Appliance running hotter after 22.1 update?

[franco]

3. The new version of OPNsense base framework may produce more CPU load
4. The new version of OPNsense may load CPU more

I wouldn't put my money on these two if we are already looking at "Python load" from a Python version that didn't even change its minor version between 21.7.8 and 22.1.


Cheers,
Franco

[karlson2k]

However, on other CPUs it may give different results. With switch from HardenedBSD to FreeBSD, OPNsense switched to the new compiler version and the new compiler settings therefore compiled binaries may change behavior on some CPUs.

Also possible that spikes from some process are kicking the CPU. Or maybe some short-living process fired regularly and keeps CPU hot.

I'm not a FreeBSD expert. Please advise how to exclude these assumptions.

[franco]

Well if by "The new version of OPNsense may load CPU more" you mean the "FreeBSD ports packages compiled by newer version of FreeBSD base compiler" I would agree with the labelling. Still, binary code doesn't significantly run hotter just because a new compiler is involved. It's most likely a FreeBSD kernel behavioural change.


Cheers,
Franco

[karlson2k]

To summarize:

• The base OS may load CPU differently - possible
• The OS may control CPU differently - possible
• New binaries (compiled with new compiler version and settings) may generate more load of some CPUs - possible, but unlikely
• New OPNsense version may produce more CPU load spikes (with some configurations) - possible
• Some processes may be fired periodically with new OPNsense version - possible

Can someone advise how to check and exclude (or confirm) numbers 4 and 5?

[franco]

Well if you don't take my word for it clone core.git from GitHub and...

# git checkout 22.1
# git diff 21.7.8


Happy hunting,
Franco

[allebone]

I would agree, its like installing the same app on windows 7, then upgrading to windows 8 and saying that the same app runs hotter/uses more cpu. Too much has changed under the hood to look at opnsense. The OS got bigger, uses more cpu cycles and with each new version of freebsd or whatever it will always tend to use more cpu as time goes on.

[Power Nabot]

Hello,

First post here on this forum to say that, for me, it's the other way: 22.1 runs cooler than 21.7.
Started with 21.1, upgraded to 21.7, full reinstall for 22.1, and my temps went down from 58-61° to 52-53°.

Aliexpress appliance with 4 Intel i210 ports, Celeron J4125, 8GB DDR3, 128GB m-SATA SSD, running Zenarmor, 1 OpenVPN server, 1 OpenVPN client, Unbound blacklists and few FW rules. 20 devices max.

[Koldnitz]

I have had the same experience as Power Nabot.

My temperatures went down across the board.  My load went up significantly.

I disabled PowerD since it did not seem to work as it did in 21.7 (CPU frequencies were idling very low)

Then I put this in tunables (from a link earlier in this thread):

Code Select Expand

dev.hwpstate_intel.0.epp=0
dev.hwpstate_intel.1.epp=0
dev.hwpstate_intel.2.epp=0
dev.hwpstate_intel.3.epp=0

This pegs my CPU (i7-7500U) to max frequency which reduces load.

Now my temps very slightly cooler and loading is similar or less to how it was in 21.7.

Cheers,