If Director's interface feels sluggish, or if slideshows take longer than normal to request data (after the initial request), Director may not be able to cache data and is accessing the database over and over again. You can fix this by ensuring that the cache folders Director uses are writable by the web server. First, check the status of the different caching systems by visiting the System Info screen in Director (look for the link in the top right of any page in Director).
Navigate to your Director installation with your FTP client and select the "ssp_director/app/tmp" folder. Change the permissions on it (and all folders inside) to 777.
Now select the "ssp_director/xml_cache" folder. Change the permissions on it as well to 777.
Reload the System Info screen and again check the status of the different caching systems. Also, load your slideshow in your web browser, and after content is rendered reload the page again. Your content should now be cached and served faster than it was before.
