Fragmented HDDs can cause BESRootServer.exe to experience high CPU and low performance

Tips
1

###NOTE: This is not applicable to SSDs

“Tis the season for fragmented disk drives, I guess”

I have run across several issues recently in which the BESRootServer.exe process, on the BigFix root server (Windows OS), sustained high levels of CPU utilization consistently (~50-99%) only to discover that the drive(s) the BigFix server application were installed on were heavily fragmented (30-40%).

I also noticed, in these cases, that the defragmentation job (typically set to run once a week on Wednesday’s at midnight) was disabled.

It is important that the BigFix Windows server machine have its drives defragmented on a regular basis (once a week)

Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/improve-performance-defragmenting-hard-disk#1TC=windows-7

You may also want to make running chkdsk a part of investigating, validating, and fixing disk performance on your BigFix Windows server as well.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb491051.aspx

Note: As with anything, ensure your systems, files, and databases are backed up ahead of running any sort of utility., in the event a recovery is needed.

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2

Do you recommend this on VMs as well?

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What VMWare recommends (advice seems mixed / conditional):
https://www.vmware.com/support/ws55/doc/ws_performance_defrag.html
https://www.vmware.com/support/ws55/doc/ws_disk_defrag.html

4

This may not be applicable to some VMs depending on how their storage is handled.

This is DEFINITELY not applicable to SSDs.

@BigFixNinja - there is an actual Tips category in the forum that these should go to.

5

Thanks for getting this over to tips and updating with some important points (exceptions)

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