. However, on Windows, you'll still experience the nginx-related freezing issues.

Sincerely,

Denis