[Bug 655831] Re: update-apt-xapian-index bogs down system

[Hontvári József Levente]

Max Polk has a good analysis. Partly to help google, I would add that on a Quantal 64 bit server installed with "Install a minimal virtual machine" option and 256 MB RAM, the command (simulating the cron job)
  sudo /usr/sbin/update-apt-xapian-index -v -f
results in an additional 300 MB RAM usage (100 MB from swap).

I noticed this issue because almost every day I receive a mail from CRON saying:
  /etc/cron.daily/apt:
  Killed

Looking at syslog, the kernel frequently kills it:
Apr 13 10:37:43 regmail1 kernel: [325133.105582] select 1 (init), adj 0, size 167, to kill
Apr 13 10:37:43 regmail1 kernel: [325133.105592] select 625 (java), adj 0, size 15923, to kill
Apr 13 10:37:43 regmail1 kernel: [325133.105596] select 3915 (update-apt-xapi), adj 0, size 36048, to kill
Apr 13 10:37:43 regmail1 kernel: [325133.105598] send sigkill to 3915 (update-apt-xapi), adj 0, size 36048

Obviously the indexing algorithm which was chosen is either extremely
RAM hungry, or the implementation has a bug.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/655831

Title:
  update-apt-xapian-index bogs down system

Status in Enablement project for the Toshiba AC100 NetBook:
  New
Status in Apt Xapian Index:
  New
Status in “apt-xapian-index” package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: apt-xapian-index

  This is related to bug 363695 but is not a dupe - that has been
  "fixed".

  every time the update-apt-xapian-index occurs, the system crawls.
  Possibly related to the I/O responsiveness bug of bug 131094.

  The process is extremely intrusive, taking simple things such as flash
  video and throwing the performance down the toilet.

  While this apport bug was collected via a Lucid machine this also
  affects maverick.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
  Package: apt-xapian-index 0.25ubuntu2
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-25.44-generic 2.6.32.21+drm33.7
  Uname: Linux 2.6.32-25-generic i686
  NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
  Architecture: i386
  Date: Wed Oct  6 12:32:35 2010
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release i386 (20100429)
  PackageArchitecture: all
  ProcEnviron:
   LANG=en_US.utf8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: apt-xapian-index

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