We have a Dell PE 2950 with 32 GB RAM, running w2k8 sp2. It has 5 SAS disks
and is set as a single RAID 5, with two volumes C and D. C: is for OS and D:
is for data. The server is used for flat file server but with heavy export
and import one in the morning and one in the afternoon for a couple hours.
Whenever this happens the server became very slow, almost non-responding.
Those export and import to set to use D:. We have set 33 GB page file on C:.
It improved but not much. Still have "lockup". Since the heavy load is on
logical volume D: I'm wondering:

1. will it be helpful if I set another page file on D:? Because C: and D:
are on the same RAID will it make any difference?

2. If it helps what size will be a good start? D: is at 2 TB.



please advice.

Thanks.

In message <F27107F8-5A5C-481C-A6A9-355EA026D3AA@newsgroup> Chris
<Chris@newsgroup> was claimed to have wrote:

>We have a Dell PE 2950 with 32 GB RAM, running w2k8 sp2. It has 5 SAS disks
>and is set as a single RAID 5, with two volumes C and D. C: is for OS and D:
>is for data. The server is used for flat file server but with heavy export
>and import one in the morning and one in the afternoon for a couple hours.
>Whenever this happens the server became very slow, almost non-responding.
>Those export and import to set to use D:. We have set 33 GB page file on C:.
> It improved but not much. Still have "lockup". Since the heavy load is on
>logical volume D: I'm wondering:

Are you actually paging or is the problem something else?

>1. will it be helpful if I set another page file on D:? Because C: and D:
>are on the same RAID will it make any difference?

It will likely cause more of a performance impact than anything else
since the heads will be skipping back and forth between the pagefiles as
Windows attempts to use both of them.

I'm running perfmon and will look into the paging. But I notice 1) avg. disk
queue length max could go up to 6 at some point. This is after disabling
virus scan and Double-Take replication. 2) current disk queue length went up
to 16 at one point. Although those were spike but I suspect it might get
worst if enabling Double-Take and virus scan.

What's the threshold I should use for both counters: avg. disk queue length
and current disk queue length?

Thanks.

"Dave Warren" wrote:

> In message <F27107F8-5A5C-481C-A6A9-355EA026D3AA@newsgroup> Chris
> <Chris@newsgroup> was claimed to have wrote:
>

> >We have a Dell PE 2950 with 32 GB RAM, running w2k8 sp2. It has 5 SAS disks
> >and is set as a single RAID 5, with two volumes C and D. C: is for OS and D:
> >is for data. The server is used for flat file server but with heavy export
> >and import one in the morning and one in the afternoon for a couple hours.
> >Whenever this happens the server became very slow, almost non-responding.
> >Those export and import to set to use D:. We have set 33 GB page file on C:.
> > It improved but not much. Still have "lockup". Since the heavy load is on
> >logical volume D: I'm wondering:

>
> Are you actually paging or is the problem something else?
>

> >1. will it be helpful if I set another page file on D:? Because C: and D:
> >are on the same RAID will it make any difference?

>
> It will likely cause more of a performance impact than anything else
> since the heads will be skipping back and forth between the pagefiles as
> Windows attempts to use both of them.
> .
>

Chris wrote:

> We have a Dell PE 2950 with 32 GB RAM, running w2k8 sp2. It has 5
> SAS disks and is set as a single RAID 5, with two volumes C and D.
> C: is for OS and D: is for data. The server is used for flat file
> server but with heavy export and import one in the morning and one in
> the afternoon for a couple hours. Whenever this happens the server
> became very slow, almost non-responding. Those export and import to
> set to use D:. We have set 33 GB page file on C:. It improved but
> not much. Still have "lockup". Since the heavy load is on logical
> volume D: I'm wondering:
>
> 1. will it be helpful if I set another page file on D:? Because C:
> and D: are on the same RAID will it make any difference?
>
> 2. If it helps what size will be a good start? D: is at 2 TB.
>

If you are sure it is the paging which is slowing it down, could you add a
separate physical disk drive dedicated to the paging file?

"Optimizing Your Servers' Pagefile Performance":
http://oreilly.com/pub/a/windows/200.../pagefile.html
Notice especially the section "Keeping the Pagefile Separate."

--
Andrew

You should not place the pagefile on a fault tolerant drive, such as
RAID-5. Typically writing to fault tolerant drives is slower because of
multiple writes to the disks.

John

Chris wrote:

> I might try. With RAID 5 with 5 disks what value will be consider high disk
> I/O for following perfmon counters:
>
> avg. disk queue length and current disk queue length
>
> Some articles said 1.5 -2 x spindles but some said total spindles +2. Can
> you advice?
>
> Thanks.
>
> "Andrew Morton" wrote:
>

>> Chris wrote:

>>> We have a Dell PE 2950 with 32 GB RAM, running w2k8 sp2. It has 5
>>> SAS disks and is set as a single RAID 5, with two volumes C and D.
>>> C: is for OS and D: is for data. The server is used for flat file
>>> server but with heavy export and import one in the morning and one in
>>> the afternoon for a couple hours. Whenever this happens the server
>>> became very slow, almost non-responding. Those export and import to
>>> set to use D:. We have set 33 GB page file on C:. It improved but
>>> not much. Still have "lockup". Since the heavy load is on logical
>>> volume D: I'm wondering:
>>>
>>> 1. will it be helpful if I set another page file on D:? Because C:
>>> and D: are on the same RAID will it make any difference?
>>>
>>> 2. If it helps what size will be a good start? D: is at 2 TB.
>>>

>> If you are sure it is the paging which is slowing it down, could you add a
>> separate physical disk drive dedicated to the paging file?
>>
>> "Optimizing Your Servers' Pagefile Performance":
>> http://oreilly.com/pub/a/windows/200.../pagefile.html
>> Notice especially the section "Keeping the Pagefile Separate."
>>
>> --
>> Andrew
>>
>>
>> .
>>

On Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:43:02 +0100, "Andrew Morton" <akm@newsgroup-press.co.uk.invalid>
wrote:

>Chris wrote:

>> We have a Dell PE 2950 with 32 GB RAM, running w2k8 sp2. It has 5
>> SAS disks and is set as a single RAID 5, with two volumes C and D.
>> C: is for OS and D: is for data. The server is used for flat file
>> server but with heavy export and import one in the morning and one in
>> the afternoon for a couple hours. Whenever this happens the server
>> became very slow, almost non-responding. Those export and import to
>> set to use D:. We have set 33 GB page file on C:. It improved but
>> not much. Still have "lockup". Since the heavy load is on logical
>> volume D: I'm wondering:
>>
>> 1. will it be helpful if I set another page file on D:? Because C:
>> and D: are on the same RAID will it make any difference?
>>
>> 2. If it helps what size will be a good start? D: is at 2 TB.
>>

>
>If you are sure it is the paging which is slowing it down, could you add a
>separate physical disk drive dedicated to the paging file?

This would be a good place to use one of the solid state disks. The page file is
only temporary storage and the higher performance would be useful.

>
>"Optimizing Your Servers' Pagefile Performance":
>http://oreilly.com/pub/a/windows/200.../pagefile.html
>Notice especially the section "Keeping the Pagefile Separate."

--
Dave Mills
There are 10 types of people, those that understand binary and those that don't.

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