SAMBA server speed.

**live_fx** · 12-Mar-2010, 06:04

Hi all.

I have the problems with transfer speed between samba and Windows XP clients.

1. samba server configuration:
Quad Core 6600 CPU.
4 Gb RAM

OpenSUSE 11.2 with kernel "2.6.31.12-0.1-desktop"
Samba - samba-3.5.1-1.1.i586

- - - -

Test: 4 GB File copying. One file.

transfer speed from Samba Server to Windows 7 and XP clients:

(Windows clients copy file from Server share -> to local drive)
From Server to Windows 7 client 1:
85-90 Mb/sec
From Server to Windows 7 client 2:
90-100 Mb/sec
From Server to XP1 client 3
75-100 Mb/sec

transfer speed from Windows 7 and XP clients TO Samba Server:
(client copy file from local drive -> to server Share)
From Server to Windows 7 client 1:
12-20 Mb/sec
From Server to Windows 7 client 2:
30-35 Mb/sec
From Server to Windows XP client 1
20-27 Mb/sec

(copying file from Windows local drive to Windows remote share)
From Window 7 client 1 TO Windows XP client 1
40-50 Mb/sec
From Window 7 client 2 TO Windows XP client 1
50-60 Mb/sec

Copying file from Windows 7 client 2 share -> TO Windows XP client 1 show me 100-120 Mb/sec speed permanent.

= = =

Copying file from Linux hosts to NFS server is stable 50-90
Mb/sec bidirectional.

This part of my smb.conf file

Code:

# version at /usr/share/doc/packages/samba/examples/smb.conf.SUSE if the
# samba-doc package is installed.
# Date: 2009-10-27
[global]
log level = 1
debug level = 0
max log size = 50

#read prediction = true
#read size = 65536

#strict locking = No
#strict sync = No

#sync always = No

wide links = yes

read raw = yes
write raw = yes

#max protocol = smb2
realm = some.com
# client ntlmv2 auth = yes

socket options = TCP_NODELAY IPTOS_LOWDELAY SO_SNDBUF=65535 SO_RCVBUF=65535

winbind enum groups = Yes
winbind enum users = Yes
idmap uid = 10000-20000
idmap gid = 10000-20000
auth methods = winbind
winbind use default domain = No
case sensitive = No

#client use spnego = Yes
#client signing = Yes


        workgroup = ???????
        server string = ""
        passdb backend = tdbsam
        printing = cups
        printcap name = cups
        printcap cache time = 750
        cups options = raw
        map to guest = Bad User
        logon path = \\%L\profiles\.msprofile
        logon home = \\%L\%U\.9xprofile
        logon drive = P:
        usershare allow guests = Yes
        security = domain
        add machine script = /usr/sbin/useradd  -c Machine -d /var/lib/nobody -s /bin/false %m$
        domain logons = No
        domain master = No
        netbios name = Server
        wins support = No
#[homes]
#       comment = Home Directories
#       valid users = %S, %D%w%S
#       browseable = No
#       read only = No
#       inherit acls = Yes

Another words: I have very slow WRITE speed when copying file FROM Windows clients TO Samba Share. This is the most problem. Of course i hear many many questions from Windows users.

All possible help is very very appreciated.

p.s. my books now:
SAMBA Documentation

Samba speed is slower than Windows native clients connections ?

**ken_yap** · 12-Mar-2010, 06:22

I wonder if you have enabled noatime in your mount options for that filesystem.

Also have you tried copying into /dev/null to take the disk write out of the test to see what the baseline speed you can expect from Samba is?

**live_fx** · 12-Mar-2010, 06:43

Originally Posted by ken_yap

I wonder if you have enabled noatime in your mount options for that filesystem.

Also have you tried copying into /dev/null to take the disk write out of the test to see what the baseline speed you can expect from Samba is?

Thanks for answer, ken_yap. My mount options is:
/dev/sdb1 /mnt/RAID ext4 acl,user_xattr 1 2

must be replaced with:
/dev/sdb1 /mnt/RAID ext4 noatime,acl,user_xattr 1 2

Right ?

**ken_yap** · 12-Mar-2010, 06:54

Right........

**live_fx** · 12-Mar-2010, 07:07

Originally Posted by ken_yap

I wonder if you have enabled noatime in your mount options for that filesystem.

Also have you tried copying into /dev/null to take the disk write out of the test to see what the baseline speed you can expect from Samba is?

tests.

1. "dd" to Raid 5 (Samba share)

Code:

 time dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/RAID/Projects/test_file bs=8192 count=331541
331541+0 records in
331541+0 records out
2715983872 bytes (2.7 GB) copied, 17.7783 s, 153 MB/s

real	0m17.881s
user	0m0.111s
sys	0m9.822s

2. "dd" to "/" Server directory:

Code:

time dd if=/dev/zero of=/test_file bs=8192 count=331541
331541+0 records in
331541+0 records out
2715983872 bytes (2.7 GB) copied, 49.9899 s, 54.3 MB/s

Last result is strange, because same test on my computer and on the others linux computers looks different:

My OpenSUSE 11.2 workstation

Code:

time dd if=/dev/zero of=/test_file bs=8192 count=331541
331541+0 records in
331541+0 records out
2715983872 bytes (2.7 GB) copied, 19.6755 s, 138 MB/s

real	0m19.696s
user	0m0.043s
sys	0m2.810s

Another linux node:

Code:

time dd if=/dev/zero of=/test_file bs=8192 count=331541
331541+0 records in
331541+0 records out
2715983872 bytes (2.7 GB) copied, 29.5517 s, 91.9 MB/s

real	0m29.559s
user	0m0.080s
sys	0m6.772s

===
===
===

p.s.

