System slowdown, DOS version of FP

[Jay R. Ashworth]

On Thu, Jul 08, 2004 at 08:41:52AM -0400, Joe Acquisto wrote:
> The executables are PC side. It appears. At least that is where the
> first executable is called from. I have no (authorized) control over
> the version(s) of FP, at this point.
>
> I'm not sure I made it clear, but this exact problem existed prior
> to installation of a new server h/w platform and NOS. Was NW 5.0,
> traditional file system, now is NW 6.5, NSS volume.
>
> While I cannot rule out some server/os configuration issue, or an
> infrastructure issue, I see no evidence of such. Nor do I see any
> indication of "errors" in that area. A simple test, a repeated copy of
> files between the server and errant PC's indicates "normal" transfer
> speed, even while the application crawls. This would seem to indicate
> the server/infrastucture is fine. Yet, a reboot of the server does
> clear up the problem, for a bit.

This sounds like one of two things: the size of some table on the
server, locking semaphores or the like, 

or that the server is being pathological about the file access patterns
of filePro programs; it's caching policy is making it run out of RAM.

Did you mention how much physical ram is on the server?  RAM's *cheap*.

> Still, one is faced with the reality that FP is not a "client server"
> program and uses the server only as a file repository. One supposes.

One supposes correctly.  Since (I assume) you're not running Oracle or
PgSQL on the Netware server, it would *have* to be, no?  ;-)

> So, I am left to ponder the explaination the developer (?) gives, that
> rebooting the server "re-orders" files and hence things speed up. The
> implication being, I suppose, that this is normal behavior. I tend to
> think not.

Sounds flaky to me.

Do you have any server diagnostic tools?  Memory usage, and show the
other pertinent tables?  Instrument that server, and see what's going
to hell.  But put more RAM in it.

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                                                jra at baylink.com
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