HDD performance Debian Lenny 5.0.2

[masi]

Hi!

I "successfully" installed Debian Lenny 5.0.2 from USB stick on my FitPC2. I have installed it twice on a Samsung HM250JI and a Seagate Momentus 5400.4, both 250GB.

Both installations exhibit the same problem. Installation is painfully slow regarding disk access (formatting and copying files to HDDs).

After installation disk access is also really slow. Copying files is a pain.

Using hdparm, hdparm -t /dev/hda shows that the read speed is somewhere between 1.5-2.0MB/s. hdparm -i /dev/hda shows that udma5 mode is active.

Anyone has comments/solution to this?

Thanks!

[madgrt]

Have you altered anything in the BIOS settings?

Under the primary master entry in BIOS, please ensure that 32 bit I/O is enabled.
Under the Advanced section in BIOS, what setting do you have for installed OS?

[masi]

Hi madgrt!

Yes I enabled 32 bit I/O.

Under OS I selected "Other", is this wrong? All other options where Windows flavours...

[madgrt]

Hi madgrt!

Yes I enabled 32 bit I/O.

Under OS I selected "Other", is this wrong? All other options where Windows flavours...

No not wrong, but not usually needed these days either. On page 9 of your Fit-PC2 manual it say's to select DOS for Windows and Linux.
I've tried it in a few different combinations for you on Ubuntu and it didn't make much difference anyway. It wouldn't normally make the sort of change you are experiencing any way at 1.5-2.0MB/s, you have something else going on - it was just a starting point. Are your cached reads still normal? I'm getting around 430MB/s?
$ sudo hdparm -iTt /dev/sda
If you're getting the problem whilst formatting, I would suggest to use a live disc of something else to see if the problem persists with a different environment loaded up.
Puppy Linux is fairly small at 100MB, or DSL .... the list goes on.
http://www.puppylinux.org/downloads/off ... on-version

[Kleborp]

Post the output of 'lsmod' and 'uname -a', it's probably using a generic ide driver, which works but without DMA and everything.

It should be using the US15W compatible 'pata_sch' module, which is either in patched old kernels or in vanilla kernels since 2.6.29 I think.

[masi]

Code: Select all

radagast:~# lsmod
Module                  Size  Used by
i2c_dev                 5256  0
i2c_core               19828  1 i2c_dev
ipv6                  235364  10
loop                   12748  0
video                  16432  0
output                  2912  1 video
battery                10180  0
ac                      4196  0
serio_raw               4740  0
button                  6096  0
psmouse                32336  0
snd_pcsp                8576  0
snd_pcm                62596  1 snd_pcsp
snd_timer              17800  1 snd_pcm
snd                    45604  3 snd_pcsp,snd_pcm,snd_timer
soundcore               6368  1 snd
snd_page_alloc          7816  1 snd_pcm
evdev                   8000  0
ext2                   54504  3
mbcache                 7108  1 ext2
pata_sch                3428  0
ata_generic             4676  0
libata                140416  2 pata_sch,ata_generic
scsi_mod              129324  1 libata
dock                    8304  1 libata
ide_pci_generic         3908  0 [permanent]
uhci_hcd               18672  0
ehci_hcd               28396  0
usbcore               118224  3 uhci_hcd,ehci_hcd
r8169                  23684  0
ide_disk               10496  5
thermal                15228  0
processor              32544  2 thermal
fan                     4164  0
thermal_sys            10856  4 video,thermal,processor,fan
ide_generic             2464  0 [permanent]
ide_core               96136  3 ide_pci_generic,ide_disk,ide_generic

Code: Select all

radagast:~# uname -a
Linux radagast 2.6.26-2-686 #1 SMP Sun Jun 21 04:57:38 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux

Maybe i shall try this backported debian lenny with 2.6.30 kernel? Yes, I do love debian

[masi]

Madgrt: Cached reads looks ok.

Code: Select all

radagast:~# hdparm -iTt /dev/hda

/dev/hda:

 Model=SAMSUNG HM250JI, FwRev=HS100-08, SerialNo=S0TVJD0Q558161
 Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec Fixed DTR>10Mbs }
 RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=34902, SectSize=554, ECCbytes=4
 BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=8192kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=off
 CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=488397168
 IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
 PIO modes:  pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
 DMA modes:  mdma0 mdma1 mdma2
 UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5 udma6
 AdvancedPM=yes: disabled (255) WriteCache=enabled
 Drive conforms to: ATA/ATAPI-7 T13 1532D revision 0:  ATA/ATAPI-1,2,3,4,5,6,7

 * signifies the current active mode

 Timing cached reads:   280 MB in  2.00 seconds = 139.72 MB/sec
 Timing buffered disk reads:    6 MB in  3.73 seconds =   1.61 MB/sec

I will try different distros and kernels. I am busy for a couple of days now, I will post results later.

[Kleborp]

Hmm from the lsmod output it does look like it has the 'pata_sch' module, but it might not be using it, and it's using ide_generic instead.

