SLES8 / UnitedLinux 1.0 sar -d does nothing!

[Michael Williams_6]

Hello all, I'm sure this is a simple fix for those who know, but the disks aren't generating any statistics on our system:

michaelw@trrv4: sar -d 2 10
Requested activities not available

Server is a DL380G3 with UL1.0 SP3 installed. The controller is the standard 5i and 4 x 144Gb U320 disks installed.

Any ideas?

[Matti_Kurkela]

Linux kernel has a configuration option "Per partition statistics in /proc/partitions" (CONFIG_BLK_STATS). It is located in the "Block devices" kernel configuration submenu.

The help text for this option says: "This is required for the full functionality of sar(8) ..." I think this is exactly what the sar -d command would need.

If SLES8/UnitedLinux 1.0 distribution does not provide a kernel compiled with this option, I'm afraid you have to roll your own kernel. Use the distribution's kernel configuration file as a baseline: it could be available in the /boot directory, probably named as config-.

If your distribution has specific instructions about compiling the kernel, use them; otherwise see generic Linux HOWTOs about compiling the kernel, like http://www.digitalhermit.com/~kwan/kernel.html.