LOADER.NLM & CPU Utilization 1

[ScottSIT]

We have an HS20 Blade with 2 Dual core Xeon processors. Netware 6.5 I use Adrem to monitor the servers. The health report states:
"CPU Utilization-1 on server "blade" was in a BAD/SUSPECT state"
I've determined that these are spikes and that Novell considers this normal. As long as the Utilization doesn't stay at 100% for 15-20min. No other servers have problems in the health.log file associated with CPU utilization. This is not normal behavior for the server and is the first time that I know of this occuring.
I'd like to note that NLM Usage is normal for SERVER.NLM but LOADER.NLM is at 32%. None of the other blades which are identical in OS setup have LOADER.NLM with this high usage. Novell mentions unloading suspect NLMs and making sure they are up to date and there in lies the issue.
The question finally is, where can I find out exactly what LOADER.NLM is and does. I've searched the net and novell site for specific information and cannot find any. And does anyone have advice for this issue.
Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[ScottSIT]

I've used MONITOR to check the processor information and this is what i found.

Processor 1
Current status: Online
Utilization 92%
Interrupts: 200-1500
Time spent in interrupts, in microseconds: 2,500-4,000
Number of bound threads: 54-57

The utilization, interrupts, and time spent in interrupts is considerably higher on this blade than the others.

 

[ScottSIT]

Well we broke down and scheduled a restart of the server. Before restarting we tried to unload loader.nlm first and then restart it to see if it was in fact this module cause the problem. An error was returned saying the module isn't loaded, so we just restarted the server and everthing is back to normal so far.

If anyone has any experience to offer I'd appreciate it.

Thanks again.

 

[marvhuffaker]

Loader.nlm is an embedded module that is inside SERVER.EXE. It's one of the first modules that load when the server boots up. Troubleshooting it can be very difficult.

I will say that this is NOT normal for your server to be running spikes like that. I will accept an occasional spike as long as it goes back down, but anything that sustains for more than a minute or two is a problem. EXCEPT if running a backup or other processor intense service - then I expect a high load.

What service pack are you running? I'd recommend getting to at least SP5 and there are a few Post SP5 patches available. Make sure any IBM specific modules are also up to date.

There may be other ways to troubleshoot and/or identify the problem, but it could be a complex engineering process that is difficult to do on a forum.

Marvin Huffaker, MCNE

http://www.redjuju.com

 

[ScottSIT]

I've just started this position, so forgive this question. How would I determine the OS version and SP level. AdRem tells me we are using OS Netware 5.7, and they tell us we are on OES Novell 6.5 with sp5.

 

[marvhuffaker]

If you type VERSION at the server console, it will tell you exactly what you have. Could you find out, and then also post the full results? Specifically, I'd like to know the date reported by the SERVER.EXE (Or SERVER.NLM) module that it shows on that screeen.

You should be able to copy/paste the full screen directly out of AFREECON, another ADREMSOFT tool that gives you remote access to the console.

Marvin Huffaker, MCNE

http://www.redjuju.com

 

[ScottSIT]

I was looking through a command list for something like "VERSION" also, can't believe I missed that. Here is the info:

Novell Open Enterprise Server, NetWare 6.5
Support Pack Revision 05
(C) Copyright 1983-2005 Novell Inc. All Rights Reserved. Patent Pending.
Server Version 5.70.05 December 16, 2005
Novell eDirectory Version 8.7.3.7 SMP
NDS Version 10552.79 August 9, 2005
Server License: Novell NetWare 6 Server 650 SN:*EDITED*
User Licenses: Audited
BLADE1:

Thanks for the assistance.

 

[marvhuffaker]

This is kinda hard to explain, but you are not running recommended patches. There were some patches put out after SP5 was released. These patches were specific to the startups and resolved some stability and performance issues. I can tell you are not running these patches because the Server Version is dated Dec 16, 2005. The one you need is dated April xx 2006 (can't remember exactly).

You could also jump directly to SP6 if you wanted to, but probably not necessary and could muddy the water..

Although there are numerous things that could cause high utilization, this is where you need to start. Get patched, then troubleshoot further.

The patch you need is nw65sp5upd1.exe and can be found here:

http://download.novell.com/Download?buildid=iuag8CI5Y0E~

Marvin Huffaker, MCNE

http://www.redjuju.com

 

[ScottSIT]

I kind of figured it was not up to date. I was told it was OS 6.5 sp5, while I had my reservations I am still new and figured it was my lack of experience. Thanks for the help. I assume this old date would be why adrem is reporting Netware 5.7? At any rate I'll be preparing the information required for an update.

Again thanks!

 

[marvhuffaker]

No ADREM is just reporting what Netware tells it. Netware will still say 5.7.6 (or similar).. Just like it shows on the Version screen. This is a little confusing, no doubt.