Method and mechanism for profiling a system

• US 6,542,854 B2
• Filed: 04/30/1999
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Tao-Heng, Rist, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsai, Carol S W
• Application Number:
  US09/303,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 702/108, 702/113-115, 702/118-123, 702/179, 702/182-188, 702/FOR.104, 702/FOR.134, 702/FOR.135, 702/FOR.139, 702/FOR.170, 702/FOR.171, 702/FOR.103, 709/229, 709/228, 709/225, 709/241, 709/224, 714/721, 703/22, 703/27, 703/21
• US Class Current: 702/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3452 Performance evaluation by statistical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and mechanism for sizing a hardware system for a software workload. An aspect is directed to modeling a workload into a set of generic system activities, in which the generic system activities are not directly tied to a specific hardware platform. Another aspect is directed to profiling hardware systems or hardware components into the generic system activities. Suitable hardware systems or components are selected by analyzing the workload and hardware profiles in terms of the generic system activities.

Claims

1. A method of deriving parametric data for a hardware system, comprising:

loading a test database onto said hardware system;

loading a test workload onto said hardware system, said test workload involving the operation of a system activity;

executing said test workload;

measuring performance parameters for said system activity; and

deriving parametric data for sizing a configuration of said hardware system for a software application, said parametric data based upon said measured performance parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said system activity comprises a database activity.

3. The method of claim 1 in which said test workload causes multiple system activities to be executed.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

configuring a database server on said hardware system;

configuring one or more clients to connect to said server; and

simulating database operations between said server and said one or more clients using said test workload.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

scaling said test workload to capacity of components within said hardware system.

6. The method of claim 5 in which a scaling factor is used to scale the workload to a component in said hardware system.

7. The method of claim 6 in which said test workload is scaled based upon indicated CPU capacity of said hardware system.

8. The method of claim 6 in which said test workload is scaled based upon indicated disk capacity of said hardware system.

9. A computer program product that includes a medium usable by a processor, the medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by said processor, causes said processor to execute a process for deriving parametric data for a hardware system, said process comprising:

loading a test database onto said hardware system;

loading a test workload onto said hardware system, said test workload involving the operation of a system activity;

executing said test workload;

measuring performance parameters for said system activity; and

deriving parametric data for sizing a configuration of said hardware system for a software application, said parametric data based upon said measured performance parameters.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 in which said system activity comprises a database activity.

11. The computer program product of claim 9 in which said test workload causes multiple system activities to be executed.

12. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising:

configuring a database server on said hardware system;

configuring one or more clients to connect to said server; and

simulating database operations between said server and said one or more clients using said test workload.

13. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising:

scaling said test workload to capacity of components within said hardware system.

14. The computer product program of claim 13 in which a scaling factor is used to scale the workload to a component in said hardware system.

15. The computer product program of claim 14 in which said test workload is scaled based upon indicated CPU capacity of said hardware system.

16. The computer product program of claim 14 in which said test workload is scaled based upon indicated disk capacity of said hardware system.

17. A system for deriving parametric data for a hardware system, comprising:

means for loading a test database onto said hardware system;

means for loading a test workload onto said hardware system, said test workload involving the operation of a system activity;

means for executing said test workload;

means for measuring performance parameters for said system activity; and

means for deriving parametric data for sizing a configuration of said hardware system for a software application, said parametric data based upon said measured performance parameters.

18. The system of claim 17 in which said system activity comprises a database activity.

19. The system of claim 17 in which said test workload causes multiple system activities to be executed.

20. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

means for configuring a database server on said hardware system;

configuring one or more clients to connect to said server; and

simulating database operations between said server and said one or more clients using said test workload.

21. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

means for scaling said test workload to capacity of components within said hardware system.

22. The system of claim 21 in which a scaling factor is used to scale the workload to a component in said hardware system.