Here's the results from some tests I did:
2.2.20
======
without filesystem activity
no slowdowns observed
time ls -al /usr/|sort -k 5 -n
real	0m0.121s
user	0m0.000s
sys	0m0.090s
with filesystem activity on ext2
no slowdowns observed
time ls -al /opt/|sort -k 5 -n
real	0m0.079s
user	0m0.010s
sys	0m0.100s
2.4.13-ac5
==========
no slowdowns observed
without filesystem activity
time ls -al /usr/|sort -k 5 -n
real	0m0.142s
user	0m0.000s
sys	0m0.000s
with filesystem activity on ext2
no slowdowns observed
time ls -al /opt/|sort -k 5 -n
real	0m0.022s
user	0m0.020s
sys	0m0.010s
with filesystem activity on reiserfs
 - it took 31 seconds to just open this small ( < 1 kb) text file (which
   resides in my home directory, on an ext2 filesystem) in vi...
time ls -al /usr/|sort -k 5 -n
real    0m6.136s
user    0m0.020s
sys     0m0.020s
2.4.15-pre4
===========
without filesystem activity
no slowdowns observed
time ls -al /usr/|sort -k 5 -n
real	0m0.081s
user	0m0.010s
sys	0m0.010s
with filesystem activity on ext2
no slowdowns observed
time ls -al /usr/|sort -k 5 -n
real    0m0.146s
user    0m0.000s
sys     0m0.020s
with filesystem activity on reiserfs
system behaviour erratic, some slowdowns
time ls -al /opt|sort -k5 -n
real    0m13.232s
user    0m0.020s
sys     0m0.010s
Seems that reiserfs is the common factor here, at least on my box. This is a 35
GB reiserfs filesystem, app 80% used, both large and small files.
As said in my previous message, the numbers themselves don't mean squat. It is
the large delays (the fact that user+sys <<< real) which are the problem here.
Any other magic anyone wants me to perform? Hans, you reading this?
Cheers//Frank
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