VM runs very slow

On not nice hard way :eek:
There are 6 or 9 SATAconnectors on the board. Connect the SSD's to the connectors with normal SATAcable and poweradapter on molex. Then... find a nice free place inside. I did this in the freeplace for the second hddcage. :rolleyes:
On this board as I saw, are only 2 SAS connectors (up to 8 dives), nothing about SATA on board.
BTW, I think i found the problem:
Code:
POST Error: 1700-Slot X Drive Array - Please replace Array Accelerator Battery. The Array Accelerator Cache will be enabled once the battery has been replaced and charged.
 
BTW, I think i found the problem:
Code:
POST Error: 1700-Slot X Drive Array - Please replace Array Accelerator Battery. The Array Accelerator Cache will be enabled once the battery has been replaced and charged.

I do not think this is the problem, because your speed is slower than the speed of the SSD itself, so it cannot be caching.

On this board as I saw, are only 2 SAS connectors (up to 8 dives), nothing about SATA on board.

So, only two SFF directly on the board and that's the current P410i?
 
Here are SAS connectors (only one cable because my server support only 4x HDD)
lFykY8USQ7K9Ra8uIhNduA.jpg

Inside of HDD caddy (to confirm or not if it's usable for SAS and SATA without any hardware change)
sDfViVpESaSmW-Qb5c-SaA.jpg


Also i've ordered 4x SAS 146 GB HP SAS 15K RPM refurbished, I'll connect them RAID 10 for maximul efficiency and safety.
Any recommendation ?
Should I change that battery? One SH cost 12 euros but i had already in server SH battery and after 2 moths died, and one new it's 120 euro. It worth? Thanks !
 
Should I change that battery? One SH cost 12 euros but i had already in server SH battery and after 2 moths died, and one new it's 120 euro. It worth? Thanks !

Buy a couple of "used" ones and try each of them out and let them charge for at least one day. 15k drives are fine and in RAID10 mode with BBU and write-cache enabled should be fine. With PVE I'd use LVM or filesystem with QCOW2.
 
Actually I've removed completly battery and I saw in logs that settings have been changed.
With battery connected but dead, logs shown me that controller it's disabled till i'll change battery with a new one.
This is actual benchmark with SATA2 on server, SSD 450 Write-Read/s
_phm5XPTSySKVBKc8L40uQ.png

Maybe will be fine without battery? Who know?
I cannot change battery frequently because server it's hosted on a specialised datacenter. There i have to pay for each intervention.
 
Here are SAS connectors (only one cable because my server support only 4x HDD)
Should I change that battery? One SH cost 12 euros but i had already in server SH battery and after 2 moths died, and one new it's 120 euro. It worth? Thanks !

IMO batteries are not that reliable and may fail you. P410i supports both memory and flash based cache. If you are keen to take a piece of advice - dump the memory module if it's not flash based and change for 1GB FBWC equipped with the capacitor. Those are quite affordable refurbished for what they provide as a performance benefit and are definitely worthy if you are going to use spinners.


Here is what you can expect from 410i + 1GB cache + 10k drives:

config:
Code:
Smart Array P410i in Slot 0 (Embedded)
   Bus Interface: PCI
   Slot: 0
   Serial Number: 5001438022FE7E00
   Cache Serial Number: PBCDF0CRHZA4W1
   RAID 6 (ADG) Status: Disabled
   Controller Status: OK
   Hardware Revision: C
   Firmware Version: 6.64
   Rebuild Priority: Medium
   Expand Priority: Medium
   Surface Scan Delay: 15 secs
   Surface Scan Mode: Idle
   Queue Depth: Automatic
   Monitor and Performance Delay: 60  min
   Elevator Sort: Enabled
   Degraded Performance Optimization: Disabled
   Inconsistency Repair Policy: Disabled
   Wait for Cache Room: Disabled
   Surface Analysis Inconsistency Notification: Disabled
   Post Prompt Timeout: 0 secs
   Cache Board Present: True
   Cache Status: OK
   Cache Ratio: 25% Read / 75% Write
   Drive Write Cache: Disabled
   Total Cache Size: 1024 MB
   Total Cache Memory Available: 912 MB
   No-Battery Write Cache: Disabled
   Cache Backup Power Source: Capacitors
   Battery/Capacitor Count: 1
   Battery/Capacitor Status: OK
   SATA NCQ Supported: True

