Either WebGUI is super slow or something is going on that makes the server itself slow

[mrjimi16]

When I try to access the webgui, it "loads" but not all of the images are loaded in the tables and stuff on the main screen. My array is started, and just before posting this I could navigate through Windows explorer in all of the folders (didn't try to open any files) but when I tried to capture the syslog file (with cp /var/log/syslog /boot) I lost that ability and my PuTTY session timed out. So, I'm thinking maybe something hardware related, but I was hoping it wasn't. If anyone has any idea if there are any software related things that might cause this, I'd love to hear them.

[Frank1940]

 A couple of thoughts.  First, give us a round down of your hardware and the plugins, Dockers and any VM's you have installed.  Also what version of unRAID you are running...

 

Second, it is actually better if your type   diagnostics   on the command line.  That will write a full diagnostics file to your Flash Drive.  (It is either in the root or the logs  directory.) 

 

Third, you could try booting to the 'Safe' mode.  That is an option on the unRAID boot screen.  That would eliminate most of the software issues and leave you running a barebones NAS.  If the problem does not exist there, you have have eliminated a lot of hardware related issues.  Then you will have to sort through your installed software and their settings. 

Edited April 18, 2017 by Frank1940

[mrjimi16]

Okay, so I got the diagnostics file. As I had said before, everything is mostly just super slow to load, except for a few times when the network connectivity just stops. I was able to download the diagnostics thing from tools/diagnostics in the webgui. So that's here. I'm not 100% sure what the specs are, and I'm not sure exactly how to find out. Again, with plugins, I'm not sure exactly what is there, and I didn't add anything new before this started. I know I have Plex as a docker, I don't think there is anything else that auto starts. No VMs, unRAID version 6.3.2 (can't believe I forgot to put that in).

 

Anyway, I did check to see if I could access files this time before doing anything else, and yes, I was able to. I also verified that the Plex docker was working, though I didn't play any videos or music. Tried to do something else in the webgui and I lost the ability to connect to the server again.

 

Also, not sure how to boot into safe mode, the board doesn't have video and I don't have a graphics card to put in. Is there a way to schedule it on a reboot?

throne-diagnostics-20170418-1831.zip

[Frank1940]

To boot to safe mode can be done by changing the boot menu default.  On your Flash Drive, go to the    syslinux     folder and open the file named   syslinux.cfg   in notepad.  Now cut this line from its present location:

menu default

And paste it in this section as shown below: 

label unRAID OS Safe Mode (no plugins, no GUI)
  menu default
  kernel /bzimage
  append initrd=/bzroot unraidsafemode

Now boot the server and it should start in the safe mode.

 

This is what you started with so you can edit it back to the normal boot:

label unRAID OS
  menu default
  kernel /bzimage
  append initrd=/bzroot

(The  menu default  line tells the boot loader to use that option as the  default.)

 

EDIT:  For safety reasons, make a COMPLETE backup of the ENTIRE contents of your Flash Drive before doing any editing! 

Edited April 19, 2017 by Frank1940

[mrjimi16]

Did what you said, but I'm still getting the same problems.

 

I don't think it took, my Plex server is up and I can stream music from it. Is there a graphical change in safe mode? Is the webgui even active in safe mode?

Edited April 19, 2017 by mrjimi16

[Frank1940]

Yes, the WebGUI is active in the safe mode but nothing else should load--- plugins, Dockers, VM's.  You did    CUT     the line from the   label unRAID OS    section.  ("Cut" meaning copy and delete as there should only be one    menu default       statement in the syslinux.cfg  file.)

[derMeister]

I've got the same Problem here. WebGUI most of the time not responsive, putty sometimes times out, local Command-line works fine, local GUI also works fine. All Dockers, VMs and SMB shares work fine... Tried everything i could find but nothing helped, i'll write a detailed post with logs and what i tried soon.

