Hitachi

JP1 Version 12 for UNIX Systems JP1/Performance Management - Agent Option for Platform Description, User's Guide and Reference


2.3.23 Monitoring processor performance based on results output by the sar command in an AIX environment

If you are using simultaneous multithreading (SMT) or micro-partitioning in an AIX environment, the amount of physical CPU allocated is included in the calculation of CPU usage displayed by the sar command, but is not included in the calculation of CPU usage displayed by PFM - Agent for Platform. For this reason, the CPU usage figure displayed by PFM - Agent for Platform might be lower than that output by the sar command.

PFM - Agent for Platform enables settings to be changed so that processor performance data can be collected from the results output by the sar command of AIX.

This section explains how to collect and monitor processor performance data from the results output by the sar command of AIX when PFM - Agent for Platform is used.

Organization of this subsection

(1) Settings

This section describes how to set the system to collect processor performance data from the results output by AIX's sar command.

  1. From the monitoring console browser, log in to PFM - Web Console.

    The Main window appears.

  2. On the navigation frame of the Main window, click the Services tab.

    The Services window appears.

  3. From the navigation frame, expand the contents of the Machines folder.

    A folder that has the name of the host on which the Performance Management service is installed appears. Expand the folder that has the host name to display the services installed on that host.

    The names of the services are displayed, in order of the service IDs. For details about service IDs, see C. List of Identifiers and the sections that explain the service naming conventions in the appendixes of the JP1/Performance Management Planning and Configuration Guide.

    The format of the service ID depends on whether the product name display functionality is enabled. For details about the product name display functionality, see the chapter that describes the Performance Management functionality in the JP1/Performance Management Planning and Configuration Guide.

  4. Expand the contents of the monitoring agent host folder, and select host-name<UNIX> (Agent Collector service).

    A check mark is displayed next to the selected Agent Collector service.

  5. Select the Properties method in the method frame.

    The Service Properties window appears.

  6. Select Agent Configuration.

  7. In sar Command Monitoring at the bottom of the information frame, specify whether to collect processor performance data from the results output by the sar command.

    Specify one of the following:

    • Yes: Collect from the sar command's output results.

    • No: Do not collect from the sar command's output results (default).

  8. In sar Command Interval at the bottom of the information frame, specify the interval (in seconds) to be specified as the sar command argument.

    Specify the numeric value that corresponds to the INTERVAL argument of the following AIX sar command:

    /usr/sbin/sar -P ALL INTERVAL 1

    Specify a value between 1 and 50 (the default is 5).

(2) Correspondence between sar command output results and PFM - Agent for Platform records

If you are using simultaneous multithreading (SMT) or micro-partitioning in an AIX environment, PFM - Agent for Platform enables you to collect the results output by the following AIX sar command:

/usr/sbin/sar -P ALL INTERVAL 1

An example of the results output by the AIX sar command is shown below.

Figure 2‒18: Example of results output by AIX sar command

[Figure]

With PFM - Agent for Platform, the results output by the sar command are stored in the fields that monitor processor performance data of the System Summary Overview (PI) and CPU - Per Processor Detail (PI_CPUP) records.

The following table describes the correspondence between the fields of the System Summary Overview (PI) record and the results output by the sar command.

Table 2‒45: Correspondence between System Summary Overview (PI) record fields and the results output by the sar command

Record

Field

Field description

Results output by the sar command

System Summary Overview (PI)

Active CPUs (NUMBER_OF_ACTIVE_CPUS)

Number of processors

Number of rows in which a number is displayed in the cpu column

CPU % (KERNELMODE_USERMODE_PERCENT)

CPU usage (%).

This also indicates the average percentage for each processor.

%sys column + %usr column

Idle % (IDLE_TIME_PERCENT)

Percentage of time spent in idle state (%).

This is also the average of the percentages for all processors.

%idle column

Kernel CPU % (KERNELMODE_PERCENT)

Percentage of time running in kernel mode (%).

