xp_fastboot - improvements to nwn2server startup times

[Skywing]

xp_fastboot is an NWNX4 plugin that improves server startup times by making hard links to module data in the currentgame directory, instead of the default behavior of making a full copy of all module data. For xp_fastboot to function, the TEMP directory used by nwn2server must be on the same logical drive (i.e. drive letter) as the directory where you are loading your module (or module directcory) from.

Current xp_fastboot version: 0.0.1 for any NWN2 version.

Binaries: http://www.nynaeve.net/Skywing/nwn2/xp_fastboot/xp_fastboot.zip
Binaries + symbols: http://www.nynaeve.net/Skywing/nwn2/xp_fastboot/xp_fastboot_dist.zip
Source: Available at virusman's NWNX4 repository (SVN http://nwn.virusman.ru/svn).

The Visual C++ 2005 SP1 x86 runtimes are required. You can download these here if you have not already installed them: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=200b2fd9-ae1a-4a14-984d-389c36f85647&displaylang=en

Normally, nwn2server copies all module data (either the .mod file or the entire contents of the module directory in directory mode) to a subdirectory under the temp folder. This can take a long time if you have a large module, and is especially slow when you are running the server in directory mode as the server is forced to write out many small files.

Creating a hard link instead of making a full copy of all of the data makes server startup much easier on the disk and filesystem cache, and should prevent pegging the disk as well as paging things out to expand the filesystem cache to contain the entire module all at once.

Note that when using xp_fastboot, you must completely stop all server instances using a given module before replacing the module contents. In other words, when using xp_fastboot, you can no longer replace the module contents while the server is running, and then just have them picked up on the next server restart.

There are no config file options for xp_fastboot. If you want to disable this functionality, then simply delete or move away xp_fastboot.dll.

xp_fastboot supersedes the "suppressModuleCopy" feature in my NWNX4 build. It also improves upon the suppressModuleCopy feature by enabling it to work with directory mode modules.

Note that even with xp_fastboot, you will in general see faster server startup times with a .mod file instead of in directory mode (at least in my experience). However, you should see improvements to startup times in either case when using xp_fastboot.

Troubleshooting:

- If you are getting error 17, this means that the TEMP directory used by nwn2server and the directory where you are loading the module data (.mod file or directory mode module) aren't on the same logical drive. For example, the TEMP directory might be in C:, and the module data might be in D:, or some other drive letter. To fix this problem, either move the TEMP directory for the user to the same logical drive as the directory containing the module data, or move the module data directory to the drive containing the TEMP directory.

[GodBeastX]

Excellent idea. Does this work despite hak paks and override?

[Skywing]

Hak / override files are not copied, only the .mod file (or contents of the module directory in directory mode).

The operation of xp_fastboot should be independent of those factors. (The environment I have access to uses both, for what it's worth.)

[PNJ]

this will improve harddrive life for sure with huge pw module

[MadK@]

Skywing this plugin rocks.
It literally cut the server start up time by 50%
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[PNJ]

i got this error with nwnx 0.8

[Wyvern76]

This wonderful sounding plug in simply does not work for us.

The xp_fastboot log reads this every time:

[Skywing]

The module directory must be on the same logical drive as the TEMP directory for the user that nwn2server runs as. Error 17 means that the TEMP directory is on one logical drive, and the module load directory is on a different drive.

This requirement exists due to how hard links function under the hood (internally, they are an extra filename pointing to the same disk file on the same file system, and thus cannot cross differing file system instances).

If you make sure that the TEMP directory is on the same drive as where you're loading the module from then you shouldn't have the error 17 issue anymore.

[Wyvern76]

I keep changing the temp dir from with in the NWNX4.ini but the change never takes.

[Skywing]

Can you change the TEMP/TMP environment variable settings for the Windows user account that is used to launch nwn2server?

[manwe]

Forgot my old Username here, created a new.
Anyhow, I get this error msg from the Log:

[Skywing]

Apparently I didn't log the file name in the error case, so that's a bit less helpful in diagnosing what happened. Sorry about that.

Can you install Process Monitor and filter to failures in write operations through to the point in server startup where you observe this event? We can examine the Process Monitor log to see what happened from there.

[Mythyzyn]

Hello there

I just tested this plugin looking great, but it still copying the modules files in the temp directory. I check many times, deleting temp contents before.

(Server run a in module directory mode)

But all looks OK, is this normal ?

nwnx.txt

[Skywing]

With the plugin in use, hard links are created instead of files being copied. Your temp directory must be on the same volume as the module directory for this to work. You will still observe files being present in Explorer, but as they are links, they are much faster to create than a wholesale file copy as only directory entries are updated in the file system.

[Mythyzyn]

Okay I better understand, thanks for your answer ! (and all your works)
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