Linux performance

We have a 4-700 Mhz cpu Intel box with the 2.2.16 linux Kernel(SuSE 7.0). We have the number of CPU's set to 3 for Informix, 1 less then the max. The problem is once we get more then 4 users hitting the database hard the system starts to crawl. iostat shows the CPU's running at 80 to 100%. Does anyone know if this is the best performance we can get? We are using RAID 1+0 on two controllers and raw space. Thanks. John

In the year of Our Lord Tue, 12 Dec 2000 14:50:53 -0700, John Miller <jmiller@itc.nrcs.usda.gov> broke a vow of silence to utter: > >We have a 4-700 Mhz cpu Intel box with the 2.2.16 linux Kernel(SuSE >7.0). >We have the number of CPU's set to 3 for Informix, 1 less then the max. >The problem is once we get more then 4 users hitting the database hard >the system starts to crawl. iostat shows the CPU's running at 80 to >100%. >Does anyone know if this is the best performance we can get? > >We are using RAID 1+0 on two controllers and raw space. Bloody hell!! How is the CPU load spread? Mostly user, or lots of sys or wio? Can you post output for: onstat -p onstat -P | tail -5 onstat -R onstat -F onstat -g seg onstat -d onstat -D onstat -m onstat -csar 5 12

John, are you using Linux RAID? It beats hell out of the CPUS! Faster than a speeding bullet but it gets that speed by sucking up all the CPU cycles it can get. Linux built in software RAID is only really good for configuring a dedicated fileserver not for any machine that needs the CPU also. For serious RAID get a hardware RAID10 solution like ICP Vortex or Mylex. Those controllers have their own CPUs and offload all the RAID work to them leaving the main system CPUs alone. In a recently published test, between Linux software RAID5 and Vortex RAID5 on a Linux box, Linux gave better throughput but maxed the two test machine CPUs out doing it. Art S. Kagel Obnoxio The Clown wrote: > > In the year of Our Lord Tue, 12 Dec 2000 14:50:53 -0700, John Miller > <jmiller@itc.nrcs.usda.gov> broke a vow of silence to utter: > > > > >We have a 4-700 Mhz cpu Intel box with the 2.2.16 linux Kernel(SuSE > >7.0). > >We have the number of CPU's set to 3 for Informix, 1 less then the max. > >The problem is once we get more then 4 users hitting the database hard > >the system starts to crawl. iostat shows the CPU's running at 80 to > >100%. > >Does anyone know if this is the best performance we can get? > > > >We are using RAID 1+0 on two controllers and raw space. > > Bloody hell!! How is the CPU load spread? Mostly user, or lots of sys or wio? > > Can you post output for: > > onstat -p > onstat -P | tail -5 > onstat -R > onstat -F > onstat -g seg > onstat -d > onstat -D > onstat -m > onstat -c> sar 5 12