This is my lsmod output on a 2.6.30 kernel:

Code: Select all

[root@<snip> ~]# uname -a
Linux <snip> 2.6.30-fit #1 SMP PREEMPT Sat Jul 11 20:41:31 CEST 2009 i686 Intel(R) Atom(TM) CPU Z530 @ 1.60GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux

[root@<snip> ~]# lsmod 
Module                  Size  Used by
nls_utf8                1632  0
cifs                  239428  0
coretemp                6084  0
ipv6                  277908  22
usbhid                 40576  0
hid                    42560  1 usbhid
snd_seq_dummy           2696  0
snd_hda_codec_realtek   206536  1
snd_seq_oss            31168  0
snd_seq_midi_event      7012  1 snd_seq_oss
snd_seq                53744  5 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event
snd_seq_device          6768  3 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq
snd_hda_intel          26696  0
snd_pcm_oss            40352  0
snd_mixer_oss          17540  1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_hda_codec          71716  2 snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hda_intel
snd_hwdep               7624  1 snd_hda_codec
snd_pcm                73768  3 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm_oss,snd_hda_codec
i2c_isch                4328  0
sdhci_pci               7300  0
sdhci                  17096  1 sdhci_pci
uhci_hcd               23508  0
snd_timer              21068  2 snd_seq,snd_pcm
r8169                  34152  0
psmouse                59644  0
mmc_core               52576  1 sdhci
ehci_hcd               35824  0
snd                    58404  11 snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_seq_device,snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_hda_codec,snd_hwdep,snd_pcm,snd_timer
sg                     27896  0
mii                     4804  1 r8169
video                  19768  0
output                  2884  1 video
i2c_core               22776  1 i2c_isch
serio_raw               5704  0
pcspkr                  2404  0
led_class               3976  1 sdhci
soundcore               6784  1 snd
usbcore               149936  4 usbhid,uhci_hcd,ehci_hcd
snd_page_alloc          8812  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm
thermal                13888  0
evdev                  10176  0
fan                     4392  0
button                  5588  0
battery                10984  0
ac                      4360  0
cpufreq_ondemand        7704  2
acpi_cpufreq            8688  0
freq_table              3716  2 cpufreq_ondemand,acpi_cpufreq
processor              35864  1 acpi_cpufreq
rtc_cmos               11244  0
rtc_core               18048  1 rtc_cmos
rtc_lib                 2500  1 rtc_core
ext3                  135340  3
jbd                    48856  1 ext3
mbcache                 7112  1 ext3

And my speeds are:

Code: Select all

[root@<snip> ~]# hdparm -Tit /dev/sda

/dev/sda:

 Model=Hitachi, FwRev=FCDOC30F, SerialNo=090131FC1K30NEGAWUWE
 Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec Fixed DTR>10Mbs }
 RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=4
 BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=15058kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=16
 CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=488397168
 IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
 PIO modes:  pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
 DMA modes:  mdma0 mdma1 mdma2
 UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5 udma6
 AdvancedPM=yes: mode=0x80 (128) WriteCache=enabled
 Drive conforms to: unknown:  ATA/ATAPI-2,3,4,5,6,7

 * signifies the current active mode

 Timing cached reads:   1076 MB in  2.00 seconds = 537.40 MB/sec
 Timing buffered disk reads:  190 MB in  3.02 seconds =  62.86 MB/sec

I don't know much about Debian, but it might be that 'ide_generic' has to be blacklisted or something before the 'pata_sch' module gets control.

Edit: You can check which module it's using for the disk controller with 'lshw':

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[root@<snip> ~]# lshw -class disk -class storage
  *-ide
       description: IDE interface
       product: System Controller Hub (SCH Poulsbo) IDE Controller
       vendor: Intel Corporation
       physical id: 1f.1
       bus info: pci@0000:00:1f.1
       logical name: scsi0
       version: 07
       width: 32 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: ide bus_master emulated
       configuration: driver=pata_sch latency=0
       resources: irq:0 ioport:1f0(size=8) ioport:3f6 ioport:170(size=8) ioport:376 ioport:1810(size=16)
     *-disk
          description: ATA Disk
          product: Hitachi HTS72322
          vendor: Hitachi
          physical id: 0.0.0
          bus info: scsi@0:0.0.0
          logical name: /dev/sda
          version: FCDO
          serial: 090131FC1K30NEGAWUWE
          size: 232GiB (250GB)
          capabilities: partitioned partitioned:dos
          configuration: ansiversion=5 signature=199a1999

Notice:
configuration: driver=pata_sch latency=0

[masi]

Kleborp: I updated my Lenny to Sid (Debian unstable) and kernel 2.6.30. Now it looks like it loads the module correctly.

I get cached reads of about 300-350 MB/s and buffered reads of about 40-45 MB/s. Much better, and workable for me, but I wonder howcome I only get half of your cached reads?

Thanks for all the help!

[Kleborp]

Kleborp: I updated my Lenny to Sid (Debian unstable) and kernel 2.6.30. Now it looks like it loads the module correctly.

I get cached reads of about 300-350 MB/s and buffered reads of about 40-45 MB/s. Much better, and workable for me, but I wonder howcome I only get half of your cached reads?

Thanks for all the help!

I'm not sure if it'd make a lot of difference, but my disk is a 7200 RPM one with 16MB cache. I think the ones you mentioned earlier are 5400 RPM with 8MB cache. I don't think the difference is very noticable in real life situations though, just in benchmarks or during really high/steady hdd activity.

Glad things work properly now