If you are not using PageBlaster then I would recommend setting the performance settings as follows:

Page State Persistence:  Page
You could try memory, but I believe there are too many problems here without much gain especially as a global setting.

Module Caching Method: Memory
Memory is much faster, and there are intermittent errors when using Disk.

Performance Setting: Heavy
There is really not much difference between the different settings here. The setting is just a multiplier that gives you only 5 hours of caching at the most (depending on the object) when on Heavy.  Some items are not cached at all unless you are on Heavy.

Authenticated Cacheability: Set it to public.
This allows the client browser or downstream proxies to cache items.

Compression Setting: Deflate or Gzip does not matter.
They are both about the same and will vary depending on content. I use Gzip.

Compression Level:  There is a bug that is keeping it from being applied, but it should be around five, higher than that gives diminishing return.

Use Whitespace Filter:Not Checked
Don't use it if you have compression on it is a waste of time, because compression also removes white space.

If you are using PageBlaster then you should replace the core compression module in the HttpModules section of Web.config.
All the settings above should remain the same, because PageBlaster does not cache authenticated user requests by default.

Great post John, thank you very much !! Just my 2 cents, I had plenty of problems with a kind of settings, which is the following and should never be used !!

AVOID USING THESE SETTINGS above. I have recently experienced many problems with them (difficulty to insert images, problems with Ventrian News Articles, etc...). Just leave the compression settings with their default values.  (or even better, use Page Blaster !! For me, it is a marvelous alternative !!)

DV FX

Ahhh, I had this set to 'no compression,' as I thought PB would override it anyway when installed; Not the case, I guess. I feared playing around with it, but I'll set it to Deflate instead...wish me luck. :)

I should have know better, John. :)

Once I selected "Deflate" and saved settings, the screen when blank.  I pull up the site and various pages are blank...tried to pull up host settings to change it back..blank.

Any way to go in the db and change this setting back to the way it was? This is more than a show-stopper for me.  ;)

Update:  Entire site is blank.

You said: "If you are using PageBlaster then you should replace the core compression module in the HttpModules section of Web.config."

I don't understand this -- does your remark mean that if one is using PB (even the free version) then one should set DNN caching as stated here, or that one should leave DNN caching at the defaults??

Does commenting out the compression line
add name="Compression" type="DotNetNuke.HttpModules.Compression.CompressionModule, DotNetNuke.HttpModules"
remove and make inactive the DNN compression??

My performance settings are:
page state persistence = page
module caching method = disk -- change to memory??
performance setting = moderate caching -- change to heavy??
authenticated cacheability = serverandnocache -- change to public??
compression setting = gzip
use whitespace filter = unchecked

Thank you, Tom

Hi Tom,

Caching and Compression are handled seperately in DotNetNuke.  The compression module only does compression and should be removed if you are using PageBlaster. The caching recommendations posted above still apply if you are using PageBlaster or not.

PageBlaster adds Page Level caching to DotNetNuke, but the internal caching of DotNetNuke is still needed.