Ignite Golden Image Installation Very Slow

[Brent Fortman]

I am attempting to install a client system from a golden image on an 11.11 ignite server. I have no problems up to the point of actually loading the golden image (via NFS). At this point the installation comes to a crawl (but is actually working). It takes around 45 min. to complete 10% of the installation.

I have tried the following:

- Ignite versions 3.8 & 4.4.3 for the ignite sever.
- I have tried at least 3 different client systems.
- FTP as the source instead of NFS - same problem
- I have checked the speed and duplex settings of the switches and all of the NIC cards. All are 100FD manual.
- I have turned on debugging but see no low level debug information that might explain what is happening at the network level.

Does anyone know how the ignite client configures it initial network settings before loading an image off the ignite server? Is there a way to manually intervene in this process?

Thanks,
Brent

[Paula J Frazer-Campbell]

Brent

How big is the image?

Big image will take big time.

Paula

[Brent Fortman]

The image size is just over 1 G. I know that size doen't matter (in this case) since I have installed this image many times from an older 11.0 ignite server (that actually works).

[Steven E. Protter]

Couple of things to check.

lanadmin -x 0 on the boot lan Make sure you have full duplex and 100 BaseT speed. You can't boot off any interface other than the built in one.

netstat -i #

replace # with the interface the image is being pushed or pulled through.

If the speeds gradually drop to zero then its not slow, its stalled.

There have been issues with installing pax patches in the past. You install a pax patch, build a golden image then pax_iux coughs up and stops.

The reason for this is that pax_iux could not unpack files bigger than 2 GB that PHCO_26422 packed.

I think your issue may be that you have multiple Ignite versions on the server. I'm not sure that is supported, and I wonder which mini-kernel downloads and other things like that.

If you look way back to my profile in February of 2003(while I had the flu), you will see a case with lots of other useful suggestions.

SEP

[Brent Fortman]

Although I have tested 3.8 and 4.4.3, I have never had them both on the ignite server simultaneously.

The image load never stalls, it simply runs very slowly. I usually bail after about 2 hours.

Thanks,
Brent

[Paula J Frazer-Campbell]

Hi

What else is running on this 11.11 server - top, glance etc.

If it is busy doing something else then it will be slow to deliver.

Paula

[Brent Fortman]

The 11.11. ignite server(s) I've tested with are all test systems running no production or specialty applications. Low resource utilization is the norm.

Thanks,
Brent

[Paula J Frazer-Campbell]

Brent

Have a look with sar at the disk activity %busy, it might show something.

Paula

[John Payne_2 · Accepted solution]

Brent,

When you issue the command 'instl_adm', is there a line that says:

init_hp_lanadmin_args="-X 100FD" ?

If not, set it so it forces 100FD. (Do you see runts or FCS errors on the switches that pop up during the ignite install? That is an indication that ignite is not setting the install to 100FD...)

Do a 'instl_adm > brent.out', then edit the file and add the line, like here:

# instl_adm defaults
server="10.11.21.48"
netmask[]="255.255.255.0"
route_gateway[0]="10.11.21.1"
route_destination[0]="default"
init_hp_lanadmin_args="-X 100FD"
# end instl_adm defaults
is_net_info_temporary=false
run_ui=false
control_from_server=true

Then do an 'instl_adm -f brent.out' to apply the changes. Another 'instl_adm' will show you the setting is there.

Then try another install to see what happens.

I fought with this during the summer. I had moved my ignite server to another machine, and in the process of doing it, wiped out my instl_adm settings. Making the correction to force the 100FD setting fixed the problem. I went from a 8 hour install to a 20 minute install.

Hope it helps

John

[Brent Fortman]

You nailed it! Thanks so much.

Brent