kvm high cpu load running a Windows 2000 VM

[whinpo]

I've got VM's running Windows 2000 SP4.
The kvm process is always taking something like 100%+ cpu even when the VM is idle...

When I check task manager under Windows, the machine is using something like 10%... but the kvm process keeps on consuming 100% cpu on the host...

I think that's what jhammer was trying to explain in : http://forum.proxmox.com/threads/3667-High-CPU-load-for-windows-2000-server

the cpu on the host should "follow" the cpu usage in the VM I think...

any idea?

on the copy/paste of top the first VM is a Win2k, the second is a Debian

top - 15:46:01 up 1 day, 22:39,  2 users,  load average: 1.09, 1.16, 1.11
Tasks: 185 total,   1 running, 184 sleeping,   0 stopped,   0 zombie
Cpu(s): 24.5%us,  5.7%sy,  0.0%ni, 69.6%id,  0.0%wa,  0.0%hi,  0.1%si,  0.0%st
Mem:   4050848k total,  2844792k used,  1206056k free,   209360k buffers
Swap:  4194296k total,        0k used,  4194296k free,  1008236k cached

  PID USER      PR  NI  VIRT  RES  SHR S %CPU %MEM    TIME+  COMMAND                                                                                                                
24926 root      20   0 1199m 1.0g 1512 S  111 26.3  17:02.32 kvm                                                                                                                    
24975 root      20   0  366m 164m 1436 S   11  4.2   1:56.07 kvm                                                                                                                    
25155 root      20   0 18956 1328  940 R    0  0.0   0:01.52 top                                                                                                                    
    1 root      20   0 10312  752  616 S    0  0.0   0:01.24 init

 

[whinpo]

does anybody run a win2k server ?
do you have the same symptom?

 

[fluke]

does anybody run a win2k server ?
do you have the same symptom?

I am running a Win2k server since proxmox 1.1 and never had that problem.

proxmox1:~# pveversion -v
pve-manager: 1.5-5 (pve-manager/1.5/4627)
running kernel: 2.6.32-1-pve
proxmox-ve-2.6.32: 1.5-4
pve-kernel-2.6.32-1-pve: 2.6.32-4
pve-kernel-2.6.24-10-pve: 2.6.24-21
pve-kernel-2.6.24-8-pve: 2.6.24-16
qemu-server: 1.1-11
pve-firmware: 1.0-3
libpve-storage-perl: 1.0-8
vncterm: 0.9-2
vzctl: 3.0.23-1pve7
vzdump: 1.2-5
vzprocps: 2.0.11-1dso2
vzquota: 3.0.11-1
pve-qemu-kvm: 0.11.1-2
ksm-control-daemon: 1.0-2

 

[whinpo]

thanks for your answer, it seems my version is a little bit newer.
I didn't notice it before, but I can't say if it appeared or not on last upgrade...

neptune2:~# pveversion -v
pve-manager: 1.5-9 (pve-manager/1.5/4728)
running kernel: 2.6.32-2-pve
proxmox-ve-2.6.32: 1.5-7
pve-kernel-2.6.32-2-pve: 2.6.32-7
pve-kernel-2.6.24-10-pve: 2.6.24-21
qemu-server: 1.1-14
pve-firmware: 1.0-4
libpve-storage-perl: 1.0-13
vncterm: 0.9-2
vzctl: 3.0.23-1pve11
vzdump: 1.2-5
vzprocps: 2.0.11-1dso2
vzquota: 3.0.11-1
pve-qemu-kvm: 0.12.3-1
ksm-control-daemon: 1.0-3

 

[fluke]

thanks for your answer, it seems my version is a little bit newer.
I didn't notice it before, but I can't say if it appeared or not on last upgrade...

neptune2:~# pveversion -v
pve-manager: 1.5-9 (pve-manager/1.5/4728)
running kernel: 2.6.32-2-pve
proxmox-ve-2.6.32: 1.5-7
pve-kernel-2.6.32-2-pve: 2.6.32-7
pve-kernel-2.6.24-10-pve: 2.6.24-21
qemu-server: 1.1-14
pve-firmware: 1.0-4
libpve-storage-perl: 1.0-13
vncterm: 0.9-2
vzctl: 3.0.23-1pve11
vzdump: 1.2-5
vzprocps: 2.0.11-1dso2
vzquota: 3.0.11-1
pve-qemu-kvm: 0.12.3-1
ksm-control-daemon: 1.0-3

I am running Win2k Server with 1CPU/1 core. Check also that ACPI is enabled. The major difference I see in versions is qemu - I am running 0.11 and you have 0.12.

