Cyrus - GFS slow start and poor performace

[Maurizio Lo Bosco]

I try to reply to every one.

Bron, that's the cyrus log on a start.
---------------------
May 14 16:41:55 ariel master[28238]: process started
May 14 16:41:55 ariel master[28240]: about to 
exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/ctl_cyrusdb
May 14 16:41:56 ariel ctl_cyrusdb[28240]: recovering cyrus databases
May 14 16:41:56 ariel ctl_cyrusdb[28240]: skiplist: 
recovered /var/lib/imap/mailboxes.db (20940 records, 1509256 bytes) in 0 
seconds
May 14 16:41:56 ariel ctl_cyrusdb[28240]: skiplist: 
recovered /var/lib/imap/annotations.db (0 records, 144 bytes) in 0 seconds
May 14 16:56:09 ariel ctl_cyrusdb[28240]: done recovering cyrus databases
May 14 16:56:09 ariel master[31046]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/idled
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[28238]: ready for work
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32426]: about to 
exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/ctl_cyrusdb
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32427]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/imapd
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32428]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/pop3d
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32429]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/lmtpd
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32430]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/imapd
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32431]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/pop3d
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32433]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/imapd
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32432]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/imapd
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32434]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/imapd
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32435]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/imapd
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32436]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/pop3d
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32438]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/pop3d
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32439]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/imapd
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32442]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/imapd
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32443]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/imapd
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32444]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/imapd
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32446]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/pop3d
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[32447]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/pop3d
May 14 17:03:16 ariel imap[32444]: executed
May 14 17:03:16 ariel imap[32435]: executed
May 14 17:03:16 ariel ctl_cyrusdb[32426]: checkpointing cyrus databases
May 14 17:03:16 ariel pop3[32447]: executed
May 14 17:03:16 ariel imap[32434]: executed
May 14 17:03:16 ariel lmtpunix[32429]: executed
May 14 17:03:16 ariel imap[32427]: executed
May 14 17:03:16 ariel pop3[32446]: executed
May 14 17:03:16 ariel imap[32433]: executed
May 14 17:03:16 ariel pop3[32436]: executed
May 14 17:03:16 ariel imap[32442]: executed
May 14 17:03:16 ariel ctl_cyrusdb[32426]: archiving database 
file: /var/lib/imap/annotations.db
May 14 17:03:16 ariel ctl_cyrusdb[32426]: archiving database 
file: /var/lib/imap/mailboxes.db
May 14 17:03:16 ariel ctl_cyrusdb[32426]: done checkpointing cyrus databases
May 14 17:03:16 ariel master[28238]: process 32426 exited, status 0
May 14 17:03:16 ariel lmtpunix[32429]: skiplist: 
recovered /var/lib/imap/deliver.db (6 records, 240828 bytes) in 0 seconds
May 14 17:12:48 ariel master[1849]: about to exec /usr/lib/cyrus-imapd/imapd
May 14 17:12:48 ariel imap[32430]: accepted connection
-------------------------------
Thanks for the great explanation of the cyrus, I will pass this information to 
the RedHat engineers and wait for a reply.

move the database on a local filesystem and use the rsync on a GFS partition 
to synchronise both nodes.
Wes, I have to find more information on the mupdate replicated architecture, 
may be a very good solution. I have taken a fast look on this but I have not 

For Scott: the servers are connected with a redundant fiber channel to a SAN 
(on 2 different controllers of the SAN). The servers are on the same 
partition of the SAN, so they can see the same lun. On that lun I have the 
shared GFS. Just a note, the GFS version 2 is available but not yet supported 
by redhat and not recommended for production environment.
Kind regards 
  Maurizio