[sldev] Texture caching/bandwidth/performance how to proceed

[Dale Mahalko]

There is performance value in disabling (some) file deletion
procedures in the client.

For example, I know what a DSF temporary cache file is. There is
currently no wiki article about DSF's. Should I create such an
article? Should I explain in perfectly clear terms to anyone who cares
to read it what can be done with a DSF? Or does LL prefer this remain
a "don't ask, don't tell" sort of topic? Do you (LL staff in general)
want security through obscurity, or are we going to be honest and open
about file/data formats in the \cache folder?

I see a very nice specific client performance improvement by no longer
deleting DSFs, even if they are a space hog. The client kills them on
exit, normally, which is rather annoying:

http://svn.secondlife.com/trac/linden/browser/release/indra/newview/llappviewer.cpp

1184 // delete some of the files left around in the cache.
1185         removeCacheFiles("*.wav");
1186         removeCacheFiles("*.tmp");
1187         removeCacheFiles("*.lso");
1188         removeCacheFiles("*.out");
1189         removeCacheFiles("*.dsf");
1190         removeCacheFiles("*.bodypart");
1191         removeCacheFiles("*.clothing");

Fortunately I found a way to prevent DSF deletion, even without
recompiling the source, thanks to special NTFS permissions:

http://img528.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shotclientinthefootcu0.png


Too bad these DSFs don't get their own folder alongside the \textures folder.

- Scalar Tardis / Dale Mahalko


On Fri, Jun 6, 2008 at 2:40 PM, Soft <soft at lindenlab.com> wrote:
> You may be overthinking this. Simply raising the limit from 1 gig to a
> much larger number would be sufficient. I wouldn't be surprised if
> that number were in the xml for the network preferences panel, not the
> viewer source, even.
>