System is sluggish post OS installation

[Russell Carver]

I have a rx1620 that I just recently re-installed HP-UX 11 V2 on. The system is very slow to response to commands and command execution. For example swlist takes about 5-8 minutes to complete.

This is just a standard install, no special selections or de-selections done when installing MCOS to the system. Also it's a standard partitioning scheme as well.

This is s test system so I can re-install again if need be. But I think I am missing something with respect to post installation tasks required to get the system up and running.

Can any one share some insight?

[Fabian Briseño]

Hello Russell.

Try checking out /etc/rc.log and /var/adm/syslog/syslog.log files for any errors

you can also try to check glance, and do an ioscan -fnC disk

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

After installation of the OS there is no /etc/nsswitch.conf file in place.

Try putting one of the sample files in place. This followed by restarting swagentd should speed performance of swlist.

Also, its common to need to install some performance patches after an OS install.

What MCOS did you use?

Perhaps the next step is the HWE bundle and the latest bi-annual patch set.

SEP

[Russell Carver]

Thanks guys!

Steven, could you expound on the /etc/nsswitch.conf file? What is it's purpose?

Can I use the nsswitch.hp_defaults file by coping it over to a .conf file?

The MCOS is May 2005. So patches are indeed needed.

I am having issues connecting to the box by anything other than the MP console. So getting patches on the machine is not easy at the moment.

The lab was very unorganized before I moved in, so finding the correct CD/DVD is not easy yet. Someday we will get our copy of Version 3 and that should make things easier.

Plus I am new at HP-UX installation and administration. Fortunately this is only a software testing environment. 8-)

[Bill Hassell]

This is highly likely to be a networking problem, especially since the console seems to be OK. Turn off all NFS stuff. Copy the files version to nsswitch.conf:

cp /etc/nsswitch.files /etc/nsswitch.conf

use this until you get the machine running normally, then add in your DNS server (after verifying that it actually works). By using the files version, your system will not try to ask a DNS server about every hostname (including it's own).

Since this was a reinstall, there may have been a lot of customizations such as network duplex and speed and special routes. A reinstall will turn all network interfaces into auto-negotiate which is somewhat desirable unless you have 100Mbit LAN cables that are about 75 to 150 feet long. At this range, auto-sensing signals are garbled and the initerface card(s) will be set to half-duplex for 100Mbit links. You need to check on the settings for your network switch -- are they hardcoded to a speed and duplex or auto-negotiate?

As far as swinstall, it will run very slowly until networking has been sorted out. Once that is completed, restart the swagentd process or reboot.

[Russell Carver]

I did the nsswitch.conf file like the .file example. I don't see any change.

I have a question about the networking.

The MP IP should be different from the lan0 IP correct?

This is for all intent and purposes a "new" installation. I re-ran the 5.1 SS cd and reinstalled everything. Previoulsy I had the same IP for MP and lan0. I got mixed results with that. I have been able to connect to the box with reflections a few times (xwindowed) and telnet into it more than 20 times. But I always lost the connection after a short period of time.

Now I am lucky if I can telnet into it from another hp-ux box even.

This is on a private network and only used to test power agents, do I need the bastille security patch installed?

I am wondering if that could be my problem with conncetivity.

[Patrick Wallek]

The IP address for lan0 and the MP should DEFINITELY be different. That is probably part of the issue. Change one IP or the other and see what happens from there.

[Russell Carver]

I did that 4 days ago and the system is still sluggish.

I was wrong it takes 15-20 minutes to run swlist.

I may be blowing this rig away and installing SLES10 on it to get some sembelance of how fast it can run.

Then I can re-install hpux and see what happens.

Is there anything that needs to be done after installing the OS and logging in for the first time?

[BUPA IS · Accepted solution]

Hello Russell,
It still looks to me like it might be a name resolution problem.
nswwitch.conf defines the search order for name resolution of various services such as host names and logins
The sw... suite of programs resolves the hostname for each call they makes to the sw database

in /etc/nsswitch.conf set

hosts: files [NOTFOUND=continue UNAVAIL=continue TRYAGAIN=continue] dns

normally we have dns first this will entry above will force it to look in the local /etc/hosts first
you can omit dns for now if you like.

in /etc/hosts
make sure you have at least

127.0.0.1 localhost loopback
ip.add.re.ss yournewhostname

if you want to use dns then set up

in /etc/resovl.conf
(get info from your network admin people )

domain your.domain.name nameserver nn.nn.nn.nn
I hope this helps
Mike

[BUPA IS]

Hello again Russell ,

Another thought has occured to me . Install the latest SD cumulative patch on its own .

either use swinstall -i and find it on a recent cd or down load it. For 11:23 it is PHCO_36146

http://www8.itrc.hp.com/service/patch/patchDetail.do?patchid=PHCO_36146&sel={hpux:11.23,}&BC=main|search|
After that you can continue with the quality packs and the HWE bundle

Mike

[Russell Carver]

Thanks Mike I think we are on the right track now.


I did what you suggested about modifying the nsswitch.conf file and will look into adding the suggested patch.

This is a "dev.net" lab network, and our segment doesn't have DNS, yet. I may try to implement it after we move later this year.

Since we don't have DNS should I be using truncated entries in my hosts file? Similar to your;

127.0.0.1 localhost loopback
ip.add.re.ss yournewhostname

I noticed you only said yourhostname and not hostname.dev.net. I have been updating the machines hosts files and I think that helps connectivity but the windows boxes really don't play as nicely as Linux and UNIX do.

Thanks again to everyone that has replied. I really appreciate everyone's help and I think we might be able to get me hooked up here.

[Russell Carver]

Sorry to double post!!

But wow just now I was able to do a swlist in all of 10 seconds!

I am still looking for the patch, the link that Mike sent me was for HP Europe. I didn't notice until after I had already submitted a request to reset my password. since it wouldn't log me in. :-(

But I definitely think I am on the right track now.

[Russell Carver]

wish I could edit!

Sorry for the triple post.

Again Thanks to all!!

The systems boots very fast now and as I said before it can do a swlist in 10 seconds instead of 15 to 20 minutes.

That is a _major_ improvement!! I believe it was the modifing of the nsswitch.conf file that did the trick. Specifically making the additions recommended above by Mike. Mike you deserve a 10 for that, sorry man!

Does 11.11 have this same problem?

My pr3440 seems to work fine for now. I can even Refle_X_ion into the box. No such luck on the 1620 yet.

[Dennis Handly]

>Sorry for the triple post.

Don't worry about it, you're the author and it helps to provide as much info as you can.
And especially the good news everything is working better. :-)

[Russell Carver]

Again thanks Mike! I believe it was your suggestions that helped the most.

I can now Refle_X_tion into the box! YEAH!!

I got all the latest patches applied.

[Marcel Burggraeve]

Regarding your question about 11.11 having the same problem, the answer is yes.
In short all Unixes and Linuxes rely heavily on a correctly setup network environment.
you can see alot of weird stuff going on if there's something wrong with :
-order of hostname lookups
-ip address of dns server
-gateway
-etc etc