[zfs-discuss] zfs + NFS + FreeBSD with performance prob

[Paul Kraus]

On Jan 31, 2013, at 5:16 PM, Albert Shih wrote:

> Well I've server running FreeBSD 9.0 with (don't count / on differents
> disks) zfs pool with 36 disk.
> 
> The performance is very very good on the server.
> 
> I've one NFS client running FreeBSD 8.3 and the performance over NFS is
> very good : 
> 
> For example : Read from the client and write over NFS to ZFS:
> 
> [root@ .tmp]# time tar xf /tmp/linux-3.7.5.tar 
> 
> real    1m7.244s
> user    0m0.921s
> sys     0m8.990s
> 
> this client is on 1Gbits/s network cable and same network switch as the
> server.
> 
> I've a second NFS client running FreeBSD 9.1-Stable, and on this second
> client the performance is catastrophic. After 1 hour the tar isn't finish.
> OK this second client is connect with 100Mbit/s and not on the same switch.
> But well from 2 min --> ~ 90 min ...:-(
> 
> I've try for this second client to change on the ZFS-NFS server the
> 
> 	zfs set sync=disabled 
> 
> and that change nothing.

I have been using FreeBSD 9 with ZFS and NFS to a couple Mac OS X (10.6.8 Snow Leopard) boxes and I get between 40 and 50 MB/sec throughput on a Gigabit ethernet link. Since you have already ruled out the known sync issue with ZFS and no SSD-based write cache, then perhaps you are running into an NFS 3 vs. NFS 4 issue. I am not sure if Mac OS X is using NFS 3 or NFS 4.

--
Paul Kraus
Deputy Technical Director, LoneStarCon 3
Sound Coordinator, Schenectady Light Opera Company