Problems on a Server with Fedora2 and Serial ATA HD

[Multisites]

Hi:

I will detailed describe a serious problem we are facing with one of our 
servers, and I thank a lot in advance if someone who already

has experienced such a problem could help us.

Summarizing, we had an email Server running under LINUX, which we replaced 
by a better machine. Instead of having better

performance and better service levels, we have some error messages besides 
seeing higher load average times and slowing down.

I will now describe the former and the new environments as well as the real 
problem:

FORMER:

Processor: Pentium IV 1.8 Ghz
Main Board: Asus P4V533
Memory: 1 GB DDR
HD: Seagate IDE 40 GB
Network: Encore

Operating System: Linux Red Hat 8
Some additional software: Apache, Qpopper, Sendmail, Pop-before-Smtp, 
SpamAssassin

NEW:

Processor: Pentium IV 3.0 Ghz HT FSB 800	
MainBoard: Asus P4V800
Memory: 1 GB DDR PC3200 (400 mhz)
HD: Seagate Serial ATA 120 GB
Network: Intel Pila 8460

Operating System: Linux Fedora Core2, Kernel  2.6.6-1.435smp
Some additional software: Apache, Qpopper, Sendmail, Relayer, SpamAssassin

PROBLEM:

On the former environment we had, of course, moments of great peak, where 
those Load Average Times (commands uptime or top)

went to  incredible 30.x and higher. But, normally, although it had great 
activity for it was an emails server, it worked with good

service levels.

But now, with a really more powerfull machine and a brand new operating 
system, we are facing those terrible times practically all

the day long. And we feel that our daily common operations like 
reading/sending emails, SSH, Ftp, ordinary Linux commands are

sensibly delaying with poor response times. Besides this, dmesg command is 
showing lots of occurrences of error messages like

this:

hdg: dma_timer_expiry: dma status == 0x24
hdg: DMA interrupt recovery
hdg: lost interrupt

So, please, if someone could see on this report details a reason or what 
the problem could be, please, help us as soon as possible,

for we are in real troubles, because this is a very critical server for us.

Thanks.

Mario Lima./
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