[Linux-cluster] rhcs + gfs performance issues

[Doug Tucker]

We recently migrated from a 7 year old file server running on a single
proc dec alpha running Tru64 and utilizing Truclustering for HA, to a
Redhat cluster suite and gfs for HA on a dual duo core dell 2950 with
32gb ram, and have been having major performance issues.  Both have
fiber attached storage.  The old file server grossly outperforms the new
one!  The way we are utilizing it is for nfs file serving only to
multiple clients.  It doesn't take many users doing much on the clients,
to easily drive the load on the boxes into the 10+ range, where on the
old file server it never got above 2 or 3 to perform the same tasks.
The load and performance was much worse, but improved to where we are
now after setting all of the volumes to statfs_fast 1.  I also set nfs
threads to 256, which helped some, but I don't know what more to do, and
we are at the point of abandoning this platform if we cannot get it to
perform reasonably.  Please help!

Sincerely,

Doug Tucker
Network and Systems
Southern Methodist University