NSTRESS Manual

Warranty = none

Its strictly at your own risk. Tested on AIX 5L. If you run these as a regular user - no harm can be done but as the root user they can be danagous.

Warning

Note: ncpu running as root will try to boost its priority. This will effectively lock out an entire CPU(s) (if the slowing down options are not used). Which can be a good thing, if that is what you want - this effectively removes the CPU from your configuration.

Feedback

Put questions to http://www.ibm.com/eserver/pseries/community/ and take the Performance Tools Forum link. If you develop a good script - why not put them up here.

Note: Most commands now have the following options

Options Comments

-o

This allows the process to rename itself so that it looks like something else when it is running. For example, a database. * This HAS to be the LAST option on the line. This also fools programs like ps and nmon. I call the masquerading.

-z

This cause the program to not run flat out and so behave like a user driven command. This is performed at the millisecond level and is quick effective.

-s

This specifies the maximum time in second to run. ALWAYS use this to make sure the programs stop, otherwise you can slow down a machine forever (or reboot), also if you "over cook" the workload by starting too many programs and the machine stops responding - you can at least just wait for the timeout for recovery to happen

(better than a reboot).

ncpu -h output
Usage: ncpu version 9.0 hammers the cpu(s) Note: root users get a priority boost = effectively removes the CPU(s) Hint hammer CPU mode: ncpu -p procs [-z percent] [-s secs] [-h secs] [-o "cmd"] -p procs = number of copies of cpu to start (max=256) -z percent = Snooze percent - time spent sleeping (default 0) -s seconds = Seconds maximum run time (default no limit) -h seconds = Seconds to sleep after each second of run time -o "cmd" = Other command - pretend to be this other cmd when running Must be the last option on the line Hint CPU counter mode: ncpu -c

ndisk -k output
Usage: ndisk version 5.9 Complex Disk tests - sequential or random read and write mixture ndisk -S Sequential Disk I/O test (file or raw device) -R Random Disk I/O test (file or raw device) -t <secs> -f <file> -f <list> [separators :,+] -F <file> -M <num> -s <size> Timed duration of the test in seconds (default 5) use "File" for disk I/O (can be a file or raw device) use separated list of filenames (max 16) example: -f f1,f2,f3 or -f /dev/rlv1:/dev/rlv2 <file> contains list of filenames, one per line Multiple processes used to generate I/O file Size, use with K, M or G (mandatory for raw

device)

example -s 256M or -s 4G -r <read%> Read percent min=0,max=100 (default 80 =80%read+20%write) example -r 50 (-r 0 = write only, -r 100 = read only) -b <size> Block size, use with K, M or G (default 4KB) -O <size> first byte offset use with K, M or G (times by proc#) -b <list> or use a colon separated list of block sizes (536876292 max)

example -b 512:1k:2K:8k:1M:2m -q flush file to disk after each write (fsync()) -Q flush file to disk via open() O_SYNC flag -i <MB> Use shared memory for I/O MB is the size(max=536876100 MB) -v Verbose mode = gives extra stats but slower -l Logging disk I/O mode = see *.log but slower still -o "cmd" Other command - pretend to be this other cmd when running Must be the last option on the line -K num Shared memory key (default 0xdeadbeef) allows multiple programs -p Pure = each Sequential thread does read or write not both -P file Pure with separate file for writers -z percent Snooze percent - time spent sleeping (default 0) Pre_POSIX AIO and needs fixing up Asynchronous I/O tests (AIO) -A AIO use -S/-R, -f/-F and -r, -M, -s, -b to determine I/O types (JFS file or raw device) -x <min> minimum outstanding Async I/Os (min=0 and min<max) -X <max> maximum outstanding Async I/Os (max=1024) see Above -f <file> -s <size> -R <read%> -b <size> For example: ndisk ndisk ndisk ndisk

-f -f -F -F

bigfile -S -r100 -b 4096:8k:64k:1m -t 600 bigfile -R -r75 -b 4096:8k:64k:1m -q filelist -R -r75 -b 4096:8k:64k:1m -M 16 filelist -R -r75 -b 4096:8k:64k:1m -M 16 -l -v

ndiskaio for Asynch compiled in version ndiskaio -A -F filelist -R -r50 -b 4096:8k:64k:1m -M 16 -x 8 -X 64

nmem -h output
Usage: nmem version 2.0 Hint: scans memory nmem -m Mbytes [-s Mbytes MaxSeconds percent percentage o f the time MaxSeconds] [-z percent][-o "cmd"] = Size of RAM to use = maximum time of the test = Snooze percent (process sleeps for the

Memory speed test with increasing memory sizes - may highlight CPU cache sizes nmem -c [-s MaxSeconds] MaxSeconds = maximum time of the test (default 60) Example: nmem -c -s 1000 of 1000 seconds) nmem -m 1 -s 60 nmem -m 6 -o "sally -x" sally with parameter -x - cycle through tests (maximum - 1 MB for 1 minutes (default) - 6 MB pretend to be process

nlog -h output
Usage: nlog version 2.0 Hint: generates a log file at a steady rate to standard error nlog -k Kbytes -s Seconds -m MaxSeconds -o "cmd" nlog -k 1 -s 60 is the default Example: nlog -k 2 -s 1 -m 600 - 2 K per second for 10 minutes nlog -k 2 -s 1 - 2 K per second forever nlog -k 2 -s 1 -o "bert -x" - 2 K per second pretend to be process bert with parameter -x nlog -k 1 -s 60 -m 300 - 1 K per minute for 5 minutes nlog -k 200 -s 1 -m 3600 - 200 K per second for an hour Total of 7442 error lines

nipc -h output
This runs processes that communicate with shared memory with control via a semaphore and then back again with a message queue.

Usage: nipc version 2.0 nipc: hammers inter-process communication (IPC) that is shared memory, semaphores and message queues hint: nipc -p procs -s seconds

nfile -h output
Usage: nfile version 2.0 Hint: creates and deletes files = generates JFS log file work nfile -d directory [-k Kbytes] [-c Files] [-m MaxSeconds] [-z percent] [o "cmd"] -d directory - top level directory -k Kbytes - size of the files to create in KB (default 4KB)

4096)

-c Files

- number of files to maintain (+/- 10) (default

option) Example:

-m MaxSeconds - stop of so many seconds -z percent - percent of time to sleep/snooze -o "cmd" - pretend to be a different cmd (must be the last

nfile -d mydir -k 1 -c 10000 -m 600 nfile -d /tmp/files -k 64 -o "bert -x"