Slow network speeds (Freenas running in VMware Fusion 8)

[Sander Jansen]

hey,

I'm having some problems with network speeds when transferring data to and from my freenas VM. here are some tests i did:

All disks are Virtual disk files (.VMDK) that are stored on USB3 boxes on the host


Physical disk layout on host side:

Backup = Raid 1 (2 disks)
Download = Raid 0 (2 disks)
Raid 1 = Raid 5 (5 disks)
Raid 2 = Raid 5 (5 disks)
Swap = 1 disk (not actual swap, this is a share that doesn't have a password and is used to dump temporarily before placing it where it belongs)


VM settings:
CPU: 3 cores (Intel core I5 (Mobile) 2,6 GHz)
RAM: 1 GB (DDR3 1600MHz) (tryed more but didnt affect transfer speeds?)

Host: Mac Mini (end 2014)
OS-X 10.11.1
VMware Fusion Version 8,1,0 (3272237)
All disks connected via USB 3 on the host (average speed from host: 240/250MB)
NIC: 1GB Intel

The average download and upload speed i get is around 30-35MB/s. I also tried VirtualBox but the same result. I also tried both VMware and VirtualBox with a senology VM but that was also slow... so im guessing that its something with the VM? Are there other people that have FreeNas running in a VM and have good speeds?

Thanks, Sander

 

[jgreco]

Yes. It's slow. VMware Fusion is about convenience, not about performance.

 

[gpsguy]

Doesn't everyone setup their disks this way "All disks are Virtual disk files (.VMDK) that are stored on USB3 boxes on the host".

And, 1GB of RAM for FreeNAS.

Maybe this is a contender for one of the worst FreeNAS builds for 2015.

Yes. It's slow. VMware Fusion is about convenience, not about performance.

 

[Sander Jansen]

If your just here to complain... Then dont bother posting it... It wont help anyone...

There isnt much else i can do because it has to be inside osx because that machine is the only one thats 24/7 on and also has the disks... Other services also need to be ran... It was eighter pushing through the usb connection to freenas or making vmdk files on all the disks and the last one was most stable so there...

I cant put everything in anotger case because then i would also need raid cards and a server case to store the 15 disks... So if thats your awnser... Dont bother sugesting it...it wont help me...

 

[pirateghost]

If your just here to complain... Then dont bother posting it... It wont help anyone...

There isnt much else i can do because it has to be inside osx because that machine is the only one thats 24/7 on and also has the disks... Other services also need to be ran... It was eighter pushing through the usb connection to freenas or making vmdk files on all the disks and the last one was most stable so there...

I cant put everything in anotger case because then i would also need raid cards and a server case to store the 15 disks... So if thats your awnser... Dont bother sugesting it...it wont help me...

Then you aren't going to like the answer. FreeNAS isn't for you based on this configuration.

 

[jgreco]

So let me see, you hooked your caravan

to your motorcycle

and now you're upset because the performance isn't that good and ....

There isnt much else i can do because it has to be inside osx because that machine is the only one thats 24/7 on and also has the disks... Other services also need to be ran... It was eighter pushing through the usb connection to freenas or making vmdk files on all the disks and the last one was most stable so there...

I cant put everything in anotger case because then i would also need raid cards and a server case to store the 15 disks... So if thats your awnser... Dont bother sugesting it...it wont help me...

.... you don't want to be told that the motorcycle isn't a good choice for hauling a caravan.

It doesn't really matter if the motorcycle is the only vehicle you own. That won't make it magically enough better that it will be able to haul the caravan well. You can hook them up, yes, and it'll pull it, but the motorcycle will not be fun to ride anymore, and the caravan will only with difficulty make it up hills and through difficult terrain.

What the people here will tell you is that you really need a car, or even a small truck, to haul that caravan, and then we'll also sit here and discuss nicer caravan options too, because that's really the smart move here.

 

[Sander Jansen]

oke thats true... last time i used freenas was around version 6 or so and back then it was way lighter to run...

i did some more testing with just client os in the vm and those also have slow speeds with network trafic... so im guessing its also a part that VMware is slow on network trafic... so i guess thats also part of my problem... another thing is... that freenas wont let Acronis (backup tool) lock a file specifically for one user... is anyone having that problem? seems like a sharing rights thing... but i dont know for sure... i also have the same problem locking files when i use FTP...

