System and method for performing monitoring of resources in a data processing system in real time

• US 5,463,775 A
• Filed: 06/20/1994
• Issued: 10/31/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Emrick, Samuel L., Summers, James H., Holck, Timothy M., DeWitt, Jimmie E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOMERE, JEAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US08/263,153
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/275, 395/550, 395/425, 395/200, 364/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 702/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3423 where the assessed time is active or idle time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/835 Timestamp
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/88 Monitoring involving counting

Abstract

A graphical system resource monitor is provided to depict, in real-time, a data processing system'"'"'s internal resource utilization. A window or viewport of a data processing system displays user specified internal system resources, such as memory, CPU, or peripheral device availability/utilization. This graphical representation of the `state` of the data processing system'"'"'s resources is maintained in real-time, while the impact on the system'"'"'s performance in providing such information is kept to a minimum. This is accomplished through a combination of various techniques, including specialized device drivers for the respective devices coupled with a unique data reduction technique. The graphical results of these resource monitors are continually updated in real-time. This real-time support provides an immediate and accurate representation of the internal operations of the data processing system. Further, these resources can monitored at the process level of a multiprocessing system. These representations can be used by a user to identify, isolate, and fine-tune the data processing system'"'"'s resources to improve the overall efficiency of the system being monitored.

Claims

1. A method for indicating utilization of resources including a random access memory, a processor and at least one peripheral device in a data processing system, comprising the steps of:

monitoring usage of said random access memory, a portion of said monitoring being performed by a first device driver which computes a non-allocatable working amount of memory for specific time period and then adds a portion of allocatable memory to said working memory when it is determined that the allocatable memory portion has been accessed by said processor more recently than said working memory;

determining by a second device driver, usage of said at least one peripheral device by computing a ratio of a total number of hardware timer interrupt signals sent to said at least one peripheral device and a number of corresponding signals received from said device indicating that said device is busy;

measuring, by a third device driver, activity of said processor by initiating a process with a lowest possible priority on said processor and determining an amount of idle time when said low priority process is executing on said processor;

generating, by said data processing system, resource data, indicating usage of said random access memory, said processor and said at least one peripheral device; and

displaying in real time, by said data processing system, said resource data of said data processing system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one peripheral device is a direct access storage device or a communication adapter.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of displaying in real time said resource data is displayed on a data processing system display.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said resource data is displayed in at least one window of said data processing system display.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said resource data is displayed on a local data processing system display.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said resource data is displayed on a remote data processing system display.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of monitoring is performed by a device driver in conjunction with a control program.

8. A system for indicating utilization of resources in a data processing system, including a random access memory, a processor and at least one peripheral device, said data processing system, comprising:

monitor means for monitoring usage of said random access memory in said data processing system, a portion of said monitoring being performed by a first device driver, which computes a non-allocatable working amount of memory for a specific time period and then adds a portion of allocatable memory to said working memory when it is determined that the allocatable memory portion has been accessed by said processor more recently than said working memory;

means, within a second device driver, for determining usage of said at least one peripheral device by computing a ratio of a total number of hardware timer interrupt signals sent to said at one peripheral device and a number of corresponding signals received from said device indicating that said device is busy;

means, within a third device driver for measuring activity of said processor by initiating a process with a lowest possible priority on said processor and determining an amount of idle time when said priority process is executing on said processor;

generator means for generating resource data, indicating usage of said random access memory, said processor and said at least one and

display means for displaying in real time said resource data of said data processing system.