an MP3 stream glitches when doing minimal tasks on server

Been running couple days and have noticed one issue. Let's say I'm playing an MP3 file from the unraid server and then do some minimal tasks on the server, like copying or even quickly browsing the folders I will notice my MP3 stream cuts out for like a second, then continues. Only happens when I'm doing small tasks so I can re-create at anytime. I would have noticed this on 4.7, but did not. Anyone see anything similar?

I just tested this again. I started to play an MP3 file that resides on my unraid server. Then started a copy from the same computer to the unraid server and the MP3 cuts out big time. I'll get like 10-20 second pauses and even more. Right now the sound completely stopped. I'm all hard wired on a 1000mbit network. I would have noticed this for sure on 4.7 since I'm always playing music from the server. I have multiple computers, so I will test them also. I'll look at the log after the file copies to see if there is anything there, and if there is I'll upload it here.

Just checked my syslog. There is actually nothing in it during the time I was trying to play my MP3 file. If someone maybe know a place to look, I'll check it out. Maybe some kind of throughput monitor or something, might tell me if something is maxxing out? How about the Linux process TOP? Will that tell me anything?

Is it possible your hardware is not up to the job of multi tasking and this is causing the issue? Yes I know you said it did not do it on 4.7 though. Surely this is a major, fundamental issue and others would have spotted it?

sounds like it might be network contention.  Wonder if the 5.0 SMB changes might not be as good at handling concurrent streams.

My server does this occasionally when I'm copying to it. Most of the time its due to drive spinups.

Drive spinups sound like a very good suspect for this.  Some operations do seem to spin drives up sequentially rather than in parallel, that is, it spins one drive up to access it, does not find what it wants so spins the next drive up, and repeats for each in a group.  That can take a long time.

It almost sounds like commands to the drive are still using the Big Kernel Lock.  In particular, I think I remember that ReiserFS was one of the last file systems to use it, and that that might not change since Reiser usage was becoming a lower priority, or Reiser developers were becoming scarcer.  When the BKL is used, then some things stop dead, until it is released.  Normally, it is a very brief pause, but spin ups and downs are an extreme exception.

Correction: apparently as of Linux 2.6.33 (see ReiserFS), the BKL has been removed.  But it still sounds like the spin up or down handling is stopping the file system, must be a lock somewhere that is still not designed for simultaneous usage.

Sorry, has nothing to do with drive spinups since I do not spin down any of my drives. I have just tested this on another computer (laptop) and it did the same thing. My unraid server has 14 WD Black Drives 7200rpm, 8GB of ram and a dual-core E8500 processor. I do not think it is the hardware. My end Windows computer was a i7 dual-core laptop with 8GB of ram and an SSD drive. If I copy the music files to another computer and do the same test nothing drops out.

Please tell me how to revert back to 4.7 so I can test this out.

Please tell me how to revert back to 4.7 so I can test this out.

It should be almost as easy as replacing the bzroot and bzimage files, plus deleting or restoring your old password files (if saved), since the security changed between these versions.  I believe Joe L responded to you with the precise files once before.

It might be good also to check your network quality, by using ifconfig to see if there are errors or collisions in the transmit or receive statistics.  See the Console Commands for Networking section.

Already checked that. 0 collisions and 0 errors reporting during the tests.

Are there any other tests I can do for this? Playing one MP3 file doesn't take much at all. Maybe I'll try to play / copy through disk shares instead of user shares. I dunno, something. Right now I actually have to copy all my music to my local computer then play it.

***Yes, the problem still happens with using just disk shares.***

Do you have any add-on software running on the server?

I've been playing mp3/flac files for twelve hours, a movie is playing, and I've been accessing mail on unRAID running Dovecot as a mail server.  I don't get any drop outs.

Do all that as you were doing, then try to copy like a 4GB file to your unraid server from the same machine you are listening to music on. Let me know what happens. I wish I had something to video record this with.

No add on stuff. Just simplefeatures. Well, that is an add on? Ok, I don't "think" that is it, but I'll rename my extra folder and reboot, and see what happens.

Any update on this issue? I'm curious to know if it has been replicated and/or resolved.

What computer/OS and player are you using to play the MP3's?

Using Win7, WMP12, can not get it to glitch no matter what I do.  Copy to/from same disk as music file, multiple copies, parity check running, works ok for me.  I do notice WMP can take a few seconds to stop and switch to another file when all that activity is happening, but once music starts, sound is flawless.

