tcp_output starving -- is due to mbuf get delay?

[Eric Anderson]

Mike Silbersack wrote:
>>My hosts are connected directly to core routers in a 10Gbps nationwide
>>network, so if anybody is interested in some testing I am more than
>>willing to participate. If anybody produces a patch, I have a third system
>>that I can use for piloting of that too.
>>
>>--Börje
> 
> 
> This brings up something I've been wondering about, which you might want
> to investigate:
> 
>>From tcp_output:
> 
> 		if (error == ENOBUFS) {
> 	                if (!callout_active(tp->tt_rexmt) &&
>                             !callout_active(tp->tt_persist))
> 	                        callout_reset(tp->tt_rexmt, tp->t_rxtcur,
>                                       tcp_timer_rexmt, tp);
> 			tcp_quench(tp->t_inpcb, 0);
> 			return (0);
> 		}
> 
> That tcp_quench knocks the window size back to one packet, if I'm not
> mistaken.  You might want to put a counter there and see if that's
> happening frequently to you; if so, it might explain some loss of
> performance.
> 
> Have you tried running kernel profiling yet?  It would be interesting to
> see which functions are using up the largest amount of time.

It's interesting - I'm only getting about 320mb/s.. I must be hitting a 
similar problem.  I'm not nearly as adept at hacking code to find bugs 
though. :(

Eric


-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Anderson	   Systems Administrator      Centaur Technology
Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?
------------------------------------------------------------------