i Can … Investigate Performance Data

This week IBM announced software enhancements for IBM i, which Craig Johnson reviews in his You and i blog titled October Announcements for IBM i. Included in this announcement are enhancements to the Performance Data Investigator. If you’re not familiar with the Performance Data Investigator, it was a major new function introduced with IBM i 6.1 in the IBM Systems Director Navigator Web console. 

My article, "A Command Performance," provides an overview of the changes in 6.1 for the IBM performance tools. The performance tasks include improved management of performance data, as well as the Investigate Data tasks. Investigate Data provides a browser-based GUI to view and analyze IBM i performance data. Since its release in April 2008, the development team has continued to work on many improvements and additional features.

Below I've summarized the major changes to the Performance Data Investigator that are now available. This is just an overview; you can anticipate future blog posts that’ll provide more detailed information on several of these features.

Health Indicators
Health indicators are simple charts that can give you a quick overview of the general performance characteristics on your partition. You can get a quick view of CPU, memory, disk and 5250 response times.

Performance Explorer
Performance Explorer lists are for PEX profile data and can be used to analyze the performance of an application program. The Performance Explorer content package also allows you to view the PEX database files.

Additional Charts
Several additional charts have been added to the Collection Services set of charts. The highlights of the new charts include:

• Physical system--The physical system charts display the overall CPU utilization for the physical box, for all partitions, regardless of operating system.
• Communications--The communications charts provide graphical views of communications metrics.
• Virtual I/O--Charts on Virtual I/O metrics have been added.
• Scaled CPU time--Scaled CPU time comes into play when EnergyScale functionality is used on POWER6 processor-based systems. Scaled CPU time will be displayed on some charts along with CPU time.

 
Improved Navigation
Ease-of-use improvements have been made in general navigation features. In addition, as you use various drill-down options, the navigation history is easier to view.

Export 
A new action, Export, allows the specified chart or table to be exported in one of several formats. You can get the data into a spreadsheet, for example, for manipulation there, or you can export charts as images.

Modify SQL 
In the initial offering of the Investigate Data features, you could show the SQL statements that retrieved the data behind the charts and tables. With the new enhancements, show SQL has been changed to modify SQL, which lets you customize the IBM-supplied queries.

Size Next Upgrade 
The Size Next Upgrade action allows for sending data from Collection Services to the IBM Systems Workload Estimator for a one-time capacity planning exercise.

Design Mode 
Design mode allows you to create your own unique charts and tables. You can use design mode to extend the IBM-supplied perspective or create your own analysis and reporting information. You can also use design mode on database files that contain data other than performance data.

Metric Finder 
A new Search option allows you to search through the metrics that are available and you can find the charts and tables where the selected metric is available.
 

These enhancements are included in PTFs SI35659, SI35663 and SI35833.

 

Comments

[Dawn]

PTFs SI35659 and SI35663 both require PTF SI36093; however it has come to my attention that there is a delay in the availability of SI36093.

In addition, it is recommended to get the updated group PTF rather than the individual PTFs. The group PTF is SF99115 but the latest update is not yet available.

I will post an update when these PTFs are available.

Dawn

[Jozsef Torok]

Hi Dawn,
I saw last Monday (NZ time) that IBM have now released those three i 6.1 5769SS1 PTFs, incl. SI36093. There is also a bunch of co- and pre-req PTFs, but those are easily downloaded via Fix Central along with those three PTFs you listed. I didn't grab the latest SF99115 group yet, but as my test system has level 5 installed and the latest group is level 10, I'll grab that too.
In the meantime, I have a collection running into the QAPMLPARH file, and can view the new Physical System charts very nicely via Systems Director Navigator. I did notice though that for some reason I am only seeing the CPU data for LPAR ids 1 to 4 on the charts, whereas our 595 currently has 17 LPARs ( a mix of i 6.1, AIX and VIOS). The four I can see are three i 6.1 and one AIX LPAR. When I run an SQL over the QAPMLPARH file, I see the same. LPAR ids 1 to 4 only.
I have opened a PMR with IBM for this.

[Dawn]

The PTFs are now available.

As I noted in my prior update, it is recommended to get the latest level of group PTF SF99115.

[Jozsef Torok]

Just to let you know that APAR SE39737 was created a few weeks ago. I was then able to download test PTF SI36986 today, which I applied on one of test systems that collects the data in QAPMLPARH. I can now see the data for all 17 LPARs on our 595 via Systems Director Nav., Performance Data Investigator.

Thanks

[Dawn]

PTF SI36986 has been approved and is generally available. If you are interested in the physical system CPU reporting features, please be sure to install this fix.

[P Tan]

The health indicator does not show up on my screen. Is there something I should set up first?

Thanks

[Dawn]

Hi P Tan,

Have you installed the PTFs and restarted the Admin HTTP Server?

To get to the health indicators, use the following navigation:

From the main welcome panel of the IBM Systems Director Navigator, you select the Performance task in the left-hand frame. When the performance tasks open, select "Investigate Data".

On the Investigate Data tab, you should see Collection Services and Health Indicators. If you have the appropriate options of PT1 installed, you will also see Job Watcher, Disk Watcher, and Performance Explorer.

Dawn