>
http://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=10600
>
> Summary: e1000 updates rx_bytes infrequently
> Product: Networking
> Version: 2.5
> KernelVersion: 2.6.24.4
> Platform: All
> OS/Version: Linux
> Tree: Mainline
> Status: NEW
> Severity: normal
> Priority: P1
> Component: Other
> AssignedTo:
acme@ghostprotocols.net
> ReportedBy:
liblit@acm.org
>
>
> Latest working kernel version: not known
> Earliest failing kernel version: 2.6.24.4 for sure, but it's definitely not new
> Distribution: Fedora 8
> Hardware Environment: Intel 82566DC Gigabit Network Connection
> Software Environment: e1000 driver version 7.3.20-k2-NAPI
> Problem Description:
>
> The count of received bytes reported in
> "/sys/class/net/eth0/statistics/rx_bytes" updates approximately once every two
> seconds, even when data is streaming in smoothly at 300K/s. This makes
> transfer rates appear to be quite bursty when viewed in network monitoring
> tools such as the GNOME System Monitor applet.
>
> Data is not *actually* arriving in once-every-two-second bursts. For example,
> if I am storing a large download in a file, I am definitely seeing data
> arriving continuously. It's only the "rx_bytes" count that makes things seem
> bursty because it updates so infrequently.
>
> Is this frequency tunable in some way?
>
> Steps to reproduce:
>
> 1. Run the following command to check the "rx_bytes" count every quarter second
> and highlight any changes from the previous count:
>
> watch -d -n 0.25 'cat /sys/class/net/eth0/statistics/rx_bytes'
>
> 2. Start a large download from a site that you know will give you a good,
> smooth, continuous flow of data.
>
> 3. Observe that "rx_bytes" only updates about once every two seconds, even
> though data is actually arriving continuously.
>
> Additional information:
>
> Originally reported as a GNOME System Monitor bug:
> <http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=518355>. The conclusion there was
> that this is a kernel issue and therefore should be transferred here.
>
