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httperf segmentation fault error on OS X 10.7.1

Asked 2011-09-08T15:58:29.707
37

When I try to perform a load test using httperf with high request rate, I get the following error:

ยป httperf --client=0/1 --server=www.xxxxx.com --port=80 --uri=/ --send-buffer=4096 --recv-buffer=16384 --num-conns=200 --rate=30
httperf --client=0/1 --server=staging.truecar.com --port=80 --uri=/ --rate=30 --send-buffer=4096 --recv-buffer=16384 --num-conns=200 --num-calls=1
httperf: warning: open file limit > FD_SETSIZE; limiting max. # of open files to FD_SETSIZE
**Segmentation fault: 11**

The error raises when the "rate" is > 15

Versions:

httperf 0.9.0

OS X 10.7.1

testing load httperf
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1 Answer

6

As the warning states, the number of connections to the http server is exceeding the maximum number of allowed open file-descriptors. It's likely that even though httperf is limiting the value to FD_SETSIZE, you're reaching beyond that limit.

You can check the limit value with ulimit -a

$ ulimit -a
core file size          (blocks, -c) 0
data seg size           (kbytes, -d) unlimited
file size               (blocks, -f) unlimited
max locked memory       (kbytes, -l) unlimited
max memory size         (kbytes, -m) unlimited
open files                      (-n) 256
pipe size            (512 bytes, -p) 1
stack size              (kbytes, -s) 8192
cpu time               (seconds, -t) unlimited
max user processes              (-u) 709
virtual memory          (kbytes, -v) unlimited

Try increasing the limit with ulimit -n <n>

$ ulimit -n 2048
$ ulimit -a
core file size          (blocks, -c) 0
data seg size           (kbytes, -d) unlimited
file size               (blocks, -f) unlimited
max locked memory       (kbytes, -l) unlimited
max memory size         (kbytes, -m) unlimited
open files                      (-n) 2048
pipe size            (512 bytes, -p) 1
stack size              (kbytes, -s) 8192
cpu time               (seconds, -t) unlimited
max user processes              (-u) 709
virtual memory          (kbytes, -v) unlimited

This is common practice on large web servers and the like, as a socket is essentially just an open file-descriptor.

answered 2011-12-16T23:33:37.370

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