Been trying to fix some high server load/overloads lately. I've had no luck improving anything via tuning MySQL and Apache. An hdparm test on the server's hard drive shows this though:
/dev/hda:
Timing cached reads: 428 MB in 2.00 seconds = 213.61 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 18 MB in 3.56 seconds = 5.06 MB/sec
Looking at everyone else's stats I've come across, 5.06 MB/sec for buffered disk reads seems extremely slow. I've submitted a trouble ticket wondering if it's a hardware issue but haven't gotten a reply in over 12 hours.
Here's the output of hdparm /dev/hda:
/dev/hda:
multcount = 16 (on)
IO_support = 1 (32-bit)
unmaskirq = 1 (on)
using_dma = 1 (on)
keepsettings = 0 (off)
readonly = 0 (off)
readahead = 256 (on)
geometry = 65535/16/63, sectors = 60022480896, start = 0
And hdparm -I /dev/hda:
/dev/hda:
ATA device, with non-removable media
Model Number: ST360021A
Serial Number: 3HR0SYXB
Firmware Revision: 3.19
Standards:
Supported: 5 4 3 2
Likely used: 6
Configuration:
Logical max current
cylinders 16383 16383
heads 16 16
sectors/track 63 63
--
CHS current addressable sectors: 16514064
LBA user addressable sectors: 117231408
device size with M = 1024*1024: 57241 MBytes
device size with M = 1000*1000: 60022 MBytes (60 GB)
Capabilities:
LBA, IORDY(can be disabled)
bytes avail on r/w long: 4 Queue depth: 1
Standby timer values: spec'd by Standard
R/W multiple sector transfer: Max = 16 Current = 16
Recommended acoustic management value: 128, current value: 128
DMA: mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5
Cycle time: min=120ns recommended=120ns
PIO: pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
Cycle time: no flow control=240ns IORDY flow control=120ns
Commands/features:
Enabled Supported:
* READ BUFFER cmd
* WRITE BUFFER cmd
* Host Protected Area feature set
* Look-ahead
* Write cache
* Power Management feature set
Security Mode feature set
* SMART feature set
Device Configuration Overlay feature set
* Automatic Acoustic Management feature set
SET MAX security extension
* DOWNLOAD MICROCODE cmd
Security:
Master password revision code = 65534
supported
not enabled
not locked
not frozen
not expired: security count
not supported: enhanced erase
HW reset results:
CBLID- above Vih
Device num = 1
Checksum: correct