Array:
Code:
Smart Array P410i in Slot 0 (Embedded)
   array A

      Logical Drive: 1
         Size: 1.1 TB
         Fault Tolerance: RAID 1+0
         Heads: 255
         Sectors Per Track: 32
         Cylinders: 65535
         Strip Size: 256 KB
         Full Stripe Size: 1024 KB
         Status: OK
         Caching:  Enabled
         Unique Identifier: 600508B1001CEC6B86D584EC9A93107B
         Disk Name: /dev/sda
         Mount Points: None
         Logical Drive Label: A8626F205001438022FE7E001001
         Mirror Group 0:
            physicaldrive 1I:1:1 (port 1I:box 1:bay 1, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 1I:1:2 (port 1I:box 1:bay 2, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 1I:1:3 (port 1I:box 1:bay 3, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 1I:1:4 (port 1I:box 1:bay 4, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
         Mirror Group 1:
            physicaldrive 2I:1:5 (port 2I:box 1:bay 5, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 2I:1:6 (port 2I:box 1:bay 6, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 2I:1:7 (port 2I:box 1:bay 7, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 2I:1:8 (port 2I:box 1:bay 8, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
         Drive Type: Data

Fio 75/25% r/w with 4G workload:
Code:
# random mixed Read(75%) / Write(25%) benchmark job
[random-rw]
readwrite=randrw
rwmixread=75
size=4G
blocksize=4k
iodepth=64
ioengine=libaio
direct=1
# generic options
randrepeat=1
gtod_reduce=1

# result
random-rw: (g=0): rw=randrw, bs=4K-4K/4K-4K/4K-4K, ioengine=libaio, iodepth=64
fio-2.1.11
Starting 1 process
random-rw: Laying out IO file(s) (1 file(s) / 4096MB)
Jobs: 1 (f=1): [m(1)] [100.0% done] [12868KB/4300KB/0KB /s] [3217/1075/0 iops] [eta 00m:00s]
random-rw: (groupid=0, jobs=1): err= 0: pid=372: Thu Mar  1 16:51:28 2018
  read : io=3071.7MB, bw=12834KB/s, iops=3208, runt=245091msec
  write: io=1024.4MB, bw=4279.8KB/s, iops=1069, runt=245091msec
  cpu          : usr=3.37%, sys=12.87%, ctx=749101, majf=0, minf=941
  IO depths    : 1=0.1%, 2=0.1%, 4=0.1%, 8=0.1%, 16=0.1%, 32=0.1%, >=64=100.0%
     submit    : 0=0.0%, 4=100.0%, 8=0.0%, 16=0.0%, 32=0.0%, 64=0.0%, >=64=0.0%
     complete  : 0=0.0%, 4=100.0%, 8=0.0%, 16=0.0%, 32=0.0%, 64=0.1%, >=64=0.0%
     issued    : total=r=786347/w=262229/d=0, short=r=0/w=0/d=0
     latency   : target=0, window=0, percentile=100.00%, depth=64

Run status group 0 (all jobs):
   READ: io=3071.7MB, aggrb=12833KB/s, minb=12833KB/s, maxb=12833KB/s, mint=245091msec, maxt=245091msec
  WRITE: io=1024.4MB, aggrb=4279KB/s, minb=4279KB/s, maxb=4279KB/s, mint=245091msec, maxt=245091msec

