NFS Freezes on file transfer

Hey guys quick question. I'm trying to move some files over to my server using my mapped nfs folder. The files range from 700mb to 2gb. The issue I'm having is kinda a weird one. I have transfered a 1.7gb file and a 799mb file over to the server after a lot of attempts. However most of them time the transfer just ends up freezing on my laptop somewhere in the middle. Then when I walk over to my server, the computer is kinda messed up (not letting anything run and so forth) and then when I restart it, it fails shutting down nfs and the other processes it uses.

My theory is that most of the time (altho not all the time since two files transfered) I am maybe sending too much data that nfs can handle? I'm not sure tho. Any help would be great. I am currently using ftp (ugh) and would like to use nfs because its more convenient and quicker. Also any recomendations on alternative ways to do this are also welcomed and appreciated. Thanks everyone.

nomb

Actually FTP is one of, if not, the fastest protocol for copying remote files. My favorite way to do remore copies is through SCP with compression and split files. What kernel version are you running. Some older 2.4 have a 2GB limit. You may also want to compress what you are sending then decompress it; also split the file into 1GB chunks; that makes it easier for the underlying file system to handle the file, especially if you have 1GB of memory.

Originally Posted by nomb Hey guys quick question. I'm trying to move some files over to my server using my mapped nfs folder. The files range from 700mb to 2gb. The issue I'm having is kinda a weird one. I have transfered a 1.7gb file and a 799mb file over to the server after a lot of attempts. However most of them time the transfer just ends up freezing on my laptop somewhere in the middle. Then when I walk over to my server, the computer is kinda messed up (not letting anything run and so forth) and then when I restart it, it fails shutting down nfs and the other processes it uses. My theory is that most of the time (altho not all the time since two files transfered) I am maybe sending too much data that nfs can handle? I'm not sure tho. Any help would be great. I am currently using ftp (ugh) and would like to use nfs because its more convenient and quicker. Also any recomendations on alternative ways to do this are also welcomed and appreciated. Thanks everyone. nomb

You might try doing it via nfs with these flags when you mount:

rsize=8192,wsize=8192

Block sizes have a lot to do with the efficiency of your NFS server based on its memory, cpu, disk speed etc. You can use larger block sizes with servers that have better throughput. For example I have two servers at home running NFS; one is a Pentium 2 with 192 mb of ram and a 7200 RPM, and I mount w/ rsize=8192,wsize=8192. On the other hand I have a Sun e420r (2x450mhz USparcII) and a gig of ram with dual 36.7 GB scsi drives and I use a larger block size, I think 3 or 4 times what I use on the linux server. You'll just need to play with block sizes and see where you go. Here's a site you can look at that has a little info on it: http://www.higs.net/85256C89006A03D2...NFSClientSetup

hope that helps, happy linuxing.

Shoot the link to the performance page is broken. Do you remember how it said to determine what you should set for your block size?