[TRS-80 vet]

...and pages loading slow as well in FF/Gnome.

Seemed like it was slowing menu (rt click) pop-ups of late, so I deleted the History library. Related at all to networking speed?

64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2623 ttl=127 time=9.05 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2624 ttl=127 time=7.80 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2625 ttl=127 time=7.94 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2626 ttl=127 time=3.64 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2627 ttl=127 time=6.61 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2628 ttl=127 time=7.66 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2629 ttl=127 time=17.9 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2630 ttl=127 time=2.84 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2631 ttl=127 time=3.48 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2632 ttl=127 time=2.35 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2633 ttl=127 time=28.6 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2634 ttl=127 time=8.98 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2635 ttl=127 time=4.84 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2636 ttl=127 time=5.15 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2637 ttl=127 time=2.03 ms

This is an AMD Turion 64 x2 cpu, not exactly a slow cpu...

Any ideas? What kind of 'stuff' accumulates in Ubuntu, that needs cleaning out?

[lotuseclat79]

Router ping performance is not dependent on accumulated 'stuff' in Ubuntu.

Looks like 17.9 and 28.6 ms times are on the high side.

How many computers/devices are hooked up to your router, and if any, what was running concurrently when you ran the above ping test? What router do you have?

-- Tom

[briealeida]

Additionally, and this may sound crazy, but make sure your power and data cables are not running close together. This can cause issues, sometimes similar to what you are describing.




(This actually happened to me at work once before in a test lab and it was a nightmare to figure out but I got there. :-).)

[TRS-80 vet]

Pinging stopped and intermittent return is:

ping: sendmsg; no buffer space available

Some process is consuming buffer space.

After 10 minutes or so of power up, page loading slows down. 2 pages open, then a cli for pinging, one machine connected to the router. Router is EH100. Ping speed other machine (AMD1.6g) under 2.5ms.

I went to another machine to do comparison pingspeed, came back to this one, and it was locked up. COMPLETELY.

Nothing has changed since 8.04 got loaded at release time. Updates, and nothing else.

Yup, wiring crossed over, looped, knotted, etc., affects signal/electron flow. Mine is as it has been - nothing has changed.

If so, do it, and issue the command free

Not exactly understanding this command 'free'... From X-server cli? Or from GRUB command prompt?

X-server cli return:

chuckbhp@chuckbhp-laptop:~$ free
total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 2009696 612496 1397200 0 15356 319036
-/+ buffers/cache: 278104 1731592
Swap: 0 0 0
chuckbhp@chuckbhp-laptop:~$

What does this tell me?

[TRS-80 vet]

'free' post reboot; no browser window open...

[TRS-80 vet]

What means 'swap' 0 0 0 ???

Is my swap partition space not being used???

[lotuseclat79]

Issue the command:
$ sudo fdisk -l
which will tell you which Linux partitions are swap partitions and how may 512 blocks are allocated to it (or is that 1024 byte blocks - have to check - read the man page for fdisk, i.e. $ man fdisk.

I know that there are commands or graphical interfaces for setting swap space to zero that or turns paging off. Essentially, the swap space is used by the OS for paging. If you are running a lot of applications at the same time, some pages by one process may be paged out to accomodate another process with not enough virtual memory on hard disk.

Your results from the free command indicates you have lots of buffer space and free space. I found out yesterday that if free runs out the OS allocated from cached - and both are about RAM not disk. Swap is different - used for virtual memory paging on hard disk by the OS to RAM used by the OS to support user process execution.

-- Tom

[TRS-80 vet]

Doesn't Windows use page file/swap/VM synchronously with RAM??? I guess Linux does not use them synchronously???

And what's the significance of a partition NOT ending on a cylinder boundary???




chuckbhp@chuckbhp-laptop:~$ sudo fdisk -l
[sudo] password for chuckbhp:

Disk /dev/sda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x4b36bdea

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 1594 12803773+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 3121 10769 61440592+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 10770 14593 30716280 5 Extended
/dev/sda4 1595 3120 12257595 83 Linux
/dev/sda5 10770 11788 8185086 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 14122 14593 3791308+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda7 11789 12297 4088511 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda8 12298 14121 14651248+ 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdb: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x393115b2

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 7988 64159712+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2 13526 14593 8571904 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb3 7989 10541 20506972+ 5 Extended
/dev/sdb4 10542 12644 16892347+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb5 7989 10541 20506941 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdc: 1500.3 GB, 1500301910016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 182401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000df049

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 * 50994 101986 409601272+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdc2 101987 182401 645933487+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdc3 1 50993 409601241 7 HPFS/NTFS

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdd: 1500.3 GB, 1500301910016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 182401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xff94664c

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdd1 1 50993 409601241 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdd2 50994 101986 409600000 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdd3 101986 182402 645935104 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sde: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0dc06575

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sde1 * 1 244 1953125+ 83 Linux
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde2 244 12766 100585938 83 Linux
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde3 12766 30402 141659488 83 Linux
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde4 30402 121602 732561408 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sde5 30402 94143 512000000 7 HPFS/NTFS
chuckbhp@chuckbhp-laptop:~$





And of course, the original question persists: what's consuming the buffer space?

I said before that it must be some process, but perhaps it's a stability issue? I hardly ever have several applications running at the same time.

[lotuseclat79]

Hi TRS-80 vet,

Wow! 4TB of disk space in 3 disks - that's a whole lotta disk space you got there.

I have 4 disks but they are 2 - 40GB and 2 - 80 GB, but I am looking to add a 1TB disk for backup.

As far as I know, the issue of buffer space is that if buffer space gets exhausted, then the system allocates from cached - so it should not be an issue.

You can monitor performance of processes by issuing the top command. Give it a try.
Also, read the man page for top - i.e. $ man top

I see that you have a mix of partitions where sda1 and sda3 are not adjacent (both used for Windows though), the rest for Linux. I prefer to separate my hard drives and OSes, i.e. one OS per hard drive, with potentially a grub boot menu on the first hard drive which is usually a Windows OS.

Then I save the MBR of each disk into separate files if things go wrong and the MBR gets toasted. I wrote a thread about the experience and the saved MBR saved my butt.

If a partition boundary does not end on a cylinder boundary then it usually means that part of a cylinder may not be used where the partition would span more than one cylinder. You might try searching for more information on that topic and consider reorganizing your partitions depending on what the consensus is about the issue.

It does not affect the operation of your system as far as I know, but is probably just not as efficient in places as it is capable of being.

Note: I think it may probably be a configuration problem is you are still getting swap 0 0 0 when you issue the free command. Perhaps it is having an affect on the buffer - cache relationship.

Please visit the Ubuntuforums.org and use the Advanced Search window to search for the problem: running out of buffer space - there might be an answer to the problem there.

-- Tom

[GTechWiz]

If your ping (bandwith) is slow, it appears to me that you have been using BitTorrent, to download stuff, which in essense will get EVERYONE and their borther pinging you back....

This in turn will slow down your ISP and internet connection, the sollution, is simple, load on to windows, with windows firewall up and run the internet there for some time, then CLOSE the LAN, ie disable it.

Log back onto ubuntu, make sure you use your firewall BEFORE you turn on your internet. (In fact, unplug your modem FIRST)

Leaving your modem completely unplugged for 5 - 10 minutes can clear up the pingers sometimes. (for they dont' see you anymore)

This can solve slow internet problems, I've ran into this using Ubuntu multiple times, this has worked like a charm for me EVERY TIME!

Hope this helps...