
bjm at LVCM
Jan 17, 2003, 3:20 PM
Post #11 of 12
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Merle Reine wrote: > I installed the latest cvs and once I start mysql and then mythbackend, > I run: top > to check the processes. Mythbackend takes up 87% of the CPU and 78% of > the memory and eventually crashes and kills mysqld. Has anyone seen > this or have an explanation? I can start mysql and run mythepg, > mythweb, mythmusic, etc but not mythbackend. > > I have a 1.4 ghz AMD with 256 meg ram and open BSD. > > Any help would be appreciated. Hi, Merle. The problem is that you've run out of swap space. When there is no more room to page out, some programs die unexpectedly. MythTV is kind of a memory hog right now so this may contribute to behavior that you would not otherwise see. If you run "top" you may see on the "Swap:" line that "free" is a small fraction of "total". Note, do not worry about "Mem: ... free" as memory uses the 'bachelor's sink' algorithm where you don't need to wash a dish until there are no clean ones left. Mem filling up is normal but swap filling is a problem. The amount of swap space should be greater than the amount of memory. Some old rules of thumb are 1.5x to 2.5x. If possible, add more swap on a separate spindle from the current swap area. BSD 'interlaces' swap so you actually get better performance with two swap partitions, one each on two different disks. Two swap areas on the same disk causes the disk heads to thrash and degrade performance. 256 meg memory should be enough but could be borderline. I would see ongoing page outs when recording with two tuners and 256MB but one recording was fine. Either way, a lot of swap space was used. I hope this helps, -- bjm
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