Ubuntu
apt-xapian-index package

  1. Bug #363695
  2. Comment #42

Comment 42 for bug 363695

Revision history for this message
aexl (aexl) wrote : Re: update-apt-xapian-index uses too much CPU

i can confirm that this problem occurs in lucid version of distributions Kubuntu and Xubuntu.
it really sucks.

to make it better:
the relevant line 8 of /etc/cron.weekly/apt-xapian-index is (where $CMD is update-apt-xapian-index ):

 nice ionice -c3 $CMD --quiet

we can have much more than this:
- give a nice level of 19 instead of default 10
- enter a missing space so ionice will do its job
- make the indexer update only NEW packages instead of the whole database (as suggested by MarcS in comment 31)

this will get the most silence without dropping the indexer altogether:
- tested that the indexer will silently exit if database is already built
- tested that a 800mhz/256mb xcfe box stays responsive while indexing with the new nice/ionice pattern
which fixes this issue for me.