From owner-freebsd-fs@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Aug 14 14:05:33 2013 Return-Path: Delivered-To: fs@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:1900:2254:206a::19:1]) (using TLSv1 with cipher ADH-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 135945E9 for ; Wed, 14 Aug 2013 14:05:33 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from bfriesen@simple.dallas.tx.us) Received: from blade.simplesystems.org (blade.simplesystems.org [65.66.246.74]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id CC8FD2D3C for ; Wed, 14 Aug 2013 14:05:32 +0000 (UTC) Received: from freddy.simplesystems.org (freddy.simplesystems.org [65.66.246.65]) by blade.simplesystems.org (8.14.4+Sun/8.14.4) with ESMTP id r7EE3gRt017021; Wed, 14 Aug 2013 09:03:42 -0500 (CDT) Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 09:03:42 -0500 (CDT) From: Bob Friesenhahn X-X-Sender: bfriesen@freddy.simplesystems.org To: Willem Jan Withagen Subject: Re: Fwd: Disk scheduling activity... In-Reply-To: <520B8B1E.7060002@digiware.nl> Message-ID: References: <520B8B1E.7060002@digiware.nl> User-Agent: Alpine 2.01 (GSO 1266 2009-07-14) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed X-Greylist: Sender IP whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-4.2.2 (blade.simplesystems.org [65.66.246.90]); Wed, 14 Aug 2013 09:03:42 -0500 (CDT) Cc: fs@freebsd.org X-BeenThere: freebsd-fs@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: Filesystems List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 14:05:33 -0000 On Wed, 14 Aug 2013, Willem Jan Withagen wrote: > > Just a point of information or curiosity, and I don't think/know if it > is any problem... > > I have the raidz array with 8 disks, which I'm using to backup to. > It is configured > 4 disks on a mvs controller > 4 disks on an Areca controller (JBODs with battery) > Both controllers are on a PCI-E slot > > Most of the time the source just fully loads the pipe and sends 1Gbit/s. > > When that happens I see this alternating pattern of writing either to > the 4 mvs disks, or writing to the Areca disks. > But almost never are all disk accesses at the same time. > And really never, never is there a mix of writing between the controller > sets. Are all 8 disks in the same raidz vdev? Are you basing write activity on the drive LEDs? The Areca controller may be caching the writes in its battery-backed cache and deferring the writes to when zfs tells it to flush its cache. The other controller may be issuing the writes right away. This would explain apparent 'split' writing behavior. There is even the possibilty that one of the controllers ignores the cache flush request and performs the writes later when it feels like it. Bob -- Bob Friesenhahn bfriesen@simple.dallas.tx.us, http://www.simplesystems.org/users/bfriesen/ GraphicsMagick Maintainer, http://www.GraphicsMagick.org/