Lets say I have a website with 1000 users online

website is mysql and php driven, has a personal messaging system

At the moment I have ajax refresh ever 5 minutes which pulls a php file which is used to check for new messages in the DB

I want to use lightsteamer so that when someone sends a message to a member, that member receives an alert instantly

How can lightsteamer accomplish this

Im assuming the alert must be sent down the pipe before it hits the database, as if in the database then will need to check the DB for new messages hence waste of time

Just looking for a bit of info on settings this up. I have lightsteamer installed on linux and the demos are working, its just a bit tricky when you arnt to hot on java