gpcheckperf netperf test fails with "[Warning] retrying with port 23012"

Products

• VMware Tanzu Greenplum

Issue/Introduction

The netperf test in gpcheckperf utility reports the following:

$ /apps/greenplum/greenplum-db/./bin/gpcheckperf -f host_segs -r n -d /tmp
/apps/greenplum/greenplum-db/./bin/gpcheckperf -f host_segs -r n -d /tmp
------------------- -- NETPERF TEST -------------------
[Warning] retrying with port 23012
[Warning] retrying with port 23024
[Warning] retrying with port 23036
[Warning] retrying with port 23048
[Error] unable to start netserver ... abort netperf test
====================== RESULT ====================

Environment

Product Version: 4.3

Resolution

Solution:

Use a different directory in the "-d" option, for example use "/data1/tmp"
Using "-d /tmp" can cause the netperf test to fail.

 

Cause:

Extract from the gpcheckperf help output:

-d <temp_directory>
For the network and stream tests, specifies a single directory where the test program files will be copied for the duration of the test. You must have write access to this directory on all hosts involved in the test.

The gpcheckperf utility copies 2 binaries ($GPHOME/bin/lib/gpnetbenchServer and $GPHOME/bin/lib/gpnetbenchClient) to the temp_directory on each host.

It will run these binaries from that directory to test the network connectivity and speed between the hosts.

For security reasons the /tmp directory is usually mounted with the "noexec" option.
This stops users from running programs that are saved on that filesystem.

By using /tmp as the temp_directory the gpcheckperf utility will not be allowed to run the binaries it requires to test the network connections between the hosts.