Edit: got it to glitch by adding a third write stream.  Still interested in what player you're using.

My server does this occasionally when I'm copying to it. Most of the time its due to drive spinups.

I'd be interested to know the h/w you're using and details about operations necessary to make it "glitch".

Should not glitch during spinups unless you are reading media file from IDE drive and then try to spin up the other IDE drive on the same channel. Or, similar scenario, if using SATA drives attached to fairly old SATA controllers.  (Early sata controllers were implemented by just bolting on serializer/deserializer to existing IDE channel design.)  There two cases were why "spinup groups" were implemented.

I'd be interested to know the h/w you're using and details about operations necessary to make it "glitch".

 

Should not glitch during spinups unless you are reading media file from IDE drive and then try to spin up the other IDE drive on the same channel. Or, similar scenario, if using SATA drives attached to fairly old SATA controllers.  (Early sata controllers were implemented by just bolting on serializer/deserializer to existing IDE channel design.)  There two cases were why "spinup groups" were implemented.

Using a Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3, 4Gb ram, all modern SATA drives. It's a modern motherboard, using recent chipsets.

Running gigabit to a 10.7 OS X client. Occasionally I'll get pauses while I copy something, otherwise it will always pause when I spin up a drive. Using AFP, same thing happens with SMB. Use iTunes, but same thing happens with VLC/ other player.

Can you create a test case?  For example, I have a server here with music on disk1. I spun down all disks, then clicked on a music file in Explorer and it fired up WMP12 - no music until disk spun up, then music started.  Next went to other disk and user shares to browse the file contents to the point of forcing a disk spin up - paused, but no break in the music playback.  Repeated experiment with iTunes instead of WMP12, but still on Win7, still no music pause.

Sure, can do.

Have you done any testing with the user shares?

Sure, can do.

 

Have you done any testing with the user shares?

Yes.

Sure, can do.

 

Have you done any testing with the user shares?

Yes.

K, I'll get you some results as quick as I can.

I have been having something similar but just never meantioned anything. Via Plex running on a Mac mini, mostly TV shows pause 4 seconds into playing any one. Have to assume the drive is spun up as It plays the first 3 seconds, pauses by the 4th second, 4-5 seconds later it continues. Plex is not transcoding, direct play via afp to user share. My movies and tv shows are on completely different disks. So once finished watching an episode and i execute the next episode, same behavior? Really weird but I have been living with this behavior since at least beta12. And cannot really rule out its the plex Mac client, but movies don't show this behavior. No plugins running.

What computer/OS and player are you using to play the MP3's?

 

Using Win7, WMP12, can not get it to glitch no matter what I do.  Copy to/from same disk as music file, multiple copies, parity check running, works ok for me.  I do notice WMP can take a few seconds to stop and switch to another file when all that activity is happening, but once music starts, sound is flawless.

 

Edit: got it to glitch by adding a third write stream.  Still interested in what player you're using.

I use VLC for all my local compute media playback. I do not run scrapers or anything like that. I just go into the folder and select what I want to play.

The computer I'm playing them on is a Dell Optiplex 790. Windows 7 64bit with 8GB of ram.

What computer/OS and player are you using to play the MP3's?

 

Using Win7, WMP12, can not get it to glitch no matter what I do.  Copy to/from same disk as music file, multiple copies, parity check running, works ok for me.  I do notice WMP can take a few seconds to stop and switch to another file when all that activity is happening, but once music starts, sound is flawless.

 

Edit: got it to glitch by adding a third write stream.  Still interested in what player you're using.

 

I use VLC for all my local compute media playback. I do not run scrapers or anything like that. I just go into the folder and select what I want to play.

The computer I'm playing them on is a Dell Optiplex 790. Windows 7 64bit with 8GB of ram.

Have you tried another client computer? Do you still get the issue?

I too have this occur on a regular basis. Usually when I have sab running and am listening to a MP3, then attempt to bring up the SMB shares everything freezes for a good 10-15 seconds sometimes. The explorer window will hang and my MP3 currently playing will just stop. It resumes playing as soon as the explorer window catches up and lists all the SMB shares.

The MP3 stops playing in VLC, spotify, and itunes.

The PC is running Windows 7. It has happened in 5.0 beta 11, beta12a, and 14. I don't remember if it ever happened on 4.7.