Client Priority Setting Report - W2K

[fivespan]

Using R6 and a 5.6 client (since we're evaluating 6), I have noticed Priority setting oddities. I cannot get a successful 5.6 server connection on the test machine without a -519 error, so I cannot compare the two servers. Get your client Processes tab open in the Task Manager to see some CPU stats.

 

 

 

1. Set client priority to 'backup' and run a backup. Note that Client CPU useage averages nearly 95% with long stretches of 100% utilization on my 2GHz W2K Dell. Performance ranges from 350 to 700 MB/min on the server. This is a File backup to Disk with no software compression and all virus checking software turned OFF. I find this unacceptable utilization if the client expects to use the computer during backups.

 

 

 

2. Stop the backup.

 

 

 

3. Set the client priority to 'one step below Backup' and run a backup. Note that Client CPU useage averages at 0% (yes, ZERO) and performance is a solid 188.2 MB/min. This is a 50% drop in performance and a 99% drop in CPU useage!

 

 

 

4. Don't bother stopping the backup. (Step 2 is just there because I didn't want you to think the software client had crashed since it went from All to None in CPU useage with just one step in the Priority slider). Just move the Priority setting to the middle. Client CPU is still at 0% and Performance has dropped to 94.1 MB/min.

 

 

 

5. One more step down the ladder and Performance dropped to 63 MB/min and the CPU is still down at 0%.

 

 

 

6. The final step is 'User' Priority. Perfromance drops to 47 MB/min.

 

 

 

All this occurred on my end while backing up a gho file (very large file) so performance stats are relatively useful.

 

 

 

Conclusions:

 

 

 

Just in case you didn't know, this slider does matter. FAST machines like my 2GHz Dell see little or no user benefit from dropping the Priority slider any further than one step to the left of 'Backup'. 'Backup' seems useful only when the machine is not in use by the user (such as overnight).

 

 

 

My next task is to try this with a slower laptop.

[fivespan]

Dell Latitude C840 (1.2 GHz)

 

 

 

Priority -- User to Backup (CPU & Perfromance)

 

 

 

47 MB/s @ 0%

 

62 MB/s @ 1%

 

92 MB/s @ 2%

 

181MB/s @ 3%

 

427MB/s @ 95%