Beyond monitoring: Mathematical load simulation in Perl

That Computes

Article from ADMIN 06/2011

By Neil J. Gunther

Simulations and the ability to predict the future can show what effect adding new hardware, or changing the load, can have. Armed with the right know-how, anybody can use this tool.

Performance management comprises three sequential processes: monitoring, analysis, and modeling (Figure 1). Monitoring is the theme of this article, analysis is the ability to identify patterns in monitored data, and modeling uses monitored data to predict future events, such as resource bottlenecks. PDQ (Pretty Damn Quick), a queuing analysis tool that comes as a Perl module, helps make predictions possible.

Figure 1: A schematic timeline showing the relationship between performance monitoring, analysis, and modeling.

Introduction

Choosing a monitoring solution and completing the installation and configuration isn't the end; it's just a new starting point. The core requirement is to collect monitored performance data. Without that, the performance characteristics of systems and applications cannot begin to be quantified. That is the monitoring phase.

But, monitoring alone is akin to watching needles jitter on the dashboard of a car or the cockpit of an aircraft. To assess the future picture, it is important to look out the window and see what is down the road or what other aircraft might be flying near you. The problem with just relying on monitoring alone is that it

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