Workstation controller performance monitor
First Claim
1. A method for determining the performance of a processor in a computer system, comprising the steps of:
- starting a performance test of said processor;
continuously checking to see if there are any tasks for said processor to perform;
incrementing an idle loop count if there are no tasks for said processor to perform, responsive to said checking step;
stopping said performance test after an elapsed time; and
determining a processor utilization using said elapsed time, an idle loop time, and said idle loop count, said idle loop time being the time said processor takes to perform one said checking step and one said incrementing step.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A workstation controller (WSC) performance monitor for locating performance bottlenecks is disclosed. The user notifies the host that he wants to start performance measurements. The host notifies each of the workstation controllers to begin collecting data that can be used to determine processor performance and communications line performance for each workstation controller. This data is collected in counters that reside in the storage of each of the workstation controllers. In the preferred embodiment, this data is periodically sent to a data base contained in the storage of the host. When the user specified length of time to collect data has expired, the host informs each of the connected workstation controllers to stop taking measurements. The data contained in the counters is sent to the database in the host and the host calculates processor utilization and communications line utilization for each of the connected workstation controllers. If the processor utilization falls below a first threshold, the performance of that processor is acceptable. If the processor utilization is greater than a second threshold, the performance of that processor is not acceptable. If the processor utilization is in between the first and second thresholds, the processor performance is considered marginal and a more complicated calculation of workload evenness of the processor is performed. If the workload is considered to be uneven, the performance of that processor is considered to be unacceptable.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for determining the performance of a processor in a computer system, comprising the steps of:
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starting a performance test of said processor; continuously checking to see if there are any tasks for said processor to perform; incrementing an idle loop count if there are no tasks for said processor to perform, responsive to said checking step; stopping said performance test after an elapsed time; and determining a processor utilization using said elapsed time, an idle loop time, and said idle loop count, said idle loop time being the time said processor takes to perform one said checking step and one said incrementing step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for determining the performance of a communications line in a computer system, comprising the steps of:
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starting a performance test of said communications line; periodically sampling a communications queue; incrementing a sample count responsive to said sampling step; incrementing a communications usage count if there are tasks contained in said communications queue waiting to be performed; stopping said performance test after an elapsed time; determining a communications line utilization using said communications usage count and said sample count; indicating acceptable communications line performance if said communications line utilization is below a first threshold; and indicating unacceptable communications line performance if said communications line utilization is above a second threshold. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer system capable of diagnosing performance bottlenecks, comprising:
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a plurality of workstation controllers each having a processor, each of said workstation controllers further comprising; means for continuously checking to see if there are any tasks for said processor to perform; means for incrementing an idle loop count if there are no tasks for said processor to perform, responsive to said checking step; and a host computer, connected to said plurality of workstation controllers, further comprising; means for determining said processor utilization by using an elapsed time, an idle loop time, and said idle loop count, said idle loop time being the time said processor takes to perform one said checking step and one said incrementing step. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification