Sun Java System Web Server 7.0 Update 5 Performance Tuning, Sizing, and Scaling Guide

Maximum Age

This field displays the maximum age of a valid cache entry. The parameter controls how long cached information is used after a file has been cached. An entry older than the maximum age is replaced by a new entry for the same file.

Tuning

Set the maximum age based on whether the content is updated (existing files are modified) on a regular schedule. For example, if content is updated four times a day at regular intervals, you can set the maximum age to 21600 seconds (6 hours). Otherwise, consider setting the maximum age to the longest time you are willing to serve the previous version of a content file after the file has been modified. If your web site’s content changes infrequently, you might want to increase this value for improved performance.

Set the maximum age in the Admin Console in the Maximum Age field on the configuration's Performance tab ⇒ Cache tab, under File Cache. In the command-line interface, use wadm set-file-cache-prop and change the max-age property. The default value is 30 seconds. The range of values is 0.001-3600.