Disk stats (read/write):
    dm-0: ios=786258/262827, merge=0/0, ticks=14885860/755744, in_queue=15649528, util=100.00%, aggrios=787451/264843, aggrmerge=0/439, aggrticks=14936088/773516, aggrin_queue=15709568, aggrutil=100.00%
  sda: ios=787451/264843, merge=0/439, ticks=14936088/773516, in_queue=15709568, util=100.00%

Same Fio with 512MB workload to show off the cache:

Code:
random-rw: (g=0): rw=randrw, bs=4K-4K/4K-4K/4K-4K, ioengine=libaio, iodepth=64
fio-2.1.11
Starting 1 process
random-rw: Laying out IO file(s) (1 file(s) / 512MB)
Jobs: 1 (f=1)
random-rw: (groupid=0, jobs=1): err= 0: pid=1516: Thu Mar  1 16:58:19 2018
  read : io=392888KB, bw=221971KB/s, iops=55492, runt=  1770msec
  write: io=131400KB, bw=74237KB/s, iops=18559, runt=  1770msec
  cpu          : usr=14.47%, sys=80.95%, ctx=438, majf=0, minf=90
  IO depths    : 1=0.1%, 2=0.1%, 4=0.1%, 8=0.1%, 16=0.1%, 32=0.1%, >=64=100.0%
     submit    : 0=0.0%, 4=100.0%, 8=0.0%, 16=0.0%, 32=0.0%, 64=0.0%, >=64=0.0%
     complete  : 0=0.0%, 4=100.0%, 8=0.0%, 16=0.0%, 32=0.0%, 64=0.1%, >=64=0.0%
     issued    : total=r=98222/w=32850/d=0, short=r=0/w=0/d=0
     latency   : target=0, window=0, percentile=100.00%, depth=64

Run status group 0 (all jobs):
   READ: io=392888KB, aggrb=221970KB/s, minb=221970KB/s, maxb=221970KB/s, mint=1770msec, maxt=1770msec
  WRITE: io=131400KB, aggrb=74237KB/s, minb=74237KB/s, maxb=74237KB/s, mint=1770msec, maxt=1770msec

Disk stats (read/write):
    dm-0: ios=96496/32224, merge=0/0, ticks=46964/15064, in_queue=62060, util=94.45%, aggrios=98222/32869, aggrmerge=0/0, aggrticks=47640/15308, aggrin_queue=62920, aggrutil=92.76%
  sda: ios=98222/32869, merge=0/0, ticks=47640/15308, in_queue=62920, util=92.76%



Code:
:~$ pveperf
CPU BOGOMIPS:      108803.76
REGEX/SECOND:      1029924
HD SIZE:           98.31 GB (/dev/dm-0)
BUFFERED READS:    451.82 MB/sec
AVERAGE SEEK TIME: 4.94 ms
FSYNCS/SECOND:     2921.18i

If you'd like to use SATA SSD I'm afraid p410 is not a good option as it's limited to 3G for SATA devices. Either replacing it with SATA HBA or using PCIe SSD card (but beware that PCIe 2.0 will limit the bandwith of top performers like p3700) may turn to be a lot better option.
 
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IMO batteries are not that reliable and may fail you. P410i supports both memory and flash based cache. If you are keen to take a piece of advice - dump the memory module if it's not flash based and change for 1GB FBWC equipped with the capacitor. Those are quite affordable refurbished for what they provide as a performance benefit and are definitely worthy if you are going to use spinners.


