[wellylug] Load averages - Gentoo v. Debian

[Bret Comstock Waldow]

wellylug-request at lists.wellylug.org.nz wrote:
>
> Subject:
> [wellylug] High load averages but no apparent cause
> From:
> David Harrison <david.harrison at stress-free.co.nz>
> Date:
> Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:49:07 +1300
> To:
> Wellington Linux Users Group <wellylug at lists.wellylug.org.nz>
>
> To:
> Wellington Linux Users Group <wellylug at lists.wellylug.org.nz>
>
>
> Hi,
> Has anyone experienced high-load averages but haven't been able to see
> processes that are causing it?
The other responses to this are probably on track for what you are
asking, but I have an observation about this general issue that I will
hang off of this message, just for general interest.

I'm working through the best set up for my laptop/tablet.  Given various
requirements, I've implemented the same desktop in Gentoo and Debian
Lenny.  By that I mean I have the same user-level programs running
viewing the same files & web sites, etc.  There are probably differences
in the services running behind the scenes that I'm not considering as
I'm not using them.

One thought is that Debian has services running that the Gentoo install
does not, as I haven't specifically set them up in Gentoo, but they come
with Debian by default.

I have about 300-500Mbytes more free memory with the Gentoo
implementation, and the system load looks to be a fairly constant 15% -
30% less, expressed as CPU percentage on the same hardware (swapping
identical physical disk models for each install).

Occasionally on the Gentoo implementation, FireFox starts soaking up
lots of CPU cycles (I currently have about 80 pages opened in tabs). 
Perhaps if I left it it might relinquish them later, but when I spot it
after a few minutes (I want to use my tablet) I kill all Firefox
sessions and restart it, which improves its behaviour after it has
finished reloading.  But typical behaviour is the noticeably lighter
load on Gentoo, where I'm using the Firefox package I compile on the
machine rather than the binary download-and-install-it package.

I am using the XFCE desktop, and I have been fairly ruthless about
keeping Gnome out of my Gentoo implementation - 'gnome-keyring' is the
only gnome entry in my "use flags" for Gentoo.  Debian XFCE is 4.4, and
Gentoo is 4.6, Firefox 3.5.6 on Gentoo, and IceWeasel 3.0.6 on Debian.

Cheers,
Bret