Re: [gentoo-user] Re: How to find out to what file(...) writes goes on a idle system...

2014-12-06 Thread meino . cramer
James  [14-12-06 18:16]:
>   gmx.de> writes:
> 
> 
> > on different systems I see the write stats (/proc/dikstats) to
> > physical existing disks steadily increasing. 
> > Looking at the output of lsof I cannot find any file suspicous
> > for receiving those writes.
> 
> Ok so in my experiences you need a (2) pronged approach.
> 
> (1) Then pursue quantifying with tools just what is causing the 
> writes, strategies for minimization and monitoring as needed.
> 
> So folks are going down path (1) with you, that is fine.
> 
> (2) First minimize those write to your non-mechanical memory.
> 
> Path (2)
> on any and all minimized gentoo or embedded gentoo systems,
> I start out with USE="-*" to keep things minimum. Yea that tweaks the
> devs now, but minimal system are just that, minimized, imho, so that
> is a firm standard I always operation on. Set the minimum
> number of global flags and the thinest  profile that will work for
> your system. Every flag invokes more code and hence more processes,
> more files, more writing to media.
> 
> Also, all log files should be written off the embeded system via
> NFS or other similar mechanisms.
> 
> If you want further help, put up a document where folks can spend
> $20 and get a similar board up and running embedded gentoo. Then 
> they can see exactly what you see have and you can work as a team, or not,
> your call.
> 
> I have dozens of tricks to minimize a gentoo system. But it is quite
> a bit of work, just so you know. It's not a do this and it great. It
> more like, try this, study the result and then alter the strategy.
> 
> hth,
> James
>

Hi,

thank you very for all help I received regarding my question.

The system is already down to a limit. The by default running
processes are:


root 1 0  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 init [3]  
root 2 0  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kthreadd]
root 3 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:01 [ksoftirqd/0]
root 5 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kworker/0:0H]
root 7 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [khelper]
root 8 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kdevtmpfs]
root   160 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [writeback]
root   162 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [crypto]
root   164 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [bioset]
root   166 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kblockd]
root   168 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [cfg80211]
root   169 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kworker/0:1]
root   280 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kswapd0]
root   296 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [fsnotify_mark]
root   372 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [ipv6_addrconf]
root   398 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [deferwq]
root   406 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:12 [mmcqd/0]
root   412 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kworker/0:2]
root   415 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [jbd2/mmcblk0p2-]
root   416 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [ext4-rsv-conver]
root   563 1  0 15:37 ?00:00:00 /lib/systemd/systemd-udevd 
--daemon
root   952 1  0 15:37 ?00:00:00 /usr/sbin/ifplugd --iface=usb0
root  1380 1  0 15:37 ?00:00:00 /usr/sbin/sshd
root  1399 1  0 15:37 tty1 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty1 linux
root  1400 1  0 15:37 tty2 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty2 linux
root  1401 1  0 15:37 tty3 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty3 linux
root  1402 1  0 15:37 tty4 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty4 linux
root  1403 1  0 15:37 tty5 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty5 linux
root  1404 1  0 15:37 tty6 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty6 linux
root  1405 1  0 15:37 ttyS000:00:00 /sbin/agetty -L 9600 ttyS0 vt100
root  1406  1380  0 15:37 ?00:00:02 sshd: root@pts/0 
root  1412  1406  0 15:37 pts/000:00:00 screen -R -d
root  1414  1412  0 15:37 ?00:00:01 SCREEN -R -d
root  1415  1414  0 15:37 pts/100:00:05 -/bin/zsh
root  1434 2  0 15:38 ?00:00:00 [kworker/0:1H]
root  1866 2  0 15:43 ?00:00:00 [kworker/u2:0]
root  8556 2  0 16:49 ?00:00:00 [kworker/u2:2]

The count of getty processes may be decreaseable...but the rest is ok,
I think.

When I do a ftop I get no process, which have an open file handle for
writes...sometimes screen writes to utmp but thats it.

I suspect the swapfile I mounted as swapdevice for being guilty. 
I will deactivate that and we will see then.

When looking at /proc/diskstats: Will I see writes to FIFOs on the
disk as writes to the disk???
If YES...it would explain it...

Best regards,
Meino








Re: [gentoo-user] Re: How to find out to what file(...) writes goes on a idle system...

2014-12-06 Thread meino . cramer

Hi James,

...my board does not use systemd as far as I know...the
whole mimic is original gentoo stage3 stuff and Gentoo
defaults to openrc/udev and not systemd (or am I wrong?)

