Applications for performance management

Managing performance on iSeries™ systems requires the use of a variety of specialized applications. Each of these applications offers a specific insight into system performance. This topic explains several applications and the intended use of each application.

Many of the applications for performance management have several functions. Knowing exactly which component of the available suite of applications best suits a given situation can be complex. The following topics provide detailed information about each of the performance management applications, including selection, use, and configuration.

As shown in the following figure, basically there are two performance collection functions on the iSeries servers:

• Collection Services, which collects interval data at the system and job level. You can run this continuously to know what is happening with your system. The interval data that is collected is either application defined or user defined.
• Performance explorer, which collects detailed data at the program and application level. It also traces the flow of work in an application and can be used to diagnose difficult performance problems. The data that is collected is by application-defined performance explorer trace points, such as with Domino^®, NetServer™, or WebSphere^®.

Both collection functions deposit their data into management collection objects. You can convert the data from the management collection objects by using the Create Performance Data (CRTPFRDTA) command for Collection Services data or by using the Create Performance Explorer Data (CRTPEXDTA) command for the performance explorer data.

This topic introduces the performance management applications that are available to work with either the Collection Services data or the performance explorer data.

• Collection Services
  Use Collection Services to collect performance data for later analysis by the Performance Tools for iSeries licensed program or other performance report applications, iSeries Navigator monitors, and the graph history function. (If you prefer viewing real-time performance data, system monitors provide an easy-to-use graphical interface for monitoring system performance.)
• Intelligent Agents
  The Intelligent Agents console for iSeries Navigator provides system administrators with an easy way to manage one or more ABLE (Agent Building and Learning Environment) agents running on a single system or across different systems.
• iSeries Navigator monitors
  Monitors display current information about the performance of your systems. Additionally, you can use them to carry out predefined actions when a specific event occurs. You can use the system, message, job, file, and B2B transaction monitors to display and monitor information about your systems. The system and job monitors use the performance data collected by Collection Services.
• Graph history
  Graph history provides a graphical display of performance data collected by Collection Services over a specified period of time.
• IBM Performance Management for eServer iSeries
  PM iSeries automates the collection, archival, and analysis of system performance data and returns reports to help you manage system resources and capacity. PM iSeries uses the performance data collected by Collection Services.
• Performance Tools
  The Performance Tools licensed program includes many features to help you gather, analyze, and maintain system performance information. This includes assistance in managing performance over a distributed network, collecting and reporting on both summary and trace data, and capacity planning.
• Performance explorer
  Collects more detailed information about a specific application, program or system resource, and provides detailed insight into a specific performance problem. This includes the capability both to perform several types and levels of traces and to run detailed reports.
• iDoctor for iSeries
  The iDoctor for iSeries plugin consists of a variety of software tools for managing performance, for example, PEX Analyzer for detailed trace data analysis and Job Watcher for trace-level information about a job's behavior.
• Performance Trace Data Visualizer (PTDV)
  Performance Trace Data Visualizer for iSeries (PTDV) is a Java™ application that can be used for performance analysis of applications running on iSeries.
• Performance Management APIs
  Performance Management APIs provide services to manage collections. These APIs start, end, and cycle collections, and they change and retrieve system parameters for the data collected. Many of the Performance Management APIs use the performance data collected by Collection Services.
• Commands for i5/OS performance
  i5/OS™ includes several important functions to help you manage and maintain system performance.
• Extended Adaptive Cache
  You can use Extended Adaptive Cache to improve system performance by collecting disk usage data, and then using those statistics to create a cache, effectively reducing the physical I/O requests for the disk.
• Workload Estimator for iSeries
  Helps you plan the size and timing requirements of your next upgrade. This tool is often used with PM iSeries to analyze trends in system performance and helps you efficiently manage the growth and expansion of your iSeries server.
• iSeries Navigator for Wireless
  iSeries Navigator for Wireless allows you to monitor performance data over a wireless connection, using a personal digital assistant (PDA), Internet-ready telephone, or traditional Web browser. The iSeries Navigator for Wireless uses the performance data collected by Collection Services.
• PATROL for iSeries (AS/400) - Predict
  PATROL for iSeries (AS/400^®) - Predict helps manage iSeries performance by automating many of the routine administration tasks required for high availability and optimal performance. Additionally, this product offers detailed capacity planning information to help you plan the growth of your iSeries environment.