 

I found a lot of people with the "not responsive GUI Problem" and no solution... Did nobody fix this and could tell what exactly the problem was?

 

 

Edited April 19, 2017 by derMeister
Add Link

[bonienl]

The usual suspects for people with bad GUI performance are the following:

1. Flaky hard disks or disk connections - either hard disks have problems (read errors) or poor cables/bad connections which cause long delays

2. Insufficient memory to run everything the user has installed, causing OOMs or other unexpected behaviour

3. Poor network connection (cables, connectors, switch, router) - causing speed degradation or slow responses

4. Wrong Docker setup - people mix up path references ending up in Dockers writing to the wrong place(s) causing unexpected side-effects

5. Hardware instability - some combination of motherboards and disk/ethernet controllers cause stability issues

 

[Frank1940]

Take a look at your syslog (in your diagnostics file)  on April 18th at  03:01:34.  A docker starts at that time and there appears to be a series of problems from that point on.  I am not sure if that Docker is the complete issue but it does show that there are problems.  (I admit that I am not much of an guru on Dockers or VM's as I don't run any. I don't even consider using a cache drive since the 'Turbo Write' feature runs on my setup runs at close to 2/3 of the speed of ssd cache drive and my principle unRAID usage is media storage.) 

[derMeister]

 

[mrjimi16]

Okay guys. I think I figured something out. I recently installed the Newshosting VPN on my PC. It was the only change software wise that I have made in any capacity in the past month or so, so I closed it and immediately I got a much quicker response time on the webgui, though still a bit slow. As derMeister suggested, I also did the thing with Avast's firewall and though it didn't help before I closed the VPN, after I closed the VPN I tried turning off the firewall and everything works as normal. That isn't a solution of course, not having a firewall up, but it's something. unRAID is running in safe mode (or at least it says it is, both my Folding@home and Plex dockers are still running), but hopefully the improvements transfer over into a normal boot.

 

I'd really like some help now figuring out how to make the firewall not do this. I can deal with turning off the VPN anytime I need to do something, but I don't like the idea of having my firewall off. Also, just to be clear, the box "allow all connections with friends when in private mode" is checked and the IP of my server is within one of the ranges listed, as derMeister suggested.

[Frank1940]

Are you behind a NAT?  (Most routers have one built in.)  Unless you are really going to some nefarious sites, you shouldn't need a mile-high stonewall firewall on your system. Perhaps, you could set the rules a bit looser and have things speed black.  Are you coming into your server through the VPN?  I have heard that most of them have reduced throughput while they provide increased security and the potential for reduced tracking and monitoring.  (As in life, most things have trade-offs...)

[mrjimi16]

The server is on my home network, so I shouldn't be going through the VPN with that, though, I'll be honest, I'm not 100% clear where that starts. I do know that the issue is the VPN itself, not being connected through the VPN, I'm assuming that there is some sort of preliminary framework it sets up for when I connect to one of the servers.

 

Again, I'll be honest, I don't know all that much what a firewall is doing. I look through the Avast settings and it seems to just be a filter for what kinds of protocols are allowed to pass through from what area. Still, it just doesn't make sense to me that I would tell Avast to allow all connections from a range of IPs and yet it doesn't do that.

[GFOviedo]

I was having the same issues as you.  The server would work fine, which I mainly use for Plex streaming.  I took my server apart and checked all the connections.  It was pretty dirty inside of it as well.  Everything appeared fine.  I noticed this started to happened after upgrading to version 6.3.2.  I just left it alone and waited for the 6.3.3 version.

 

I upgraded to the newest unraid version, ran the new permission under the Tools menu, thereafter I did a parity check.  I was still having issues with the WebGui being slow.  A few days later, the WebGui started loading fast and it was responsive like it used to.  So, it pretty much got fixed by itself.

 

However, I must add that some of my hard drives are pretty old.  So, I've been buying new HDD whenever I see the 4 TB on sale for $99.99 or less.