Cheers
Meino


James  [14-12-06 21:16]:
>   gmx.de> writes:
> 
> 
> > > (1) Then pursue quantifying with tools just what is causing the 
> > > writes, strategies for minimization and monitoring as needed.
> 
> > > So folks are going down path (1) with you, that is fine.
> 
> Prong (1) includes all issues related to systemd. Probably embedded
> experience with systemd is rare, just guessing. Certainly I have none
> of that experience. So post to those iotop responses and remind
> folks you are using systemd on an embedded (gentoo) micro.
> 
> root  563  1  0 15:37 ?   00:00:00 /lib/systemd/systemd-udevd --daemon
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > > (2) First minimize those write to your non-mechanical memory.
> 
> > > I have dozens of tricks to minimize a gentoo system. But it is quite
> > > a bit of work, just so you know. It's not a do this and it great. It
> > > more like, try this, study the result and then alter the strategy.
> > > 
> > > hth,
> > > James
> > >
> > 
> > Hi,
> > 
> > thank you very for all help I received regarding my question.
> > 
> > The system is already down to a limit. The by default running
> > processes are:
> > 
> > root 1 0  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 init [3]  
> > root 2 0  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kthreadd]
> > root 3 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:01 [ksoftirqd/0]
> > root 5 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kworker/0:0H]
> > root 7 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [khelper]
> > root 8 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kdevtmpfs]
> > root   160 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [writeback]
> > root   162 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [crypto]
> > root   164 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [bioset]
> > root   166 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kblockd]
> > root   168 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [cfg80211]
> > root   169 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kworker/0:1]
> > root   280 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kswapd0]
> > root   296 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [fsnotify_mark]
> > root   372 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [ipv6_addrconf]
> > root   398 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [deferwq]
> > root   406 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:12 [mmcqd/0]
> > root   412 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [kworker/0:2]
> > root   415 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [jbd2/mmcblk0p2-]
> > root   416 2  0 15:36 ?00:00:00 [ext4-rsv-conver]
> > root   563 1  0 15:37 ?00:00:00 /lib/systemd/systemd-udevd
> --daemon
> > root   952 1  0 15:37 ?00:00:00 /usr/sbin/ifplugd 
> > --iface=usb0
> > root  1380 1  0 15:37 ?00:00:00 /usr/sbin/sshd
> > root  1399 1  0 15:37 tty1 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty1 
> > linux
> > root  1400 1  0 15:37 tty2 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty2 
> > linux
> > root  1401 1  0 15:37 tty3 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty3 
> > linux
> > root  1402 1  0 15:37 tty4 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty4 
> > linux
> > root  1403 1  0 15:37 tty5 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty5 
> > linux
> > root  1404 1  0 15:37 tty6 00:00:00 /sbin/agetty 38400 tty6 
> > linux
> > root  1405 1  0 15:37 ttyS000:00:00 /sbin/agetty -L 9600 ttyS0
> vt100
> > root  1406  1380  0 15:37 ?00:00:02 sshd: root  pts/0 
> > root  1412  1406  0 15:37 pts/000:00:00 screen -R -d
> > root  1414  1412  0 15:37 ?00:00:01 SCREEN -R -d
> > root  1415  1414  0 15:37 pts/100:00:05 -/bin/zsh
> > root  1434 2  0 15:38 ?00:00:00 [kworker/0:1H]
> > root  1866 2  0 15:43 ?00:00:00 [kworker/u2:0]
> > root  8556 2  0 16:49 ?00:00:00 [kworker/u2:2]
> 
> I'd research "kworker"
> 
> http://askubuntu.com/questions/33640/kworker-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-hogging-so-much-cpu
> 
>  
> > The count of getty processes may be decreaseable...but the rest is ok,
> > I think.
> 
> Those are static and just sitting incase you need a getty, so not a problem
> 
> > When I do a ftop I get no process, which have an open file handle for
> > writes...sometimes screen writes to utmp but thats it.
> 
> With a traditional (non systemd) approach, init scripts just fire
> up things at boot time and such. With systemd, I have no idea
> what's going on. It's a curious situation and maybe systemd has
> no issue in your excessive writes; pure speculation on my part.
> But an embedded system just sitting idle should use very little
> resource and sit quietly, in my experiences.
> 
> 
> > I suspect the swapfile I mounted as swapdevice for being guilty. 
> > I will deactivate that and we will see then.
> 
> good thing to examine.
> 
> > When looking at /proc/diskstats: Will I see writes to FIFOs on the
> > disk as writes to the di

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: How to find out to what file(...) writes goes on a idle system...

2014-12-07 Thread Tom H
On Sat, Dec 6, 2014 at 11:05 PM,  wrote:
> James  [14-12-06 21:16]:
>>
>> Prong (1) includes all issues related to systemd. Probably embedded
>> experience with systemd is rare, just guessing. Certainly I have none
>> of that experience. So post to those iotop responses and remind
>> folks you are using systemd on an embedded (gentoo) micro.
>>
>> root  563  1  0 15:37 ?   00:00:00 /lib/systemd/systemd-udevd --daemon
>
> ...my board does not use systemd as far as I know...the
> whole mimic is original gentoo stage3 stuff and Gentoo
> defaults to openrc/udev and not systemd (or am I wrong?)

Please bottom-post.

udevd has been installed as systemd-udevd since 208 or 210.