This is also the average of the percentages for all processors.

%sys column

User CPU % (USERMODE_PERCENT)

Percentage of time running in user mode (%).

This is also the average of the percentages for all processors.

%usr column

Wait % (WAIT_TIME_PERCENT)

Percentage of time spent in I/O standby (%).

This is also the average of the percentages for each processor.

%wio column

The following table describes the correspondence between the fields of the CPU - Per Processor Detail (PI_CPUP) record and the results output by the sar command.

Table 2‒46: Correspondence between CPU - Per Processor Detail (PI_CPUP) record fields and the results output by the sar command

Record

Field

Field description

Results output by the sar command

CPU - Per Processor Detail (PI_CPUP)

CPU % (KERNELMODE_USERMODE_PERCENT)

CPU usage per processor (%)

%sys column + %usr column

Idle % (PROCESSOR_IDLE_PERCENT)

Percentage of time spent in idle state (%)

%idle

Processor ID (LOGICAL_PROCESSOR_ID)

Processor identifier

cpu column

System % (PROCESSOR_SYSTEM_PERCENT)

Percentage of time running in kernel mode (%)

%sys column

User % (PROCESSOR_USER_PERCENT)

Percentage of time running in user mode (%)

%usr column

Wait % (PROCESSOR_WAIT_PERCENT)

Percentage of time spent in I/O standby (%)

%wio column

When the setting is made to collect processor performance data from the results output by AIX's sar command, 0 is set as the value for the fields of the System Summary Overview (PI) record shown in the table below.

Table 2‒47: System Summary Overview (PI) record fields whose value is 0 when collection of processor performance data from the results output by the AIX sar command is set

Record

Field

Field description

Alarm used

Report used

System Summary Overview (PI)

Total Idle Time (TOTAL_IDLE_TIME)

Total time spent in idle state by all processors (sec)

None

None

Total Kernel-Mode Time (TOTAL_KERNELMODE_TIME)

Total time spent running in kernel mode by all processors (sec)

None

None

Total User-Mode Time (TOTAL_USERMODE_TIME)

Total time spent running in user mode by all processors (sec)

None

None

Total Wait Time (TOTAL_WAIT_TIME)

Total time spent in I/O standby by all processors (sec)

None

None

When the setting is made to collect processor performance data from the results output by AIX's sar command, a blank is set as the value for the fields of the CPU - Per Processor Detail (PI_CPUP) record shown in the table below.

Table 2‒48: CPU - Per Processor Detail (PI_CPUP) record fields whose value is blank when collection of processor performance data from the results output by the AIX sar command is set

Record

Field

Field description

Alarm used

Report used

CPU - Per Processor Detail (PI_CPUP)

Context Switches (PROCESSOR_CONTEXT_SWITCHES)

Number of context switch executions

None

None

Context Switches/sec (PROCESSOR_CONTEXT_SWITCHES_PER_SECOND)

Frequency of context switch executions (executions per sec)

None

None

Idle Time (PROCESSOR_IDLE_TIME)

Time in idle state (sec)

None

None

Sys Calls/sec (PROCESSOR_SYSTEM_CALLS_PER_SECOND)

Frequency of system calls (calls per sec)

None

None

System Calls (PROCESSOR_SYSTEM_CALLS)

Number of system calls

None

None

System Time (PROCESSOR_SYSTEM_TIME)

Time running in kernel mode (sec)

None

None

Type (PROCESSOR_TYPE)

Description of processor

None

None

User Time (PROCESSOR_USER_TIME)

Time running in user mode (sec)

None

None

Wait Time (PROCESSOR_WAIT_TIME)

Time spent in I/O standby (sec)

None

None

(3) Records supported in global environment and WPAR environments

When processor performance data is collected from the results output by the sar command, the records supported and the range of data collected for each record will depend on whether PFM - Agent for Platform is running in the global environment or in the System WPAR environment.

