gtps3m0d | System Performance and Measurement Reference |
All data reduction associated with the system performance and measurement package is done under the IBM MVS system. The analysis phase should not be approached hastily. Snap judgements made from too little data usually cause more problems than leaving the system alone. Remember that the TPF system has many carefully designed cutoff levels as protection against overload conditions, and any tampering with the adjustment of these levels must be considered carefully in light of the many interacting factors involved.
An online check of the message traffic volumes the system is handling may be valuable to, for example, the ticket sales and reservations supervisors for immediate decisions, but the health of the TPF system as a programming system can only be determined after a careful diagnosis of the data reduction reports. The reports are not self-explanatory, but once you become acquainted with them, the normal state will be quickly recognized from, for example, the System Summary report. Any abnormality surfacing in this report, such as an increase in milliseconds per message, can be followed up by closer scrutiny of the message mix to determine whether or not the mix has deviated from the norm.
The primary objective of the initial analysis phase for any TPF system is to establish the normal state limits for each of the key factors affecting performance. Once these factors are set and agreed to be realistic, a daily check on the health of the system becomes routine. However, don't let the performance analysis experts relax at this point; turn them loose on looking for possible performance improvements while they are waiting for emergency calls.
Although the data reduction reports were designed to be used by an analyst familiar with the TPF system, the analyst does not necessarily have to be a statistician. However, for the convenience of those so inclined, frequency distribution reports including means, standard deviations, variances, and so on, of each parameter, are available on an optional basis.
Remember, we are interested in the long-range health of the TPF system. The best way to assure a long life is for periodic check-ups and excellent records on the history of the patient so that seasonal changes will not confuse the diagnostician.