“Extensive Testing by Networkshop Inc. Finds Significant and
Widespread Server Performance Degradation in Secure Transaction
Mode.”
“Networkshop’s study… pinpoints a number of previously
undisclosed factors that can make or break a web site. Among the
findings, actual test results show serious potential performance
problems for e-commerce sites that do business using secure
transactions or SSL (secure socket layer).”
“… Networkshop reports that certain combinations of servers,
processors, operating systems and content result in a more than
one-hundred-fold (100x) drop in performance when SSL security is
enabled. The study examines a variety of platforms, including
Linux, Microsoft Windows NT and Sun Solaris, as well as a range of
server software including Apache, Stronghold and Microsoft
IIS.”
“The “Scaling E-Commerce Systems” study is available from
Networkshop’s Web site… priced at US$9,995.”