Tuning headaches and questions

[Chad Gladue]

Every so often our box is HAMMERED to a crawl %Wait goes to 40 or 50% and connections grows to 300 or so. i think its due to a query running, but i wanted to see if any of the settigns on the mysql config file were obviously causing more damage then good... here is my config file:

We are running on a server with MySQL v5.5.19 on Linux 64-bit with 16G of ram and 6 CPU Cores, we are almost 95% read and 5% write so optimize for read performance is priority, thank you so much for looking !

[mysqld]
port = 3306
user = mysql
socket = /var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock
pid-file = /mysql/mysqld.pid
log-error = /var/log/mysql/mysqld.err
basedir = /usr/
datadir = /mysql
skip-bdb

back_log = 50
max_connections = 500
max_connect_errors = 9999999
table_cache = 150000
max_allowed_packet = 16M
binlog_cache_size = 1M
max_heap_table_size = 32M
join_buffer_size = 500K
thread_cache_size = 100
thread_concurrency = 12
sort_buffer_size = 2M
read_buffer_size = 2M
read_rnd_buffer_size = 2M
query_cache_size = 512M
query_cache_limit = 8M
query_cache_min_res_unit = 2K
thread_stack = 192K
#transaction_isolation = READ-COMMITED
tmp_table_size = 32M
#log_slow_queries
long_query_time = 2
#log_long_format
tmpdir = /dev/shm
memlock

# *** INNODB Specific options ***

innodb_additional_mem_pool_size = 80M
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 2G
#innodb_data_file_path = ibdata1:643M:autoextend
innodb_flush_method = O_DIRECT
innodb_file_io_threads = 6
innodb_thread_concurrency = 12
innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit = 0
innodb_log_buffer_size = 20M
#innodb_log_file_size = 800M
innodb_log_files_in_group = 3
innodb_max_dirty_pages_pct = 90
innodb_lock_wait_timeout = 120
innodb_file_per_table = 1

# *** MyIsam Specific Options ***
myisam_sort_buffer_size = 64M


[client]
socket = /var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock


and here is our "Show Status" from the database:

Variable_name Value
Aborted_clients 80
Aborted_connects 44
Binlog_cache_disk_use 0
Binlog_cache_use 0
Binlog_stmt_cache_disk_use 0
Binlog_stmt_cache_use 0
Bytes_received 140
Bytes_sent 188
Com_admin_commands 0
Com_assign_to_keycache 0
Com_alter_db 0
Com_alter_db_upgrade 0
Com_alter_event 0
Com_alter_function 0
Com_alter_procedure 0
Com_alter_server 0
Com_alter_table 0
Com_alter_tablespace 0
Com_analyze 0
Com_begin 0
Com_binlog 0
Com_call_procedure 0
Com_change_db 0
Com_change_master 0
Com_check 0
Com_checksum 0
Com_commit 0
Com_create_db 0
Com_create_event 0
Com_create_function 0
Com_create_index 0
Com_create_procedure 0
Com_create_server 0
Com_create_table 0
Com_create_trigger 0
Com_create_udf 0
Com_create_user 0
Com_create_view 0
Com_dealloc_sql 0
Com_delete 0
Com_delete_multi 0
Com_do 0
Com_drop_db 0
Com_drop_event 0
Com_drop_function 0
Com_drop_index 0
Com_drop_procedure 0
Com_drop_server 0
Com_drop_table 0
Com_drop_trigger 0
Com_drop_user 0
Com_drop_view 0
Com_empty_query 0
Com_execute_sql 0
Com_flush 0
Com_grant 0
Com_ha_close 0
Com_ha_open 0
Com_ha_read 0
Com_help 0
Com_insert 0
Com_insert_select 0
Com_install_plugin 0
Com_kill 0
Com_load 0
Com_lock_tables 0
Com_optimize 0
Com_preload_keys 0
Com_prepare_sql 0
Com_purge 0
Com_purge_before_date 0
Com_release_savepoint 0
Com_rename_table 0
Com_rename_user 0
Com_repair 0
Com_replace 0
Com_replace_select 0
Com_reset 0
Com_resignal 0
Com_revoke 0
Com_revoke_all 0
Com_rollback 0
Com_rollback_to_savepoint 0
Com_savepoint 0
Com_select 1
Com_set_option 0
Com_signal 0
Com_show_authors 0
Com_show_binlog_events 0
Com_show_binlogs 0
Com_show_charsets 0
Com_show_collations 0
Com_show_contributors 0
Com_show_create_db 0
Com_show_create_event 0
Com_show_create_func 0
Com_show_create_proc 0
Com_show_create_table 0
Com_show_create_trigger 0
Com_show_databases 0
Com_show_engine_logs 0
Com_show_engine_mutex 0
Com_show_engine_status 0
Com_show_events 0
Com_show_errors 0
Com_show_fields 0
Com_show_function_status 0
Com_show_grants 0
Com_show_keys 0
Com_show_master_status 0
Com_show_open_tables 0
Com_show_plugins 0
Com_show_privileges 0
Com_show_procedure_status 0
Com_show_processlist 0
Com_show_profile 0
Com_show_profiles 0
Com_show_relaylog_events 0
Com_show_slave_hosts 0
Com_show_slave_status 0
Com_show_status 1
Com_show_storage_engines 0
Com_show_table_status 0
Com_show_tables 0
Com_show_triggers 0
Com_show_variables 0
Com_show_warnings 0
Com_slave_start 0
Com_slave_stop 0
Com_stmt_close 0
Com_stmt_execute 0
Com_stmt_fetch 0
Com_stmt_prepare 0
Com_stmt_reprepare 0
Com_stmt_reset 0
Com_stmt_send_long_data 0
Com_truncate 0
Com_uninstall_plugin 0
Com_unlock_tables 0
Com_update 0
Com_update_multi 0
Com_xa_commit 0
Com_xa_end 0
Com_xa_prepare 0
Com_xa_recover 0
Com_xa_rollback 0
Com_xa_start 0
Compression OFF
Connections 589414
Created_tmp_disk_tables 0
Created_tmp_files 4857
Created_tmp_tables 0
Delayed_errors 0
Delayed_insert_threads 0
Delayed_writes 0
Flush_commands 1
Handler_commit 0
Handler_delete 0
Handler_discover 0
Handler_prepare 0
Handler_read_first 0
Handler_read_key 0
Handler_read_last 0
Handler_read_next 0
Handler_read_prev 0
Handler_read_rnd 0
Handler_read_rnd_next 0
Handler_rollback 0
Handler_savepoint 0
Handler_savepoint_rollback 0
Handler_update 0
Handler_write 0
Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_data 72958
Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_dirty 42
Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_flushed 6008262
Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_free 56946
Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_misc 1168
Innodb_buffer_pool_pages_total 131072
Innodb_buffer_pool_read_ahead_rnd 0
Innodb_buffer_pool_read_ahead 7734
Innodb_buffer_pool_read_ahead_evicted 0
Innodb_buffer_pool_read_requests 30450838150
Innodb_buffer_pool_reads 52324
Innodb_buffer_pool_wait_free 0
Innodb_buffer_pool_write_requests 15217281
Innodb_data_fsyncs 595342
Innodb_data_pending_fsyncs 0
Innodb_data_pending_reads 0
Innodb_data_pending_writes 0
Innodb_data_read 987058176
Innodb_data_reads 62345
Innodb_data_writes 3401311
Innodb_data_written 105511973376
Innodb_dblwr_pages_written 3004131
Innodb_dblwr_writes 83802
Innodb_have_atomic_builtins ON
Innodb_log_waits 0
Innodb_log_write_requests 15868390
Innodb_log_writes 263129
Innodb_os_log_fsyncs 293796
Innodb_os_log_pending_fsyncs 0
Innodb_os_log_pending_writes 0
Innodb_os_log_written 7056227840
Innodb_page_size 16384
Innodb_pages_created 13192
Innodb_pages_read 60111
Innodb_pages_written 3004131
Innodb_row_lock_current_waits 0
Innodb_row_lock_time 1763399
Innodb_row_lock_time_avg 33
Innodb_row_lock_time_max 18220
Innodb_row_lock_waits 52024
Innodb_rows_deleted 115172
Innodb_rows_inserted 157979
Innodb_rows_read 10140856389
Innodb_rows_updated 1181312
Innodb_truncated_status_writes 0
Key_blocks_not_flushed 0
Key_blocks_unused 1
Key_blocks_used 6698
Key_read_requests 909967460
Key_reads 131260
Key_write_requests 6034682
Key_writes 456468
Last_query_cost 0.000000
Max_used_connections 289
Not_flushed_delayed_rows 0
Open_files 23537
Open_streams 0
Open_table_definitions 11716
Open_tables 25689
Opened_files 8995586
Opened_table_definitions 0
Opened_tables 0
Performance_schema_cond_classes_lost 0
Performance_schema_cond_instances_lost 0
Performance_schema_file_classes_lost 0
Performance_schema_file_handles_lost 0
Performance_schema_file_instances_lost 0
Performance_schema_locker_lost 0
Performance_schema_mutex_classes_lost 0
Performance_schema_mutex_instances_lost 0
Performance_schema_rwlock_classes_lost 0
Performance_schema_rwlock_instances_lost 0
Performance_schema_table_handles_lost 0
Performance_schema_table_instances_lost 0
Performance_schema_thread_classes_lost 0
Performance_schema_thread_instances_lost 0
Prepared_stmt_count 0
Qcache_free_blocks 40836
Qcache_free_memory 63388816
Qcache_hits 26422772
Qcache_inserts 30862857
Qcache_lowmem_prunes 259834
Qcache_not_cached 1104542
Qcache_queries_in_cache 97427
Qcache_total_blocks 277837
Queries 65505499
Questions 2
Rpl_status AUTH_MASTER
Select_full_join 0
Select_full_range_join 0
Select_range 0
Select_range_check 0
Select_scan 0
Slave_heartbeat_period 0.000
Slave_open_temp_tables 0
Slave_received_heartbeats 0
Slave_retried_transactions 0
Slave_running OFF
Slow_launch_threads 0
Slow_queries 0
Sort_merge_passes 0
Sort_range 0
Sort_rows 0
Sort_scan 0
Ssl_accept_renegotiates 0
Ssl_accepts 0
Ssl_callback_cache_hits 0
Ssl_cipher
Ssl_cipher_list
Ssl_client_connects 0
Ssl_connect_renegotiates 0
Ssl_ctx_verify_depth 0
Ssl_ctx_verify_mode 0
Ssl_default_timeout 0
Ssl_finished_accepts 0
Ssl_finished_connects 0
Ssl_session_cache_hits 0
Ssl_session_cache_misses 0
Ssl_session_cache_mode NONE
Ssl_session_cache_overflows 0
Ssl_session_cache_size 0
Ssl_session_cache_timeouts 0
Ssl_sessions_reused 0
Ssl_used_session_cache_entries 0
Ssl_verify_depth 0
Ssl_verify_mode 0
Ssl_version
Table_locks_immediate 43157142
Table_locks_waited 3791
Tc_log_max_pages_used 0
Tc_log_page_size 0
Tc_log_page_waits 0
Threads_cached 97
Threads_connected 5
Threads_created 536
Threads_running 1
Uptime 318939
Uptime_since_flush_status 318939