We have two Coldfusion servers that have a huge performance difference running the exact same code on the exact same input data. The code in questions instantiates a large amount of CFCs (Coldfusion Components, which are similar to objects in OOP languages).

I compared the two servers by running Process Monitor and then calling the problematic code on both machines. I learned two things. First, Coldfusion opens CFC files every time it instantiates an object. Both servers do this, so it cannot be the cause of the performance difference. Second, the fast server opens the CFC files directly while the server with the performance problem seems to navigate its way through the path until it reaches the desired CFC file. It does this for every file, even the ones it has previously loaded, and because the code instantiates so many CFCs it becomes very slow. See below the partial Promon traces that show this behavior. It can take over 60 seconds for the slow server to do what the fast one does in 2 seconds.

Can anyone tell me what causes this behavior? Is it a Coldfusion setting? Since Coldfusion runs on top of Java, is it a Java setting? Is it an OS option? The fast server is running Windows XP and I think the slow server is a Windows Server 2003.

Bonus question: Coldfusion doesn't seem to perform any READ FILE operations on any of the CFC or CFM files. How can this be?

Sample of the fast server opening CFC files:

11:25:14.5588975    jrun.exe    QueryOpen                   C:\CF\wwwroot\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:25:14.5592758    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  C:\CF\wwwroot\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:25:14.5595024    jrun.exe    QueryBasicInformationFile   C:\CF\wwwroot\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:25:14.5595940    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   C:\CF\wwwroot\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:25:14.5599628    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  C:\CF\wwwroot\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:25:14.5601600    jrun.exe    QueryBasicInformationFile   C:\CF\wwwroot\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:25:14.5602463    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   C:\CF\wwwroot\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc

Equivalent sample of the slow server opening CFC files:

11:15:08.1249230    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\
11:15:08.1250100    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org
11:15:08.1252852    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\
11:15:08.1259670    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org
11:15:08.1260319    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org\cli
11:15:08.1260769    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org
11:15:08.1269451    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org\cli
11:15:08.1270613    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org\cli\cpn
11:15:08.1271140    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org\cli
11:15:08.1279312    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org\cli\cpn
11:15:08.1280086    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org\cli\cpn\APP
11:15:08.1280789    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org\cli\cpn
11:15:08.1291034    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org\cli\cpn\APP
11:15:08.1291709    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com
11:15:08.1292224    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org\cli\cpn\APP
11:15:08.1300568    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com
11:15:08.1301321    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:15:08.1301843    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com
11:15:08.1312049    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:15:08.1314409    jrun.exe    QueryBasicInformationFile   D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:15:08.1314633    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:15:08.1315881    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\
11:15:08.1316379    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org
11:15:08.1316926    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\
11:15:08.1330951    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org
11:15:08.1338656    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org\cli
11:15:08.1339118    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org
11:15:08.1526468    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org\cli
11:15:08.1527295    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org\cli\cpn
11:15:08.1527989    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org\cli
11:15:08.1531977    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org\cli\cpn
11:15:08.1532589    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org\cli\cpn\APP
11:15:08.1533575    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org\cli\cpn
11:15:08.1538457    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org\cli\cpn\APP
11:15:08.1539083    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com
11:15:08.1539553    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org\cli\cpn\APP
11:15:08.1544126    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com
11:15:08.1544980    jrun.exe    QueryDirectory              D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:15:08.1545482    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com
11:15:08.1551034    jrun.exe    CreateFile                  D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:15:08.1552878    jrun.exe    QueryBasicInformationFile   D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc
11:15:08.1553044    jrun.exe    CloseFile                   D:\org\cli\cpn\APP\com\HtmlUtils.cfc

Thanks