Re: Sun Fire T2000 and PostgreSQL 8.1.3

Hi Juan Casero,<br /><br /> I've found that serial query clients are best served by PostgreSQL running on fast single
ordual core processors, ( such as the Athlon FX60 ) rather than expensive n-way systems. I was orginally using an 8-way
Xeoncomputer for a similar serial throughput problem. and i wasn't supprised to find that at least 6 of the 8
processorswere idle. The point is, for this type client, you are better off spending the money on the fastest single or
dualcore processors than a multiway box.<br /><br /> Anthony.<br /><br /> Juan Casero (FL FLC) wrote: <blockquote
cite="mid7583B3F1891CC0429FA4A44952AA539C66FA2C@wfm-exchprd2.wfm.pvt"type="cite"><div align="left" dir="ltr"><span
class="812374617-05042006"><fontface="Arial" size="2">Greetings -</font></span></div><div><span
class="812374617-05042006"></span> </div><div><spanclass="812374617-05042006"><font face="Arial" size="2">I am testing
aSun Microsystems Sun Fire T2000 demo server at our company.   I want to know if anyone here has any experience with
thishardware and postgresql 8.1.3.  I installed the copy of postgresql 8.1.3 from blastwave.org onto this demo box and
loadedour production database into it.  This box has a single Ultrasparc T1 cpu with six execution piplelines that can
eachhandle 4 threads.  With the Unix top utility the postgresql server appears to bounce around between the available
threadson the system.  For example I run a single large query and I can see the postgresql server sometimes running on
cpu/0,other times on cpu/1, cpu/3,....etc up to cpu/23.   However, never is the load for the postgres server reported
tobe higher than 4.16%.  I did the math and 4.16% x 24 threads = 98.84% cpu load.  So I wonder if the Solaris 10 kernel
issomehow throttling the processes so that any single virtual processor can do no more than 4.16% load.  We got this
serverlast week and I was able to install it in our rack just yesterday.   Now I need to see how I can optimize the
postgresqlserver to work on this box.  Does anyone have any suggestions?   I know the postgresql server is not smp
awarebut I believe parts of it are.  In particular the buffer manager is supposed to scale the performance almost
linearlywith the number of cpu's (including virtual ones).  I don't know however, if I need to recompile the postgresql
servermyself to get those benefits.   I am using the version of postgresql 8.1.3 that is available on blastwave.org.  I
amalso working with the 64 bit version of the database server.   This machine has over 8GB of ram so I was thinking of
usingthe 64 bit version of the postgresql server so I can access ram beyong the 4gb limit imposed by 32 bit
addressing. Any help or recommendations for performance tweaking of postgresql is very much
appreciated.</font></span></div><div><spanclass="812374617-05042006"></span> </div><div><span
class="812374617-05042006"></span> </div><div><spanclass="812374617-05042006"><font face="Arial"
size="2">Thanks,</font></span></div><div><spanclass="812374617-05042006"><font face="Arial"
size="2">Juan</font></span></div></blockquote><br/>