okay, an interesting little

idea.
given data:

a community website, scripted with php & mysql.
very high traffic levels.
"
Welcome Jaqui , Sunday, July 17, 2005 6:25 CST (GMT-6), 1858 surfers currently online
"*
multiple dedicated machines.

query / discussion:

how would you design the setup for the servers for this type of site, to avoid serious lag in the site?

any suggestions in the design of the database also?

since one of the forums in particular is extremely active, ( over 1000 new threads a day ) I recommended they replicate that forum to it's own dedicated db server.

the site features:
? Galleries ? Tutorials ? MarketPlace ? Messaging ? Who's Online
? Forums ? Contests ? Free Stuff ? Chat

the freestuff is links to downloads.

the site averages 4 terabytes a month in data transfer.

* this is a low number of members online for the site that prompted this. the average is in the 3000 online range.