Here is what you can expect from 410i + 1GB cache + 10k drives:

config:
Code:
Smart Array P410i in Slot 0 (Embedded)
   Bus Interface: PCI
   Slot: 0
   Serial Number: 5001438022FE7E00
   Cache Serial Number: PBCDF0CRHZA4W1
   RAID 6 (ADG) Status: Disabled
   Controller Status: OK
   Hardware Revision: C
   Firmware Version: 6.64
   Rebuild Priority: Medium
   Expand Priority: Medium
   Surface Scan Delay: 15 secs
   Surface Scan Mode: Idle
   Queue Depth: Automatic
   Monitor and Performance Delay: 60  min
   Elevator Sort: Enabled
   Degraded Performance Optimization: Disabled
   Inconsistency Repair Policy: Disabled
   Wait for Cache Room: Disabled
   Surface Analysis Inconsistency Notification: Disabled
   Post Prompt Timeout: 0 secs
   Cache Board Present: True
   Cache Status: OK
   Cache Ratio: 25% Read / 75% Write
   Drive Write Cache: Disabled
   Total Cache Size: 1024 MB
   Total Cache Memory Available: 912 MB
   No-Battery Write Cache: Disabled
   Cache Backup Power Source: Capacitors
   Battery/Capacitor Count: 1
   Battery/Capacitor Status: OK
   SATA NCQ Supported: True

Array:
Code:
Smart Array P410i in Slot 0 (Embedded)
   array A

      Logical Drive: 1
         Size: 1.1 TB
         Fault Tolerance: RAID 1+0
         Heads: 255
         Sectors Per Track: 32
         Cylinders: 65535
         Strip Size: 256 KB
         Full Stripe Size: 1024 KB
         Status: OK
         Caching:  Enabled
         Unique Identifier: 600508B1001CEC6B86D584EC9A93107B
         Disk Name: /dev/sda
         Mount Points: None
         Logical Drive Label: A8626F205001438022FE7E001001
         Mirror Group 0:
            physicaldrive 1I:1:1 (port 1I:box 1:bay 1, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 1I:1:2 (port 1I:box 1:bay 2, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 1I:1:3 (port 1I:box 1:bay 3, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 1I:1:4 (port 1I:box 1:bay 4, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
         Mirror Group 1:
            physicaldrive 2I:1:5 (port 2I:box 1:bay 5, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 2I:1:6 (port 2I:box 1:bay 6, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 2I:1:7 (port 2I:box 1:bay 7, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
            physicaldrive 2I:1:8 (port 2I:box 1:bay 8, SAS, 300 GB, OK)
         Drive Type: Data

Fio 75/25% r/w with 4G workload:
Code:
# random mixed Read(75%) / Write(25%) benchmark job
[random-rw]
readwrite=randrw
rwmixread=75
size=4G
blocksize=4k
iodepth=64
ioengine=libaio
direct=1
# generic options
randrepeat=1
gtod_reduce=1

# result
random-rw: (g=0): rw=randrw, bs=4K-4K/4K-4K/4K-4K, ioengine=libaio, iodepth=64
fio-2.1.11
Starting 1 process
random-rw: Laying out IO file(s) (1 file(s) / 4096MB)
Jobs: 1 (f=1): [m(1)] [100.0% done] [12868KB/4300KB/0KB /s] [3217/1075/0 iops] [eta 00m:00s]
random-rw: (groupid=0, jobs=1): err= 0: pid=372: Thu Mar  1 16:51:28 2018
  read : io=3071.7MB, bw=12834KB/s, iops=3208, runt=245091msec
  write: io=1024.4MB, bw=4279.8KB/s, iops=1069, runt=245091msec
  cpu          : usr=3.37%, sys=12.87%, ctx=749101, majf=0, minf=941
  IO depths    : 1=0.1%, 2=0.1%, 4=0.1%, 8=0.1%, 16=0.1%, 32=0.1%, >=64=100.0%
     submit    : 0=0.0%, 4=100.0%, 8=0.0%, 16=0.0%, 32=0.0%, 64=0.0%, >=64=0.0%
     complete  : 0=0.0%, 4=100.0%, 8=0.0%, 16=0.0%, 32=0.0%, 64=0.1%, >=64=0.0%
     issued    : total=r=786347/w=262229/d=0, short=r=0/w=0/d=0
     latency   : target=0, window=0, percentile=100.00%, depth=64