 

[whinpo]

I've disabled ACPI by reverting it in Computer Management/Computer/Properties to a Standard PC
Now the cpu% is much better...

top - 11:56:56 up 4 days, 18:50,  3 users,  load average: 0.74, 0.77, 0.81
Tasks: 186 total,   1 running, 185 sleeping,   0 stopped,   0 zombie
Cpu(s):  4.2%us,  4.5%sy,  0.0%ni, 91.3%id,  0.0%wa,  0.0%hi,  0.0%si,  0.0%st
Mem:   4050848k total,  2631924k used,  1418924k free,   138508k buffers
Swap:  4194296k total,        0k used,  4194296k free,  1023140k cached

  PID USER      PR  NI  VIRT  RES  SHR S %CPU %MEM    TIME+  COMMAND                                                                                                                
12349 root      20   0 1201m 1.0g 1528 S 28.3 26.3  69:04.61 kvm                                                                                                                    
15294 root      20   0 66072 3132 2492 S  2.2  0.1   0:00.03 sshd                                                                                                                   
15348 root      20   0 18956 1336  940 R  2.2  0.0   0:00.24 top

Any issue known running a Win2k without ACPI?

 

[MrJacK]

Hi,

Today i have converted an old physical Windows 2000 server into a virtual one using Norton Ghost.

Host :

pve-manager: 1.5-10 (pve-manager/1.5/4822)
running kernel: 2.6.32-2-pve
proxmox-ve-2.6.32: 1.5-7
pve-kernel-2.6.32-2-pve: 2.6.32-7
pve-kernel-2.6.18-2-pve: 2.6.18-5
qemu-server: 1.1-16
pve-firmware: 1.0-5
libpve-storage-perl: 1.0-13
vncterm: 0.9-2
vzctl: 3.0.23-1pve11
vzdump: 1.2-5
vzprocps: 2.0.11-1dso2
vzquota: 3.0.11-1
pve-qemu-kvm: 0.12.4-1
ksm-control-daemon: 1.0-3

VM config :

OS : Windows 2000
Memory : 1024 Mo
CPU : 2 socket, 1 core
Disk : LVM over iSCSI

And ... same problem !
But ... It's not a Proxmox / KVM problem !

Check this links :

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;919521

For me, this solved the problem, CPU usage is now normal.

Hope this helps

 

[darkpixel]

I have a Win2k VM that is exhibiting the same problems.
I am switching it to a standard PC instead of ACPI and will report back in a few days if that fixed it or failed.

Thanks for the info.

-A

 

[bohansen]

Comverted an old W2k server and ended up with the same problem. None of the solutions highlighted worked for me, but I found this page:
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=479977
At some point it refers to:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=2314737&group_id=180599&atid=893831

In one of the last comments somebody tries to change W2k server from "ACPI Multiprocessor" to "MPS uniprocessor". Seems it did the trick for my installation at least ;-)

 

[feldi]

I had the same problem.
After striping down the config under /etc/quemu-server/xxx the problem was gone.
I'am removed the statements about APCI, freeze, etc.


Example config:

name: SERV2004
ide2: cdrom,media=cdrom
vlan0: rtl8139=7A:61:43:81:B5:A7
bootdisk: ide0
ostype: w2k
ide0: disk01:vm-2004-disk-1
memory: 640
sockets: 2
onboot: 1
description: ISP Mail Server
cores: 1

 

[machines]

Hello,

bringing back this old thread just in order to thank Mrjack for his hint,
because that solved the problem for me. THANKS!

Greetings Marco.

Check this links :

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;919521

For me, this solved the problem, CPU usage is now normal.

Hope this helps