Multiple servers, unstable fps [HLDS]

[matte563]

Q: Why do you need High res. timer support if you have 1000hz in the kernel? And is it good to have for HLDS?

EDIT: Another question; "Local APIC support on uniprocessors", "IO-APIC support on uniprocessors" enabled or disabled?

uniprocessor = single cpu. (?)

[BehaartesEtwas]

matte563 Wrote:Q: Why do you need High res. timer support if you have 1000hz in the kernel? And is it good to have for HLDS?

question should be the other way round. if you have a working hrtimer (not all systems do unfortunately), you don't need 1000 HZ and can safe that extra overhead.

Quote:EDIT: Another question; "Local APIC support on uniprocessors", "IO-APIC support on uniprocessors" enabled or disabled?

doesn't hurt usually unless you have some rare broken mainboard

Quote:uniprocessor = single cpu. (?)

right. meaning it has no effect on dual core cpus etc.

[matte563]

Thanks for the answers, how can i see if i have a working hrtimer?

EDIT: With hrtimer support i have like 10% CPU usage/5% "sy"-usage @ top and im the only one on the server. CPU-spikes too :/

EDIT2: Probably better to skip hrtimer and just go with 1000hz >_<.

EDIT3: Maybe it is the kernelversion "2.6.29.2", but when i try to boot with an older kernel (in your guide) i just get "waiting for root file system".

[BehaartesEtwas]

don't look at the cpu usage. it is not measured correctly with respect to game servers.

Quote:EDIT3: Maybe it is the kernelversion "2.6.29.2", but when i try to boot with an older kernel (in your guide) i just get "waiting for root file system".

give some more information... what root file system do you have? when exactly does this message appear? other messages/warnings before? ....

[matte563]

With HRtimer = high cpu usage (better?, 100hz)
Without HRtimer = "low" cpu usage. (1000hz)

EDIT: Is the "idler" any good if you dont have RT?

EDIT2: "Generic x86 Support", Enabled or Disabled?

EDIT3: Kernel problem solved, reinstalled.

EDIT4: HRtimer with 1000hz or HRtimer with 100hz?

[Peter_Pan123]

the newest kernel = bad (2.6.29.2)
use the 2.6.26.8 or one of 2.6.27.
hrtimer > high load because of 1000 FPS > thats normal
if you use 100hz the 1000 FPS are not stable enought
the idler is for loading your system to give more stable fps, normally it should work with/without RT
"Generic x86 Support" > it doesnt matter
HRtimer with 1000hz or HRtimer with 100hz? > 1000hz its my opionon.

[matte563]

Thanks

[BehaartesEtwas]

Peter Pan: you are simplifying too much. On my system I get more stable FPS with 100 instead of 1000 HZ!

Also matte says he has higher cpu load with hrtimer and 100 HZ. I know only one explanation for that: the cpu load is not measured correctly! I know like 5 methods of measuring it, they all lead to different results for my game servers! DO NOT LOOK AT THE CPU LOAD!

Every question of matte can only be answered with one statement: try it out. There is no golden way of optimizing your root for game servers. Even more or less identical hardware behaves sometimes completely different. Nobody can tell you what is better on your system!

Recently I have updated my howto, so there might be a few things you have not tried yet (in the playing around section and the resched.sh). Also there is a link at the bottom of my howto to another guide that uses a different kernel (rest should be the same). Unfortunately it is in German and it does some "ugly" hacking in the kernel, so use it at your own risk.

[matte563]

I'm not sure that my HRtimer is working with 2.6.26.8 ;S

HRtimer / 100hz = 100fps..

[BehaartesEtwas]

then its not apparently :-)

if anybody finds out, what needs to be changed to get hrtimers working in those cases, I would be glad to add it to my howto. but I simply never had this problem myself...

[matte563]

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-software-2/check-for-high-resolution-timer-649530/

This is not a fix.. But you could get some info.. (i think)

[Peter_Pan123]

BehaartesEtwas: thats true, you will get good results, if you try a lot of tests.

But there are a lot of functions which are very good on every system.
my kernel is completly different, you have to search for the best way between load/performance.
i tried on my system a lot of tests and got the perfect kernel for ME!

[BehaartesEtwas]

peter_pan: agreed. only sometimes it sounds like the ultimate solution... ;-)
e.g. "if you use 100hz the 1000 FPS are not stable enought" -> the opposite is true on many systems!

that's why I have that "playing around" section in my howto...

matte563: thanks, that did even I not know ;-)
on my server, 'dmesg | grep -i "high resolution"' does not give anything, but with 'cat /proc/timer_list' I get much information on the timers.

[matte563]

So 100hz and HRtimer would be better in most cases?

[Peter_Pan123]

ok pls tell me how (BehaartesEtwas) > i tried a lot of kernel with 100hz ... but the only result was > very unstable fps. Look at this >

http://picfront.de/d/hl0sXM8lW/test.JPG

This is with 1000hz, without any problems. I tried a lot with 100hz without good results. I know the CPU load is much lower with 100hz thats why iam very interessted to knwo how? pls give me more information....