Server Share filesystem - is "EXT4" -
My linux desktop "/" filesystem is "XFS"

**live_fx** · 12-Mar-2010, 07:54

ken_yap,

1. i do live remount /dev/sdb RAID

mount -o noatime,remount,rw,acl,user_xattr /dev/sdb1

2. i do some tests 3 times again:

Code:

time dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/RAID/Projects/test_file bs=8192 count=331541
331541+0 records in
331541+0 records out
2715983872 bytes (2.7 GB) copied, 13.681 s, 199 MB/s

real	0m14.334s
user	0m0.095s
sys	0m10.180s

Code:

time dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/RAID/Projects/test_file bs=8192 count=331541
331541+0 records in
331541+0 records out
2715983872 bytes (2.7 GB) copied, 12.7281 s, 213 MB/s

real	0m13.306s
user	0m0.121s
sys	0m9.649s

Code:

time dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/RAID/Projects/test_file bs=8192 count=331541
331541+0 records in
331541+0 records out
2715983872 bytes (2.7 GB) copied, 13.3636 s, 203 MB/s

real	0m13.939s
user	0m0.110s
sys	0m9.703s

Disk I/O looks much faster now.

old test values: 153 Mb/sec

new values is: 213 MB/s, 203 MB/s, 199 MB/s

i need do some tests with samba again.

**live_fx** · 13-Mar-2010, 01:02

No good results.

But i see strange performance difference between protocols.

Look to test results. This is the file transfer test. From Linux Desktop - to server trough SMB, NFS, and FTP protocols:

1. Linux Desktop -> Server (SMB)
upload to Server:
14 MB/s , 19 Mb/s, 20 Mb/s
download from Server:
28 MB/s, 34 MB/s

2. Linux Desktop -> Server (NFS)
upload to Server:
10 Mb/s, 12 MB/s, 14 MB/s
download from Server:
40 MB/s, 35 MB/s, 60 MB/s

3. Linux Desktop -> Server (FTP)
upload:
94 MB/s, 100 MB/s, 105 MB/s
download:
103 MB/s, 105 MB/s, 107 MB/s

wow. :/

= = = =

FTP connection is pretty fast in both directions instead of NFS and SMB..

something is really wrong with Server preferences.
any possible opinions ?

-------------
some test for server disks:

1. Shared disk test (raid 5):
time dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/RAID/test_file bs=8192 count=331541
331541+0 records in
331541+0 records out
2715983872 bytes (2.7 GB) copied, 13.8833 s, 196 MB/s

real 0m13.900s
user 0m0.064s
sys 0m8.336s

2. Root partition test ( /dev/sda1 on / type ext4 (rw,noatime,acl,user_xattr,acl,user_xattr) ):

time dd if=/dev/zero of=/test_file bs=8192 count=331541
331541+0 records in
331541+0 records out
2715983872 bytes (2.7 GB) copied, 47.9228 s, 56.7 MB/s

real 0m47.926s
user 0m0.092s
sys 0m8.498s

System work on disk with slow I\O performance. Can this affect SAMBA ?

**ken_yap** · 13-Mar-2010, 01:16

Maybe because when you treat the share as a disk, Samba makes sure the data is synced to disk before returning from the write. whereas FTP gives no such guarantees? Have you tried increasing the write size? Why 8kB only? Samba can handle much larger writes.

**live_fx** · 13-Mar-2010, 01:24

1.ken_yap what you think about this ?

-------------
some test for server disks:

1. Shared disk test (raid 5):
time dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/RAID/test_file bs=8192 count=331541
331541+0 records in
331541+0 records out
2715983872 bytes (2.7 GB) copied, 13.8833 s, 196 MB/s

real 0m13.900s
user 0m0.064s
sys 0m8.336s

2. Root partition test ( /dev/sda1 on / type ext4 (rw,noatime,acl,user_xattr,acl,user_xattr) ):

time dd if=/dev/zero of=/test_file bs=8192 count=331541
331541+0 records in
331541+0 records out
2715983872 bytes (2.7 GB) copied, 47.9228 s, 56.7 MB/s

real 0m47.926s
user 0m0.092s
sys 0m8.498s

System work on disk with slow I\O performance. Can this affect SAMBA ?

**live_fx** · 13-Mar-2010, 01:47

Originally Posted by ken_yap

Maybe because when you treat the share as a disk, Samba makes sure the data is synced to disk before returning from the write. whereas FTP gives no such guarantees? Have you tried increasing the write size? Why 8kB only? Samba can handle much larger writes.

i edit smb.conf and set SO_SNDBUF=65535 SO_RCVBUF=65535, but after tests, i don`t see any major differences.

I`m sure, samba MUST work with speed 100 MB/s, like FTP. And NFS - too. I think - something is really wrong with server. Difference between 100-107 MB/s (FTP) and 17-20 MB/s (SMB) - is really huge.

May be because my system disk is slow, and samba try to make some operations with slow system disk ( caching may be)..

I try now setup SAMBA server on another machine - and compare speeds.