Server load spike after reboot

[jj635]

We have powerful server, running a single website application. During normal daily use, even during our users' peak activity, the server barely breaks a sweat, load stays low, typically between 0.2 and 0.5.

However when we reboot the server, the reboot is fast, the server is back and the site responding within 60s. Everything runs fine for around 6-7 minutes, at which point the load very rapidly climbs to ~50 or even higher, and stays there. Around 6 minutes later load starts dropping, and a minute or so later is back below zero, and stays that way.

We only reboot during off times, so there is no way this is down to sudden spikes in traffic from our users.

This has happened each of the last few times we've rebooted, maybe 3 times.

We’ve noticed cpanellogd service does not start up right away when the server starts up, but we cannot say for sure if this server load spike exactly coincides with cpanellogd activation.

Any ideas why this server load spike after reboot might be happening?

 

[GOT]

Next time you reboot, get on it asap and start running top. That will tell you what processes are causing the load. it could be a lot of different things.

 

[gvard]

Hello,

Do you happen to have cxs installed? If you do, cxswatch scans your whole /home directory in order to be able later to actively check any file changes and scan new files for trojan/exploits.

 

[cPanelLauren]

The article here may be useful as well: Tutorial - Troubleshooting high server loads on Linux servers


Thanks!