KB4056892 and Blue Iris - be prepared for higher CPU usage

vidmo

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Microsoft released KB4056892 on January 3, 2018 to address the Meltdown and Spectre CPU issues. This fix basically removes speculative execution from the CPU and made some major changes to the OS. Kernel calls just became more expensive for all applications, especially applications that use a lot of IO (network and disk calls).

Xeon E3 1245 v5 (4 core, 8 logical processors)
Intel P530 graphics
32GB ECC Ram
Windows Server 2016
Intel Video Driver 23.20.16.4901
Blue Iris 4.6.6.0
Direct two Disc is on for all cameras
Intel HD hardware acceleration with the "VidoPostProcessing" option on
(6) - Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I running at full 30 FPS
313 MP/s total

Before the KB4056892 patch my CPU usage for Blue Iris would normally be right about 18-19% on average. Today after installing the patch I'm running right around 25-45%. 25% CPU usage is seen when Blue Iris is just monitoring the cameras, but when recording data to disk it jumps up to 45% CPU in some cases.

18% to 25% may not seem like that much of a jump, but then again I'm only running six cameras so you can extrapolate from there.

EDIT: This machine does not yet have the CPU microcode fix in place yet, we'll see how fast SuperMicro can get that out.

Vidmo
 
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fenderman

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Microsoft released KB4056892 on January 3, 2018 to address the Meltdown and Spectre CPU issues. This fix basically removes speculative execution from the CPU and made some major changes to the OS. Kernel calls just became more expensive for all applications, especially applications that use a lot of IO (network and disk calls).

I have a Xeon E3 1245 v5 server (4 core, 8 logical processors) which includes the Intel P530 graphics for Intel Quick Synch abilities, running the very latest version of Blue Iris on Windows Server 2016.

The server supports six Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I running at full 30 FPS at the highest fixed bitrate. I'm using direct to disk recording and use the Intel HD hardware acceleration with the "VidoPostProcessing" option on as well. All networking is gigabit right to the cameras.

Before the KB4056892 patch my CPU usage for Blue Iris would normally be right about 15-19% on average. Today after installing the patch I'm running right around 25-45%. 25% CPU usage is seen when Blue Iris is just monitoring the cameras, but when recording data to disk it just up to 45% CPU.

This may not seem that much of a jump, but then again I'm only running six cameras so you can extrapolate from there.

Vidmo
VPP is not recommend for high bitrate traffic...try without the vpp...jumping when recording to disk should not be related to the patch...
 

micropone

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the number of cameras is irrelevant...its the resolution and frame rates that matter.
true but after that update now at 55% was at 20% all day and night I wish I can roll back but not an option to uninstall that update...
 

fenderman

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true but after that update now at 55% was at 20% all day and night I wish I can roll back but not an option to uninstall that update...
You didnt mention your original number...something else is going on...even the worst predictions were a 30 percent performance decrease, not over 50 as in your case and those were in special cases.......are you testing the cpu consumption in the same way?
 

sorka

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Is this an update that I can block? The PC running Blue Iris, HomeSeer, and my other home automation and security software does not have software regularly installed on it and is not used daily for browsing. It's a dedicated machine to video surveillance and home automation. I'm not just worried about performance but also stability. The machine does have access to the internet because I access surveillance and get alerts remotely.
 

Philip Gonzales

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You didnt mention your original number...something else is going on...even the worst predictions were a 30 percent performance decrease, not over 50 as in your case and those were in special cases.......are you testing the cpu consumption in the same way?
Wouldn't a jump from 20% CPU usage to 55% CPU usage be an increase of over 150%?
 

Philip Gonzales

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Yes... something is not right...
Yeah I totally agree. Just trying to figure out how much of a jump we can expect worse case scenario. But I think it's best to wait and see when more people get the update and if it really makes a difference or not.
 

fenderman

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Yeah I totally agree. Just trying to figure out how much of a jump we can expect worse case scenario. But I think it's best to wait and see when more people get the update and if it really makes a difference or not.
There is no way it will be that large.. likely nothing significant if any...
 

micropone

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There is no way it will be that large.. likely nothing significant if any...
what I was saying is with 10 cameras going all day and night running cpu 20% with BI paused and minized.. via remote desktop.. now its running at %55-60% with the same setup nothing changed only that update...I'm good with it I guess my server closet temp when up 5 degrees.. LMAO
 

fenderman

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what I was saying is with 10 cameras going all day and night running cpu 20% with BI paused and minized.. via remote desktop.. now its running at %55-60% with the same setup nothing changed only that update...
something else is going on, it is not patch related..
 

nejakejnick

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vidmo

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All, please keep in mind that just having this MS patch does not fully protect you from these issues. You will need to install the CPU microcode update as well, this will come from your motherboard vendor in the form of a BIOS update.

The reports I'm seeing are showing that with the MS patch alone there are small reductions in performance, but the patch combined with the BIOS update are where the real performance hit will take place.

One final note, if you run Windows Server just installing the update does not turn it on, you need to manually set three registry keys for it to take affect.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4072698/windows-server-guidance-to-protect-against-the-speculative-execution

This is not the case with Windows 10, in Windows 10 you must either be running a compatible anti-virus application or manually set another registry key or Windows Update won't even present you the update.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4072699/january-3-2018-windows-security-updates-and-antivirus-software
 

micropone

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dell had an update for the bios... ran the update now back to normal 15-20% thanks bp2008 and fenderman... guys are great..
 
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