Phase-space surface representation of server computer performance in a computer network
First Claim
1. A method of operating a distributed computer system having client computers connected to a server computer, comprising the steps of:
- tabulating the average arrival rates of primitive requests emanating from the client computers and directed to the server computer during sampling intervals of operation of the computer system, the primitive requests being of different types and their average arrival rates being tabulated by request type, the set of primitive requests emanating from the client computers during each sampling interval collectively constituting a workload for that interval, and the set of tabulated arrival rates for the different primitive request types during each sampling interval being arranged to make up a workload vector for that interval;
mapping the workload vectors to scalar workload values in a manner substantially guaranteeing that similar workloads map to similar workload values and that dissimilar workloads map to dissimilar workload values;
monitoring the average utilization by each workload of a resource in the server computer;
monitoring the average response time of the server computer to the requests in each workload;
forming for each workload a corresponding 3-dimensional phase-space vector (mapped scalar workload value, monitored average resource utilization, monitored average response time); and
plotting the formed 3-dimensional phase-space vectors in a corresponding 3-dimensional phase space.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a method and system for dynamically improving the performance of a server in a network, a tuning system monitors a workload of the server in real time, monitors a set of internal performance characteristics of the server in real time, and monitors a set of adjustable server parameters of the server in real time. The workload of the server may include the frequency and type of service requests received by the server from clients in the network. The internal server performance characteristics may include, for example, a data cache hit ratio of a data cache in the server. The set of server parameters may include, for example, the overall data cache size or the data cache geometry of the server. The tuning system periodically alters one or more of the set of adjustable server parameters as a function of the workload and internal performance characteristics of the server. Since the tuning system is continuously monitoring workload and performance characteristics of the server and altering the server parameters accordingly, the effectiveness of a given change in the server parameters is reflected in the next set of monitored workload and performance values.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method of operating a distributed computer system having client computers connected to a server computer, comprising the steps of:
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tabulating the average arrival rates of primitive requests emanating from the client computers and directed to the server computer during sampling intervals of operation of the computer system, the primitive requests being of different types and their average arrival rates being tabulated by request type, the set of primitive requests emanating from the client computers during each sampling interval collectively constituting a workload for that interval, and the set of tabulated arrival rates for the different primitive request types during each sampling interval being arranged to make up a workload vector for that interval; mapping the workload vectors to scalar workload values in a manner substantially guaranteeing that similar workloads map to similar workload values and that dissimilar workloads map to dissimilar workload values; monitoring the average utilization by each workload of a resource in the server computer; monitoring the average response time of the server computer to the requests in each workload; forming for each workload a corresponding 3-dimensional phase-space vector (mapped scalar workload value, monitored average resource utilization, monitored average response time); and plotting the formed 3-dimensional phase-space vectors in a corresponding 3-dimensional phase space. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of operating a distributed computer system having client computers connected to a server computer comprising the steps of:
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tabulating the average arrival rates of primitive requests emanating from the client computers and directed to the server computer during sampling intervals of operation of the computer system, the primitive requests being of different types and their average arrival rates being tabulated by request type, the set of primitive requests emanating from the client computers during each sampling interval collectively constituting a workload for that interval, and the set of tabulated arrival rates for the different primitive request types being arranged to make up a workload vector for that interval; selecting a reference phase-space vector for a 3-dimensional phase space in which phase-space vectors are to be plotted; computing the angle between the reference phase-space vector and each of the workload vectors, the computed angle for each workload vector representing a scalar workload value to which the workload vector is mapped; identifying as collisions those sets of different workload vectors that are mapped to the same scalar workload value; determining for each collision whether the commonly-mapped workload vectors represent similar workloads having similar sets of tabulated arrival rates of the primitive requests; if more than a predetermined small minority of the collisions are among dissimilar workloads, repeating the selecting, computing, identifying and determining steps using different reference phase-space vectors until either (1) no more than the predetermined small minority of the collisions are among dissimilar workloads, or (2) the reference phase-space vectors have been exhausted, each repetition using a different phase-space vector resulting in a different mapping of workload vectors to scalar workload values; monitoring the average utilization by each workload of a resource in the server computer;
monitoring the average response time of the server computer to the requests in each workload;forming for each workload a corresponding 3-dimensional phase-space vector (mapped scalar workload value, monitored average resource utilization, monitored average response time), the mapped scalar workload value being that yielded by the first-encountered mapping for which no more than the predetermined small minority of the collisions are among dissimilar workloads, if such a mapping exists, or a mapping for which the number of collisions among dissimilar workloads is least, if all mappings result in more than the predetermined small minority of collisions among dissimilar workloads; and plotting the formed 3-dimensional phase-space vectors in the phase space.
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15. A method of operating a distributed computer system having client computers connected to a server computer, comprising the steps of:
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controlling the manner in which primitive requests emanate from the client computers directed to the server computer during sampling intervals of operation of the computer system, the primitive requests being of different types, the set of primitive requests emanating from the client computers during each sampling interval collectively constituting a workload for that interval, the emanation of the primitive requests being controlled in a manner ensuring that the set of arrival rates at the server computer of each primitive request type during each sampling interval when arranged to make up a workload vector for that interval substantially matches a corresponding one of predetermined workload vectors; mapping the workload vectors to scalar workload values in a manner substantially guaranteeing that similar workloads map to similar workload values and that dissimilar workloads map to dissimilar workload values; monitoring the average utilization by each workload of a resource in the server computer; monitoring the average response time of the server computer to the requests in each workload; forming for each workload a corresponding 3-dimensional phase-space vector (mapped scalar workload value, monitored average resource utilization, monitored average response time); and
plotting the formed 3-dimensional phase-space vectors in a corresponding 3-dimensional phase space. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification