IRQ Interrupt Storm

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No1451

New Member
Jan 1, 2011
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*SOLVED* IRQ Interrupt Storm

*SOLVED*

So my current setup is as follows:

ESXi
--> FreeBSD(ZFSGuru custom distro) running in the hypervisor with 2xIntel SASUC8i controllers passed through directly to the guest

Now my issue is a huge wave of "interrupt storm detected on IRQ 18/19, throttling source". Ran vmstat -i and it shows that IRQ 18/19 are my two controllers, identified as mpt0 and mpt1.

Any solutions or clues on how I can solve this problem? Is there anyone else who has successfully passed one of these controllers through to a FreeBSD guest?

Edit: I should note that I tried doing a vanilla install of FreeBSD just to compare and yes, the issue is present there as well. The issue however does NOT crop up when booting into FreeBSD bare metal, only when in a VM.

Edit: It was an IRQ conflict, both the NIC and the controller share IRQ 19, if anyone knows how I can change this please let me know, I'm still a little unsure how to go about changing it now that my problem is locked down
 
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No1451

New Member
Jan 1, 2011
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I have a Supermicro X8SIL. I peaked around the BIOS but can't find anywhere that seems to indicate the ability to set IRQ assignments.
 

nitrobass24

Moderator
Dec 26, 2010
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Well after reading your manual it doesnt appear the X8SIL provides this functionality.
Some things you can try:

First i would try using the other PCIe Slot configurations(5+6. 5+7, 6+7)

If that doesnt work try:
Disabling the Serial Bus (SuperIO) to free up some IRQ space.
Disabling the Option Roms for the PCI(e) slots you are not using.
Toggling the APIC ACPI SCI IRQ setting.

If none of that works im afraid you might be SOL.
 

No1451

New Member
Jan 1, 2011
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Solved it quick and dirty, I added a secondary virtual NIC to the machine and luckily it mapped to 17(wooo) so as long as I connect to the IP provided to that NIC I'm fine. Yeeha! Thanks for the help
 

neilkpd

New Member
Jul 18, 2011
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IRQ 18 Interrupt Storm

I have installed FreeNAS-8.0.1-BETA4-amd64 on ESXi 4.1.0 (build 381591).

FreeNAS: - HD - 4GB, RAM - 8GB, CPU(s) - 1.
When CPU(s) > is greater than 1, it streams "interrupt storm detected on IRQ 18, throttling source".

?
 

relyt

New Member
Oct 21, 2011
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I came across this thread searching for a solution as well. I was getting an IRQ 19 storm, cause by conflict between an Intel SASUC8I and something.

What I ended up doing was booting into the BIOS of the VM and disabling all unnecessary devices (can't remember exactly what they were). Storm abated on the next reboot.

I'm running FreeNAS 8.0.2 on ESXi 5. FreeNAS HD 8GB, RAM 4GB (soon to be 8), CPU 2. SASUC8I being passed through to the VM.

Supermicro MBD-X9SCL+-F
Xeon E3-1220
1 x KVR1333D3E9SK2/8G (soon to be 2)
Intel SASUC8I