Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Ethan Z -
Number of replies: 14

My Linux OpenSuse server all the sudden became bogged down, it had to be rebooted, could not ssh in or use the Vmware to open get to the consol.  

Cause: Switching automatic backups on (enable) slows the server immediatly. The CPU is used up by apache2 processes that increase with this option turned on.  

The backups are not even setup to run now, they run on the weekend so why does switching the auto backup opion to enable causes an issue immediately?

More details:

Site Admin > Courses > Course request > backups > automatic backups>

Using Moodle 2.3.3+ (Build: 20121220)

Plenty of free disk space

Only CPU spikes up to 100%, not RAM

Changing it back to "Disable" resolves the issue and the server goes back to normal.

See screen shot

Thanks! 

Attachment moodlebackup.JPG
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In reply to Ethan Z

Re: Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Ethan Z -

Anyone?  

 

or is moodle just a piece of art that's so weird and peculiar evident by all the people here seeking help. 

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In reply to Ethan Z

Re: Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Ethan Z -

I am still waiting, anyone?   anyone seen this issue?  anyone with ideas?  

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In reply to Ethan Z

Re: Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

No offense meant, but if this forum was commercial and you paid for it, then one could be expected to be 'impatient'.  Ok, you're stressed ... understandable, but ... smile

Don't run Susie ... but CentOS ... a couple in a virtual VMware environment ... and have no issues with it.  Of course, the size of my backups may not be the same as yours. 

Since it is virtual, wonder what your number of cores is set to?  Too low?  Memory?  Backup process is heavy, there is no doubt, considering what it is doing.  Have you considered tweaking the number of apache servers running and awaiting connections or any other tweaks to apache?  Considered increasing memory?

'spirit of sharing', Ken

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In reply to Ethan Z

Re: Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Translators
Hi

Do you say, once you schedule automatic backups for Saturday, your server slows down immediately, even on a Thursday? That would be very odd.

This is on openSUSE? I thought you went for Ubuntu: https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=221581#p966740.
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In reply to Visvanath Ratnaweera

Re: Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Ethan Z -

Exactly

the CPU spikes up the server comes to a hault, simply by enabling this option (i.e. the backups are not running yet)

OpenSuse

1 vCPU

I will add another CPU and see what happens

 

BTW: I am not that person you think I am..not the same Ethan

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In reply to Ethan Z

Re: Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Frederic Nevers -

I have had a similar issue in the past, due to a humongus course (several GB). The PHP process was running out of RAM and couldn't complete the backup on time. This meant that everytime the backup was re-enabled, it started from where it left off whenever the cron would be instantiated (for me every 5 minutes). I resolved this by using a different zip/unzip package and purging the temp files and increasing the amount of RAM a PHP process can use. This was for 1.9 though, not sure how to provide a different package for Moodle 2 and whether it's safe to delete temp files. What happens if you increase the RAM a PHP process can use?

I wonder if this could be of use https://moodle.org/plugins/view.php?plugin=local_externalzip

Cheers, 
Fred

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In reply to Frederic Nevers

Re: Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Rick Jerz -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers

Which "temp" files did you purge?  Was this somewhere in Moodle, or on your server?

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In reply to Ethan Z

Re: Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Translators
Noticed that you have another crisis: "I need cron help plz - disk space used up overnight" https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=222575. Possibly these two things are related.
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In reply to Visvanath Ratnaweera

Re: Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Ethan Z -

yep they are.

i found when i "enabled" the auto backups, that a backup is run immediately (that is what uased up all CPU) i added another CPU and its ok now.

but the scheduled automated backup, ran on its own a couple nights ago causing the issue in the other thread i posted that you linked to! 

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In reply to Ethan Z

Re: Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Translators
Hi

> i found when i "enabled" the auto backups, that a backup is run immediately (that is what uased up all CPU)

That would be a bug, a fat one!

> i added another CPU and its ok now.

I doubt the long term success.

> but the scheduled automated backup, ran on its own a couple nights ago causing the issue in the other thread i posted that you linked to!

One thing you have to be careful, Moodle doesn't like it when cron jobs start overtaking each other!
sad
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In reply to Visvanath Ratnaweera

Re: Enabling automatic backups slows down server now

by Ethan Z -

Where can i find cron job history/logs?

 

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