Run status group 0 (all jobs):
   READ: io=3071.7MB, aggrb=12833KB/s, minb=12833KB/s, maxb=12833KB/s, mint=245091msec, maxt=245091msec
  WRITE: io=1024.4MB, aggrb=4279KB/s, minb=4279KB/s, maxb=4279KB/s, mint=245091msec, maxt=245091msec

Disk stats (read/write):
    dm-0: ios=786258/262827, merge=0/0, ticks=14885860/755744, in_queue=15649528, util=100.00%, aggrios=787451/264843, aggrmerge=0/439, aggrticks=14936088/773516, aggrin_queue=15709568, aggrutil=100.00%
  sda: ios=787451/264843, merge=0/439, ticks=14936088/773516, in_queue=15709568, util=100.00%

Same Fio with 512MB workload to show off the cache:

Code:
random-rw: (g=0): rw=randrw, bs=4K-4K/4K-4K/4K-4K, ioengine=libaio, iodepth=64
fio-2.1.11
Starting 1 process
random-rw: Laying out IO file(s) (1 file(s) / 512MB)
Jobs: 1 (f=1)
random-rw: (groupid=0, jobs=1): err= 0: pid=1516: Thu Mar  1 16:58:19 2018
  read : io=392888KB, bw=221971KB/s, iops=55492, runt=  1770msec
  write: io=131400KB, bw=74237KB/s, iops=18559, runt=  1770msec
  cpu          : usr=14.47%, sys=80.95%, ctx=438, majf=0, minf=90
  IO depths    : 1=0.1%, 2=0.1%, 4=0.1%, 8=0.1%, 16=0.1%, 32=0.1%, >=64=100.0%
     submit    : 0=0.0%, 4=100.0%, 8=0.0%, 16=0.0%, 32=0.0%, 64=0.0%, >=64=0.0%
     complete  : 0=0.0%, 4=100.0%, 8=0.0%, 16=0.0%, 32=0.0%, 64=0.1%, >=64=0.0%
     issued    : total=r=98222/w=32850/d=0, short=r=0/w=0/d=0
     latency   : target=0, window=0, percentile=100.00%, depth=64

Run status group 0 (all jobs):
   READ: io=392888KB, aggrb=221970KB/s, minb=221970KB/s, maxb=221970KB/s, mint=1770msec, maxt=1770msec
  WRITE: io=131400KB, aggrb=74237KB/s, minb=74237KB/s, maxb=74237KB/s, mint=1770msec, maxt=1770msec

Disk stats (read/write):
    dm-0: ios=96496/32224, merge=0/0, ticks=46964/15064, in_queue=62060, util=94.45%, aggrios=98222/32869, aggrmerge=0/0, aggrticks=47640/15308, aggrin_queue=62920, aggrutil=92.76%
  sda: ios=98222/32869, merge=0/0, ticks=47640/15308, in_queue=62920, util=92.76%



Code:
:~$ pveperf
CPU BOGOMIPS:      108803.76
REGEX/SECOND:      1029924
HD SIZE:           98.31 GB (/dev/dm-0)
BUFFERED READS:    451.82 MB/sec
AVERAGE SEEK TIME: 4.94 ms
FSYNCS/SECOND:     2921.18i

If you'd like to use SATA SSD I'm afraid p410 is not a good option as it's limited to 3G for SATA devices. Either replacing it with SATA HBA or using PCIe SSD card (but beware that PCIe 2.0 will limit the bandwith of top performers like p3700) may turn to be a lot better option.
Thank you for help but i did a battery replacement with a non-standard battery.
If further peoples will try to do that, i've changed old battery with a 4x AAA batteryes (more power capapcity, old was 650 mAh, new batteries had 1000 mAh). I've mounted inside of server a plastic to keep batteries together in a safe place (near power supply). Costings was 20$ with hgh-quality batteries, with cheap one you can get same result with 6-7 $.
 
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Reactions: Dan Nicolae

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