Server Hardware Failure — This Site Will be Very Slow — UPDATE *issue resolved*
Jan 11 2024 @ 10 PM
My server is having a problem, cause as yet unclear.
This web site will respond quite slowly until I can replace the web server. Hopefully by end-of-day Friday Jan 12, but it could take longer due to scheduling and the weekend. And I first have to configure and test another server.
Issue: the CPUs are maxed-out by 'kernel task', and Activity Monitor thinks it is sending and receiving 950 MB/sec (impossible except on loopback interface). That explains why things are running so slowly... the server is getting about 5% of the CPU time at best. Rebooting does not fix matters.
UPDATE, Jan 12 @ 17:40: I configured a new server, replaced the ailing one, and the web site is running nicely. As it turns out, my tentative assessment as of 02:30 today (before I went to bed) was an issue of some kind related to charging. And today in the server room (after ID and fingerprinting and badging!), simply closing the lid of the MBP and reopening it caused the problem to disappear, and the battery to start charging. In other words, it took physical action.
...
I don’t know what’s going on—some macOS bug, a denial of service attack, some kind of hack, etc. Nothing seems to have been modified on the server, and it otherwise seems to be operating correctly albeit very slowly due to the total CPU usage.
It might be as simple as the machine being overheated. But I can’t see how that happens in a temperature controlled server room. Unless the charging system is wonky—which it could be since the battery has only 2% of its charge available and cannot be charged and needs replacement. Easiest thing is to replace the server, but I can’t do anything until I get access to the server room.
The server is a 2012 MacBook Pro (11 years old), believe it or not! It has run flawlessly for several years now after fixing a problem with failed memory. That was the last seriously well built MacBook Pro.
OTOH, this claim is made here. My guess is that something like this is going on, perhaps due to the nearly-dead battery.
When it gets high temperature readings from the hardware, or low voltage readings from the battery of a MacBook, the kernel may try to compensate by interrupting the processor(s) to slow them down and reduce power consumption. This condition can be due to:
☞ a buildup of dust on the logic board
☞ high ambient temperature
☞ a worn-out or faulty battery in a portable
☞ the malfunction of a cooling fan, a temperature sensor, a voltage sensor, or some other internal component
