1Gbps Network backup eats 33% of CPU.

[helloha]

I recently build an OSX server to back up to.

On the client side I have a Realtek RTL81xx Gigabit controller.

On the Server side Intel® 82573V + Intel® 82573L PCI-E Gigabit Controllers.

I am using the AFP protocol to connect and back up.

The issue is that on the client side CPU usage spikes to about 30% during file transfer.

I read that the Realtek NIC does not have an actual processor to handle it's activity and that it offloads everting to the CPU?

Might that be the reason for the massive CPU usage? Can I solve it by switching to an Intel NIC?

Thanks!
Karel.

 

[eibgrad]

In my experience, most network adapters are host-based (i.e., use the system's processor) and do NOT use a dedicated processor (NPU). Usually you need to upgrade ($$) to obtain that advantage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_NIC

Could that explain your current high CPU usage? Perhaps. And whether any specific NIC has a dedicated NPU, you’d have to check the specs.