This is with the fedora kernel 2.6.10-1.760_FC3smp I've reproduced this on 2 SMP systems with different NFS servers and several Fedora 2.6.10 kernels. I could not reproduce the problem with a non-SMP kernel or a 2.4 kernel. I have not tried with a pre 2.6.10 kernel.
I think some others have seen similar things in this old thread: http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/1/17/201 Running john the ripper (dictionary password cracker) from an NFS mounted directory causes the system to become very sluggish. Copying the same directory to local disk and running john from there, the system runs smoothly. In an NFS mounted dir I start "vmstat 1", then start "./john -restore", and then kill john after a few seconds. vmstat output follows. sy cpu time looks interesting to me. procs -----------memory---------- ---swap-- -----io---- --system-- ----cpu---- r b swpd free buff cache si so bi bo in cs us sy id wa 0 0 0 1828124 28636 142444 0 0 80 17 279 72 2 2 93 3 0 0 0 1828124 28636 142444 0 0 0 0 1115 54 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1828124 28636 142444 0 0 0 0 1005 16 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1828124 28636 142444 0 0 0 0 1119 46 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1828124 28636 142444 0 0 0 0 1027 32 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1827996 28644 142436 0 0 0 36 1107 40 0 0 100 0 0 1 0 1827996 28644 142436 0 0 0 4 1013 26 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1828060 28644 142436 0 0 0 0 1119 57 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1828060 28644 142436 0 0 0 0 1042 42 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1827932 28644 142436 0 0 0 0 1109 47 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1827932 28644 142436 0 0 0 0 1029 48 0 0 100 0 0 1 0 1827932 28652 142428 0 0 0 16 1106 40 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1827932 28652 142428 0 0 0 0 1006 20 0 0 100 0 2 0 0 1822804 28652 142948 0 0 0 0 2080 296 9 9 82 0 2 0 0 1822804 28652 142948 0 0 0 0 1006 10 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1822804 28652 142948 0 0 0 0 1075 30 25 23 51 0 1 0 0 1822804 28652 142948 0 0 0 0 1037 28 25 23 52 0 2 0 0 1822804 28652 142948 0 0 0 0 1061 25 25 14 61 0 1 0 0 1822812 28660 142940 0 0 0 24 1050 25 25 32 43 0 2 0 0 1822812 28660 142940 0 0 0 0 1033 17 25 18 57 0 2 0 0 1822812 28660 142940 0 0 0 0 1078 32 25 17 59 0 1 0 0 1822748 28660 142940 0 0 0 0 1105 40 25 16 59 0 3 0 0 1822748 28660 142940 0 0 0 0 1263 17 25 52 23 0 1 0 0 1822684 28660 142940 0 0 0 0 1303 41 25 21 54 0 2 0 0 1822684 28660 142940 0 0 0 0 1165 15 25 25 50 0 2 0 0 1822684 28660 142940 0 0 0 0 1240 26 25 6 69 0 0 0 0 1826964 28668 142932 0 0 0 20 1242 79 7 12 80 0 0 0 0 1826964 28668 142932 0 0 0 0 1014 22 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1826964 28668 142932 0 0 0 0 1108 42 0 0 100 0 If I then copy the same directory to local disk (/tmp) and do the same thing, system has no slowdown, vmstat looks like: procs -----------memory---------- ---swap-- -----io---- --system-- ----cpu---- r b swpd free buff cache si so bi bo in cs us sy id wa 0 0 0 1809692 28812 159688 0 0 65 17 281 62 2 2 93 3 0 0 0 1809692 28812 159688 0 0 0 0 1107 36 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809692 28820 159680 0 0 0 76 1011 20 0 0 99 1 0 0 0 1809692 28820 159680 0 0 0 0 1113 60 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809756 28820 159680 0 0 0 0 1018 32 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809756 28820 159680 0 0 0 0 1111 40 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809756 28820 159680 0 0 0 0 1006 18 0 0 100 0 0 1 0 1809756 28824 159676 0 0 0 16 1105 40 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809756 28828 159672 0 0 0 8 1017 22 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809756 28828 159672 0 0 0 0 1104 30 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809756 28828 159672 0 0 0 0 1007 14 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809756 28828 159672 0 0 0 0 1104 30 0 0 100 0 0 1 0 1809628 28832 159668 0 0 0 20 1010 27 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809628 28836 159664 0 0 0 100 1143 61 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809628 28836 159664 0 0 0 0 1018 35 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809628 28836 159664 0 0 0 0 1125 68 0 0 99 0 0 1 0 1808860 28836 159664 0 0 0 8 1015 36 2 0 98 0 1 0 0 1805404 28852 159648 0 0 0 56 1114 56 23 0 75 2 1 0 0 1805404 28852 159648 0 0 0 0 1006 16 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805404 28852 159648 0 0 0 0 1102 30 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805404 28852 159648 0 0 0 0 1005 12 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805404 28852 159648 0 0 0 0 1103 30 25 0 75 0 1 1 0 1805404 28852 159648 0 0 0 4 1007 22 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805404 28860 159640 0 0 0 12 1106 39 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805404 28860 159640 0 0 0 0 1005 10 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805404 28860 159640 0 0 0 0 1105 38 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805404 28860 159640 0 0 0 0 1007 16 25 0 75 0 1 1 0 1805340 28860 159640 0 0 0 8 1107 41 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805340 28868 159632 0 0 0 16 1010 18 25 0 74 0 1 0 0 1805340 28868 159632 0 0 0 0 1106 37 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805340 28868 159632 0 0 0 0 1008 14 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805340 28868 159632 0 0 0 0 1104 30 25 0 75 0 1 1 0 1805404 28868 159632 0 0 0 8 1007 20 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805404 28876 159624 0 0 0 16 1107 38 25 0 74 1 1 0 0 1805404 28876 159624 0 0 0 0 1005 10 25 0 75 0 1 0 0 1805404 28876 159624 0 0 0 0 1103 30 25 0 75 0 0 0 0 1809820 28884 159616 0 0 0 20 1019 40 8 0 92 1 0 0 0 1809812 28884 159616 0 0 0 0 1110 50 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 1809812 28884 159616 0 0 0 0 1011 22 0 0 100 0 -- Norman Gaywood, Systems Administrator School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: +61 (0)2 6773 2412 http://turing.une.edu.au/~norm Fax: +61 (0)2 6773 3312 Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments. 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