Dual Core vs Two processors

[prprandall51]

Hi, can anyone please advise?

We need a new server here (it's a small company so I am systems manager even though I know very little).

Because our existing server is often running at 100% CPU, I thought it might be a good idea to get a new one with two CPUs.

When we bought our last server (a Dell 1600SC) the world seemed to be very "2 processor-ish" but now I am looking to buy a 4300SC (again, the entry-level server) and everything is now "Dual-Core-ish".

Is Dual Core going to be as good as having two processors - and can I still attach specific processes to specific cores - just like I could with a genuine 2 processor machine?

Thanks for any advice.

Philip

Background: this is our mail server. The mail application is not hugely processor hungry but the McAfee VirusScan application is. The McAfee product scans all our incoming email and traps numerous viruses and worms before they even get processed by the mail server application. This is a good setup. However, the two applications together overwhelm the CPU and it is frequently flat out at 100% usage.

My idea is that if each application had its own processor then they would both be much happier.

 

[drifting]

Sadly programs are not really designed so that you can select which processor it uses.

Are you sure it's the AV app using the CPU? Which server OS are you running?

To be honest the processor is normally secondary to the disk i/o. Just make sure you use SCSI disks, and forget IDE / SATA, the sustained data rate, regardless of what the computer comics say is just not good enough.

I would suspect it anything the AV is scanning the data from disk and that is what is causing your high CPU rate.

You only need to worry about CPU's when you run SQL or any other processor intensive app.


Regards Paul.

 

[prprandall51]

Hi Paul - thank you for replying.

In answer to your comments:

Sadly programs are not really designed so that you can select which processor it uses.

Are you sure it's the AV app using the CPU? Which server OS are you running?

It is definitely the AV using the CPU, according to Task Manager.

I am using Windows 2000 at the moment but the new machine will use Windows 2003 Server, Standard Edition. In there, there is a feature that allows you (according to the doc) to select a process and assign it to a specific processor. I thought that would help.

To be honest the processor is normally secondary to the disk i/o. Just make sure you use SCSI disks, and forget IDE / SATA, the sustained data rate, regardless of what the computer comics say is just not good enough.

I would suspect it anything the AV is scanning the data from disk and that is what is causing your high CPU rate.

This is a very interesting point I hadn't considered at all. I will look at disk activity when the CPU is flat out and then I will examine SCSI disk options when I spec the server.

You only need to worry about CPU's when you run SQL or any other processor intensive app.


Regards Paul.

The CPU on the current machine is definitely working hard, but it is an old machine (P4, 1300). The new Server would have a P4, 3000 so that alone may be all that's needed to sort me out. I was just tempted by the thought of saying: "Mail: that's your CPU, AV: that's yours - now don't interfere with each other."

Thanks
Philip

 

[Alps]

Philip,

Maybe you should address why the AV is using so much CPU first, because you may find the new machine will do the same!

McAfee has some patches which resolve quiete a few issues with AV performance on their software, maybe you will find the AV you have may have similar patches?

 

[prprandall51]

Philip,

Maybe you should address why the AV is using so much CPU first, because you may find the new machine will do the same!

McAfee has some patches which resolve quiete a few issues with AV performance on their software, maybe you will find the AV you have may have similar patches?

Thanks for this suggestion. Unfortunately, I am fully up to date on the AV release.

I have no idea why the AV is so busy and not really experienced enough to find out. That was the basis of my idea of having 2 CPUs - then the AV could eat all of the CPU power it liked because it would be "bound" to only one of the 2 processors - leaving the other to run the mail application.

Philip

 

[Alps]

no probs, are you up to date on the release and version?, thats one cause out the window if you are! but you will find, life isnt as easy as one processor for one and another for something else!

All our machines have dual processors here, and if one prcess goes through the roof, it doesnt really mean you can carry on with the other processor, the machine will still slow down if not , lock up! both processors normally work together. there is the odd application which is designed to utilise one processor, but these are pretty rare and even then not that efficient. There is obviously something making your AV go mad, so you should look at this first.

We have some older lower spec servers than what you are using being thrashed at 90 odd percent without AV going mad. so something is def going wrong if AV is taking up all your processing power

 

[prprandall51]

Hi Alps, thanks for the response. I will go and investigate further. My initial thought is that I wouldn't say that AV was "going mad" - more that it is very busy and that, plus the mail server, plus all the other processes simply overwhelm the CPU.

Anyway, I'm off the the basement to stare at Task Manager....

thanks once again
Philip

 

[andyw]

sounds to me that your server is being hounded by spam - try a mail reflection service and redirect the mail to a port not commonly used

 

[drifting]

As I don't know McAfee (Hated what it did to Exchange and Outlook a few years back) I am at a loss to know why.

However one of the other suggestions could be right on the money, the one about spam being bounced, an awful lot of it of late has a worm attached, so your AV could be working overtime cleaning it before it gets bounced.

What mail server are you using ?

If it's exchange I may be able to give you some pointers.

Regards Paul.

 

[andyw]

exchange 5.5 here too - spam is a 'mare to beat

Are you using Webshield?

 

[prprandall51]

Thanks for the responses, everybody.

The AV is only detecting about 3 -4 virus / worm emails a day but I think that it is very busy checking the incoming emails which are frequently very large. Maybe the thing to do is let the Mail Server (which is BusinessMail from www.netcplus.com) handle the spam with its built-in spam module.

I will get a new server, anyway, because the old one is, well, old, but following advice here, I won't worry so much about the CPU and will get a SCSI disk system.

Then I will reconfigure the AV to do less checking and see how that goes.

Thanks for everyone's assistance.

Philip

 

[drifting]

Go take a look at GFI Mail Essentials, excellent product, we sell shed loads of it.

For those who have Exchange 5.5, support for it comes to and end later in the year, so it may be worth upgrading. Besides that the IMF (Internet mail filter) which is free with 2003 Exchange is pretty good, bonus as well is the ability to increase the mailstore above the 16GB limit.

Regards Paul.