[Casper] server performances

[Thomas Larkin]

We have a 6,200 client deployment.  I have 1 JSS which is a dual
quad-core xeon intel Xserve with 8gigs of RAM, and then I have the same
thing with 4gigs of RAM at each building as a master file server and
netboot/image server.   

Then I have mac minis set up as fail over distribution points that are
running OS X server.  Last year all I had were the Mac minis, and it did
work.  Our old JSS was a G5 dual processor with 6 gigs of ram and the
mysql daemon just destroyed that processor.  It was always maxed out. 
Now that I have the new xserve I am sitting between 10 to 20 percent
usage for 6,200 clients.  Your biggest bottle neck will always be disk
I/O. 

I created one giant image for mass imaging and will go back and do
package based when I get a chance to separate all the packages into
configurations.  I just don't have time to do that at the moment.  My
image is dual boot and about 9 gigs in size and I can do 20 clients at
once in about 20 to 25 minutes.   

I don't think network services will increase performance if you have
slow disk I/O.  I do have RAID 0 running on my Casper servers.   

Running OS X 10.5.4 server, Casper 6.01 




___________________________
Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
cell:  913-449-7589
office:  913-627-0351




>>> <NATHANIEL.LINDLEY at spps.org> 09/10/08 8:18 AM >>>

Our main stress is not the imaging part, I've accepted that it will be
slower b/c file copy instead of block copy for the configuration and not
being multi-cast.  I have three main servers for imaging reasons.   The
JSS is Intel 8-core, w/8GB RAM, 3 drive Hardware RAID.   The NetBoot
server is G5 w.8GB RAM and the Master file share is Intel 8-core/8GB
RAM, attached to Promise RAID.   So we've divieded up the load for
imaging to 3 servers, all Gigibit with client on 100MB.   (How much is a
48-port gigiabit Cisco switch!?!?!?!?!)

We notice that imaging  a couple computers takes about the same amount
of time as a bunch.  Most we have done is about 20 at a time.  The AFP
filecopy is limited and the servers never top out.  

Not sure if that helps,  I'm curious to see if we put the Master
fileshare on a Windows box with ExtremeZ-IP (AFP) or SMB if the
performance would increase. . . 

-Nathaniel
SPPS






"Ernst, Craig S." <ERNSTCS at uwec.edu> 
Sent by: casper-bounces at list.jamfsoftware.com 
09/10/08 07:40 AM 

To 

Criss Myers <cmyers at uclan.ac.uk>, Casper List
<casper at list.jamfsoftware.com> 

cc 


Subject 

Re: [Casper] server performances 











You do also have to keep in mind the client end, what its specs are, and
what type of network it is attached to.

You have roughly the same setup as me, I just have more RAM really. I
don’t serve AFP from my Xserve I actually have SMB from our primary file
storage for imaging Win as well as Mac on a Windows server attached to
some SAN.

I wonder what Thomas Larkin does, he has a decent sized deployment, and
so does Nathaniel, but perhaps they are more distributed.

Craig E


On 9/10/08 5:34 AM, "Criss Myers" <cmyers at uclan.ac.uk> wrote:

 

Hi ALL,   

     

As you people seem to have many more servers and clients than me I
thought you'd be good people to ask about performance.    

     

I have 145 clients, being increased by 83.    


I have 1 XServe Quad core 2 x 2.8 with 2gb of ram and bonded Ethernet
ports   


All clients and servers running 10.5.4 and casper 6.01    

     

I am using AFP for my distribution port and each mac is getting a total
install of about 60gb (final cut studio)   

     

I am currently imaging 100 macs and the server is running at 90% cpu and
100% ram and with a throughput of mac 54MB/sec    

     

A) is this what i should expect? or is my setup not performing well?   


B) what kind of setup do you people have to deploy how many macs and how
big a deployment size?   


C) any advice on how to improve my set, more ram, fibre cards, drive
setups, more servers?   

     

RLIS Business Support Team

Library 301

University of Central Lancashire

Preston PR1 2HE

Ex 5054

01772 895054

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