title: how to configure nginx for long poll (and php)
body: <p>I'm creating a simple chat app. Have installed nginx on Ubuntu 11.10, with PHP via fast-cgi. To get a feel for performance, I made a simple PHP file that sleeps 10 seconds then reports the time. Calling this with several browser instances (different browsers, different machines) the response becomes sluggish after about 10 instances, a lot less than expected (was hoping to not see any deterioration until the hundreds, though that would not be practical using manual browser testing).</p>
  
  <p>I'm a web-dev, not sys-admin, maybe out of my depth? Not looking for optimal solution (searching reveals nginx should be able to handle 10k per core), but a few hundred would be great.</p>
  
  <p>There's also the Nginx Push Stream Module, but I can't figure out how to install it, and seems yet another technology to get to grips with. Should basic out of the box nginx be able to cope with my expectations, i.e. 100+ long-term connections using PHP?</p>