performance

[KenHan]

I'm playing around with my slackware 9 box, been compiling a custom kernel, and optimized my hdparm settings ...
however I think my harddrive should be able to perform a little better (at least in theory)

I have a P4 2 ghz / 512mb RAM .. UDMA 100 western digital 120 gb special edition with 8mb cache (got udma cabel hocked up to it as well)
running slackware 9 with 2.4.20 ..have tried to optimized it for i686 as much as I know at this time .. oh well anyway.. here goes some output:

doing a "hdparm -v -i /dev/hda
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
/dev/hda:
multcount = 16 (on)
IO_support = 1 (32-bit)
unmaskirq = 1 (on)
using_dma = 1 (on)
keepsettings = 1 (on)
readonly = 0 (off)
readahead = 8 (on)
geometry = 14593/255/63, sectors = 234441648, start = 0

Model=WDC WD1200JB-00CRA0, FwRev=16.06V16, SerialNo=WD-WMA8C1264853
Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec SpinMotCtl Fixed DTR>5Mbs FmtGapReq }
RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=57600, SectSize=600, ECCbytes=40
BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=8192kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=16
CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=234441648
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
AdvancedPM=no WriteCache=enabled
Drive conforms to: device does not report version: 1 2 3 4 5

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
my second harddrive is excactly the same type of disk..

.. and now some output from:

hdparm -Tt /dev/hda

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
/dev/hda:
Timing buffer-cache reads: 128 MB in 0.25 seconds =512.00 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 64 MB in 5.70 seconds = 11.23 MB/sec

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

finally this is what I have added to my rc.local

hdparm -d1 -c1 -m16 -u1 -k1 -X69 /dev/hda
hdparm -d1 -c1 -m16 -u1 -k1 -X69 /dev/hdb

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

okie dokie .. thats it .. anyone got an idea about this .. ??

thanks in advance ..

KenHan ;D

[SkyNet]

I have that HDD, except mines only a 2 MB cache. This is my performance at these settings:

/dev/hde:
multcount = 16 (on)
IO_support = 1 (32-bit)
unmaskirq = 0 (off)
using_dma = 1 (on)
keepsettings = 0 (off)
readonly = 0 (off)
readahead = 8 (on)
geometry = 232581/16/63, sectors = 234441648, start = 0

/dev/hde:
Timing buffer-cache reads: 128 MB in 0.61 seconds =209.84 MB/se
Timing buffered disk reads: 64 MB in 1.55 seconds = 41.29 MB/sec

Have you checked to make sure you have it plugged into the UDMA/100 slot. That 11 MB/sec looks like UDMA/33 speed.

[KenHan]

Yep I am totally sure about the hardware setup

check this out !!

$hdparm -i -v /dev/hda

/dev/hda:
multcount = 16 (on)
IO_support = 1 (32-bit)
unmaskirq = 1 (on)
using_dma = 1 (on)
keepsettings = 1 (on)
readonly = 0 (off)
readahead = 8 (on)
geometry = 14589/255/63, sectors = 234375000, start = 0

Model=WDC WD1200JB-75CRA0, FwRev=16.06V16, SerialNo=WD-WMA8C2256155
Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec SpinMotCtl Fixed DTR>5Mbs FmtGapReq }
RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=57600, SectSize=600, ECCbytes=40
BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=8192kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=16
CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=234375000
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
AdvancedPM=no WriteCache=enabled
Drive conforms to: device does not report version: 1 2 3 4 5

$hdparm -Tt /dev/hda

/dev/hda:
Timing buffer-cache reads: 128 MB in 0.22 seconds =581.82 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 64 MB in 1.46 seconds = 43.84 MB/sec


$hdparm -i -v /dev/hdb

/dev/hdb:
multcount = 16 (on)
IO_support = 1 (32-bit)
unmaskirq = 1 (on)
using_dma = 1 (on)
keepsettings = 1 (on)
readonly = 0 (off)
readahead = 8 (on)
geometry = 14593/255/63, sectors = 234441648, start = 0

Model=WDC WD1200JB-00CRA0, FwRev=16.06V16, SerialNo=WD-WMA8C1264853
Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec SpinMotCtl Fixed DTR>5Mbs FmtGapReq }
RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=57600, SectSize=600, ECCbytes=40
BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=8192kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=16
CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=234441648
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
AdvancedPM=no WriteCache=enabled
Drive conforms to: device does not report version: 1 2 3 4 5

$hdparm -Tt /dev/hdb

/dev/hdb:
Timing buffer-cache reads: 128 MB in 0.26 seconds =492.31 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 64 MB in 4.83 seconds = 13.25 MB/sec

...

this is ridicilous ???

(btw: since I have these two supposively identical discs, (it differs slightly in the sector area) I discovered that /dev/hdb had a "normal" performance ... so I switched place to make the fastest disc my system disc <switched the master/slave>)

So out of 2 identical discs, one reads like 40+mb/sec and the other one reads 12+mb/sec ...

stuff like this makes me wonder why I still like computers ..

thanks for any kind of help in this matter ..

regards,

KenHan

[SkyNet]

I've always been told that having HDD to HDD on the same IDE cable is bad. Same goes for CDROM to CDROM. From what I've been told, and my experience, the setup should be CDROM to HDD, on primary IDE, then whatever else on secondary IDE as long as they are not the same.

Now I believe I understand the reason you don't want to move the HDDs over to another IDE is because most likely you will lose ATA/100 performance, however you should try just to see if that is the problem.

If we can atleast figure something out, then maybe we can get a solution.

[KenHan]

I'm gonna try a utility called IBM Drive Fitness Test, and see if that reports anything unusual ..



;D

again thanks for helping me on this ..

//Ken

[KenHan]

I've tried with that drive fitness program, and some utilities from WD where I could switch between UDMA 33/66/100 support,
and the performance is real bad no matter what I select, it dwells around 12+mb/sec ...

and no ne of the software is able to find anything physically wrong with the disc..

beats me this .. but this baby is going back to the retailer ...

and if they refuse to give me a new one ..... then I'm gonna shove it right up their ...



;D :'( :

//Ken

[KenHan]

sure enough !! .. got a new drive and it performs quite alright

thanks for your help ..

//KenHan ;D

[SkyNet]

That's great! So it seems to have been hardware failure.