Ticket 1298: Server running slow

Discussion in 'Software' started by Sparky, Jan 25, 2007.

  1. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Thought I would post this one to show some of the members who are currently looking for a job in IT what some of the ‘real world’ IT problems are like and so I can get some advice in general.

    Problem:
    Server running slow – the server runs slow even when there are no users logged on. Remote desktop running slow.

    Troubleshooting:
    Reboot (hee! hee!)
    Checked processes and disk space
    Full virus scan
    Checked CPU temps, fan speeds
    Updated device drivers and patched Windows


    When I go into performance monitor the ‘Average disk queue’ is maxed out, I have compared this to another server (that is working fine) and there is a big difference. I’m not entirely sure where to start troubleshooting this problem. The server has a mirrored software raid so I am assuming there may be an issue with this but I can’t be sure.

    Suggestions? :blink
     
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  2. Mr.Cheeks

    Mr.Cheeks 1st ever Gold Member! Gold Member

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    the first thing that comes to mind is, as its mirrored, defrag the drive? ...i thnk
     
  3. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    LOL, answered my own question. Managed to finally get into Disk management (it would time out before) and the RAID seems to be 'resynching', hope this doesnt take too long as I want to see both HDs online and happy.

    Im considering breaking the RAID and then rebuilding it as I think the server has been trying to rebuild the RAID but it has not been completing.

    The backup hasnt ran for the past couple of days (due to this problem)... oh oh!! :ohmy
     
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  4. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Good point, the server doesnt get used much just now (it will be soon though) so the data shouldnt be fragmented as peeps are not moving\deleting files on a daily basis. 8)
     
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  5. zimbo
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    zimbo Petabyte Poster

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    as soon as you said server running slow and all the problems.. i would say the HDDs are dying a soft and terrible death! And software RAID!!!!! Some people really trust MS.... :biggrin
     
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  6. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    LOL! Its one of my sick SBS boxes that I have just taken on. I dont trust a software RAID either but it keeps the cost down and thats what the punks did that installed the server.

    Now I have the server (the other guys were given the boot) so I need to bring it up to speed as soon as possible. Dont fancy putting in a hardware RAID and migrating the data though as a 'in-house' database is on the server.

    The RAID is now rebuilding (6%) so hopefully this will complete overnight as Ive cancelled the backup. I think some of the guys in the office were rebooting the server themselves without phoning me which doesnt help, they just pull the plug out! :ohmy
     
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  7. zimbo
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    zimbo Petabyte Poster

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    check the speeds on the hard drives - are they "newer" disks or old slow ones? Def hard drive problems just make sure you image some hard drives otherwise the next thread will be "help lost data" :(
     
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  8. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Think they are fairly new as its a Dell server although its a basic server. The 6% has vanished so Im not sure if its gone back to the begining again.

    Hmmm, not looking good :cry:
     
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  9. zimbo
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    zimbo Petabyte Poster

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    if all else fails and you want to confirm that something is up with either hard disks or software.. get a new HDD pop it in an install any OS to see the performance... from the sound of things these guys havent been looking after the Server and in the end the techie is going to be blamed! :(
     
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  10. Baba O'Riley

    Baba O'Riley Gigabyte Poster

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    As soon as I read the first post I thought about the RAID array re-syncing. Is one of the drives dismounted from the array in order to run backups? If so and depending how much the content of the other drive changes while the backup is running and speeds of the drives etc. it could take a while for the changes to propogate to the dismounted drive once it's remounted. (That seems like a long sentance, I hope it makes sense :D ). It could also be a problem with the speed of the drive controller, especially as this is a software array. First priority is to get a fresh backup. After that, I would dismount one drive for a few hours and monitor how long it takes to resync when you remount it. It could just be a case of the hardware not being up to the job.
     
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  11. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Yeah, the ‘resync’ is up to 7% so it looks like this might take a while. It’s using an onboard SATA controller so it’s not exactly the best server in the world. Once the resync goes up to 8% then I will have a better idea on how long this is gonna take.

    The server is virtually unusable in this state; I can’t even start the Veritas services to backup data. :ohmy
     
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  12. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    10% now....

    IT fastlane!! :biggrin
     
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  13. Jakamoko
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    Jakamoko On the move again ...

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    May I request that all potential techs remove the "a" word from your vocabulary ? You will find this reduces your overall headaches if you troubleshoot thoroughly. Never rely on information from a client/customer - go on the information you see with your own eyes.

    Not criticising, Sparky - I just mean when I was still running my team, I banned the word. The lesson stuck - good techs were born :)


    EDIT: Re-read this, and thought what a cheeky bar steward (I don't like censoring, so I'll leave it stand) Flame at will, Sparky :oops:
     
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  14. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Whit? I am leaving Certforums forever; I’ve never been so offended!! :biggrin :biggrin

    To be honest it’s a bit of guess work for me on this server as its just recently been added to my group of SBS servers which I am responsible for. I will be heading over to the site to run a full audit on the server to find out more about the ‘history’ of it when I get the chance.

    We got the call from the company as their existing IT support guys were given the boot as they generally caused more problems than fixing them. The classic one being not to bother to add any PCs to the domain when the server was installed, wtf! :blink
     
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  15. r.h.lee

    r.h.lee Gigabyte Poster

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    Sparky,

    Questions:
    1. What are the hardware specifications of the server?
    2. Which server operating system is running on the computer?
    3. What role does the server play in the system?
    4. Is it an application server, if so which application server program?
     
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  16. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Answers:

    1) Don’t know for sure, from what I heard it is an entry level Dell server (no SCSI) so I will need to get the service tag and install Server Administrator to find out more
    2) SBS 2003 SP1
    3) DC, File Server
    4) There is some applications hosted but they don’t seem to be that ‘big’. They are not SQL based or anything like that. Need to find out more about them


    12% on the RAID rebuild.......
     
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  17. Bluerinse
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    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    Some info here mate..

    The source..

    http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sbs/45/reskit/part4/sbrk0427.mspx?mfr=true
     
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  18. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Cheers for the input guys, I think I will have to wait for the RAID to rebuild and see what the performance of the server is like, its at 13% now!

    Should be finished in 2008..... :biggrin
     
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