Scripts constantly running

While trying to figure out why none of my member menus open properly, I noticed that the instant messenger is constantly running. What I mean is - in my error console, I keep getting lines each second like this:

17:57:03.275 GET https://caredesign.net/flash/XML.php [HTTP/1.1 200 OK 183ms]

that keeps repeating, Uninstalling the simple mesenger module stops this repeats. So, I was wondering - is this normal, and supposed to happen, or do I have something going on that is causing these repeats? Also, will this use up bandwidth or any type of resources.

It's Dolphin's way of initiating  a DOS attack against itself.

 you have any better ideas?

It's normal. There are a number of things that are in the member menu that run at regular intervals while a member is logged in. And yes, it will use resources. Each call is quick and short, but there are several different things that run every few seconds for each logged in member which is why dolphin on low end shared hosting is crap once you get a few members online.

Watch it longer. There is more than that. Some other stuff also runs every 30 second or so to update the member menu bubbles.

If the instant messenger does not continue checking, then how is it to know a new message was received? It's all part of live time communications and other such live time updates.

thanks Deano, now If I can just figure out why my member menu actions are not working. I can click the buttons, but they just open the Title of the menu, and not the options. For example, clicking the presence button only brings up the box and shows my username, but not the options to change my presence. But yet, on a duplicate site, it does work.

 RE:

 Comet

 So...you solve the "Dolphin DOS" issue by replacing ajax's one http connection with 2 http connection of comet...

I'm just saying server push/long polling might be a viable option, as opposed to polling the server every second.

It might sound good but reality is opposite. It does take more resources than simple ajax we have here. But ajax could be advanced tho. Like an algorithm that decides in what duration to make request to the server using previous rate of data updates and time duration between them. It can decide if the user is being active on site and request updates from server every few secs or if user is dead/doing nothing then request updates like once a min or something.

I have had XML.php take my site down twice.

Truth be told, I don't really care, because I have no use for IM.  Sites for grownups have little use for instant messaging.  If however, I was running some chat site for zit-faced teenagers, I would probably want a technology with less overhead than what we got now.

Oh, yeah, chat.  That is correct, I uninstall the Dolphin IM thingy; user to user chat and replaced it with cometchat; maybe that is why xml.php has not caused any problems lately.

For our usage, we want members to be able to converse in real time - but HL, you are right, sites for grown ups have no need for instant messaging. Which leads me to another realization (slaps self), I don't need both the IM and the Video chat. With the video chat, there is a text chat already incorporated. And if someone wants to send a quick message, they can use the send sms button (provider the recipient has elected to receive sms messages) Hmm, I will have to think about this one some more to make sure there is no other reason the IM would be needed, Cause if I can't find any, I will just uninstall it.

XML.php is with IM an overloaded script.  Dolphin should have broken out the IM chat polling from XML.php; XML.php handles a lot of the notifications going on in Dolphin, it is just overloaded.  I installed cometchat because a member liked it better than the default Dolphin IM chat and purchased the unbranded version for our site.  I never thought that it would also improve the problems with xml.php.  The only thing is that I have not figured out a way to integrate comechat with the member bar; currently I have it sitting on top of the member menu bar and that is sort of crummy looking.