Collins Richey wrote:
On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 11:34:34 -0600
TriKster Abacus <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
[ lots of stuff that we don't need to repeat snipped ]
TriKster,
The essential flaw in your "benchmarks" is this: all of these items are
single activities, whereas the changes in kernel 2.6 are not designed to
improve the operation of single activities, but rather to improve the
aggregate thruput of the system for l-o-t-s of activities,
i.e.
1) more robust scalibility for >4 processors
2) better response for interactive jobs (i.e. no job should starve
for service while a cpu hog is getting its cut off the top).
This means, inevitably, that certain of your loved ones (DVD ripping,
for example) may not be able to monopolize the CPU and thus may exhibit
extended run times.
If you want a fair picture of 2.6 vs. 2.4 operations, you must construct
a very mixed, stressful combination of tasks to run opposite X sessions
and measure not only the job throughput but the response time effect on
the X sessions. Then you would repeat the study varying the number of
cpus, memory, etc. I'm pretty sure you will find the same results that
the IBM 8-way processor benchmarks did - individual component run times
may lengthen, but the system is capable of accomplishing more concurrent
work. Also, the IBM benchmarks demonstrated that 2.6 consumes a lot
less kernel mode and a lot more user mode CPU time while getting more
work through the box.
I, personally, don't need to do this sort of benchmarking, because I
remember full well the effect of running major compiles on 2.4 while
trying to do something else useful. It wasn't a pretty picture unless
you bumped the nice values for X, and it now works quite well without
screwing with any settings, so that's as accurate a report as I need.
YMMV.
Enjoy,
As a software developer working on a linux box most of the time, I have
to agree here. The current 2.6.x releases are NOT designed to have huge
performance gains on single tasked systems. They targeted the enterprise
(SMP, large RAM, etc) and the typical desktop user. I love being able to
recompile X while I am working in Eclipse and browsing Slashdot. All at
the same time and without having to twiddle my thumbs while I wait for
the system to catch up. Overall system speed has not increased, system
responsiveness has. And that meets my needs just fine.
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