The following table describes the fields of System Summary Overview (PI) records supported in the global environment and in the System WPAR environment.

Table 2‒49: Fields of System Summary Overview (PI) records supported in the global environment and the System WPAR environment

Record

Field

Global environment

System WPAR environment

Collected?

Range collected

Collected?

Range collected

System Summary Overview (PI)

15-Minute Run Queue Avg (FIFTEEN_MINUTE_RUN_QUEUE_AVG)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

1-Minute Run Queue Avg (ONE_MINUTE_RUN_QUEUE_AVG)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

5-Minute Run Queue Avg (FIVE_MINUTE_RUN_QUEUE_AVG)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Active CPUs (NUMBER_OF_ACTIVE_CPUS)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Block Ops (BLOCKIO_IO_OPS)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Block Reads (BLOCKIO_READ_OPS)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Block Reads/sec (BLOCKIO_READ_OPS_PER_SECOND)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Block Writes (BLOCKIO_WRITE_OPS)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Block Writes/sec (BLOCKIO_WRITE_OPS_PER_SECOND)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Cache Read % (CACHE_READ_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Cache Write % (CACHE_WRITE_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Context Switches (CONTEXT_SWITCHES)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Context Switches/sec (CONTEXT_SWITCHES_PER_SECOND)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

CPU % (KERNELMODE_USERMODE_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Idle % (IDLE_TIME_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Kernel CPU % (KERNELMODE_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Logical I/O Ops (LOGICAL_IO_OPS)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Logical Read Mbytes (LOGICAL_READ_MBYTES)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Logical Reads (LOGICAL_READ_OPS)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Logical Reads/sec (LOGICAL_READ_MBYTES_PER_SECOND)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Logical Write Mbytes (LOGICAL_WRITE_MBYTES)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Logical Writes (LOGICAL_WRITE_OPS)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Logical Writes/sec (LOGICAL_WRITE_MBYTES_PER_SECOND)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Physical I/O Ops (PHYSICAL_IO_OPS)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Physical Reads (PHYSICAL_READ_OPS)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Physical Writes (PHYSICAL_WRITE_OPS)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

System Calls (SYSTEM_CALLS)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

User CPU % (USERMODE_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Wait % (WAIT_TIME_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Legend:

Yes: Supported.

No: Not supported.

Note:

Records and fields not listed are the same as for the WPAR environment when processor performance data is not collected from results output by the sar command.

The following table describes the fields of CPU - Per Processor Detail (PI_CPUP) records supported in the global environment and in the System WPAR environment.

Table 2‒50: Fields of CPU - Per Processor Detail (PI_CPUP) records supported in the global environment and the System WPAR environment

Record

Field

Global environment

System WPAR environment

Collected?

Range collected

Collected?

Range collected

CPU - Per Processor Detail (PI_CPUP)

Boot Time (SYSTEM_BOOT_TIME)

Yes

Global environment

No

No

CPU % (KERNELMODE_USERMODE_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Idle % (PROCESSOR_IDLE_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Interval (INTERVAL)

Yes

Global environment

No

No

Processor ID (LOGICAL_PROCESSOR_ID)

Yes

Global environment

No

No

Record Time (RECORD_TIME)

Yes

Global environment

No

No

Record Type (INPUT_RECORD_TYPE)

Yes

Fixed value

No

No

Status (PROCESSOR_STATUS)

Yes

Global environment

No

No

System % (PROCESSOR_SYSTEM_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Up Time (SYSTEM_UP_TIME)

Yes

Global environment

No

No

User % (PROCESSOR_USER_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Wait % (PROCESSOR_WAIT_PERCENT)

Yes

Global environment and all WPAR environments

No

No

Legend:

Yes: Supported.

No: Not supported.

Note:

Records and fields not listed are the same as for the WPAR environment when processor performance data is not collected from results output by the sar command.

(4) Notes

This section provides additional information about collecting and monitoring processor performance data from the results output by AIX's sar command when PFM - Agent for Platform is used.