 

[Sander Jansen]

What i can do is Switch with my ESXI box... then it would have 32GB ram and a I7... thing is, i cant fit the disks in there... so it would HAVE to work via USB 3... how stable is FreeNAS with USB 3? it would mean that i have another system 24/7 on... i ususally only use the ESXI for testlab

 

[pirateghost]

What i can do is Switch with my ESXI box... then it would have 32GB ram and a I7... thing is, i cant fit the disks in there... so it would HAVE to work via USB 3... how stable is FreeNAS with USB 3? it would mean that i have another system 24/7 on... i ususally only use the ESXI for testlab

This is all a recipe for disaster. Freenas is not a proper fit for this configuration

 

[Sander Jansen]

i guess i have to look for something else then...

 

[pirateghost]

i guess i have to look for something else then...

If you read the minimum recommendation for freenas you will find that your VM only had 1/8th the amount of RAM necessary to function properly.

What benefit do you think you will get by using freenas?

 

[jgreco]

oke thats true... last time i used freenas was around version 6 or so and back then it was way lighter to run...

*cough* bullchips.

This has nothing to do with how heavy FreeNAS might be to run, and everything to do with how well a Mac Mini running Fusion can run any given task. And it's not like I'm unfamiliar with the products, since I've got a bunch of Minis and a bunch of licenses for Fusion, because the most useful thing Minis can do is to run other stuff. Fusion is inherently not that fast. If it's fast enough for your task, then you get the pleasantness of running on a low watt platform.

i did some more testing with just client os in the vm and those also have slow speeds with network trafic... so im guessing its also a part that VMware is slow on network trafic... so i guess thats also part of my problem...

Yes. Plus, you really need to give FreeNAS the minimum required memory in order to have any chance of things working vaguely correctly.

What i can do is Switch with my ESXI box... then it would have 32GB ram and a I7... thing is, i cant fit the disks in there... so it would HAVE to work via USB 3... how stable is FreeNAS with USB 3? it would mean that i have another system 24/7 on... i ususally only use the ESXI for testlab

So we move up from a motorcycle to a crippled Reliant Robin. You're getting closer, one wheel at a time. USB is not an appropriate connection technology; FreeNAS cannot monitor the health of a USB disk, and this puts your data at risk. Plus there are a whole slew of other related risks. FreeNAS is not intended to run on halfass hardware. It *can*, maybe, but you're losing a lot of the things that help make it such an awesome platform for safely storing data.

 

[Roman]

The worst mistake in this setup is still OS X. Lol. :D

 

[jgreco]

The worst mistake in this setup is still OS X. Lol. :D

You realize that OS X and FreeNAS share some common ancestry, yes? (particularly scowly look shot in your direction)

 

[anodos]

You realize that OS X and FreeNAS share some common ancestry, yes? (particularly scowly look shot in your direction)

That'd be JKH, right? :D

 

[jgreco]

I was thinking more along the lines of FreeBSD, but, whatever.

 

[Roman]

You realize that OS X and FreeNAS share some common ancestry, yes? (particularly scowly look shot in your direction)

Doesn't really matter anymore. Since version 10.7, OS X has become the most unstable OS on earth; and it gets much worse with VMware Fusion installed on it. Besides that, it's trivial to kill it via some IPv6 flooding attacks.

 

[jgreco]

What's your definition of "unstable"? Because I'm just not seeing that. Been using VMware Fusion since version 3, most recently Fusion 8 Pro. I do have to say that I liked Snow Leopard better than what's come since, but in my line of work, I'm not doing heavy computing or intensive stuff on the local machine... it basically just has to run stuff like web browsers, Java, VNC, vSphere client, or LibreOffice. Windows is a necessary evil only because so much neteng stuff is oriented around Windows, so my backup workstation is a Mac Mini Server 2011, upgraded to 16G with dual mirrored SSD, running El Capitan, Fusion 8 Pro, and a trio of 22" displays, one of which is hanging off a USB2-driven DisplayLink adapter. This is actually the weakest bit of the system since it occasionally displays crap on the third display, but since I've got the three monitors stacked vertically, and I usually only throw stuff up on the top display that I am just keeping a long-term eye on, I don't care. Seems pleasant enough.

 

[Kevin Horton]

Doesn't really matter anymore. Since version 10.7, OS X has become the most unstable OS on earth; and it gets much worse with VMware Fusion installed on it. Besides that, it's trivial to kill it via some IPv6 flooding attacks.

I've been running VMware Fusion on OS X for many years, and I've never experience stability issues. I've seen performance issues, but not stability issues. I did have one bad experience with lots of instability back in the OS X 10.4 era (approximately). It was resolved by a fresh OS X install, which returned the system to the desired state of happiness.

If you are experiencing issues, perhaps there is something amiss with your system, and it needs some TLC - better to expend your energy fixing your system than scowling at those whose systems are working well