How can IPHost Network Monitor help me for server performance tuning?
Server performance tuning is impossible without reliable information on a server workload. It includes a CPU load, Available Memory, DISKSPACE, network connectivity. It is possible to get statistics on these parameters of server work with the help of IPHost Network Monitor and to use this data important for subsequent server performance tuning.
At the beginning it is necessary to identify the characteristics of the server in normal working mode, when the server is running with a load and the operations are performed at an acceptable rate (also see server testing info). It is better to track the level of processing power during a work day of your company. If this period has passed without failures and downtimes then one can consider such mode of server work as normal. Accordingly set these values for corresponding monitors of our program.
In the monitoring process the periods of maximum server load need to be analyzed. If the performance of the server was acceptable at those points in time one can conclude that the server has sufficient processing power for the class of current tasks and does not require performance tuning.
When analyzing server processing power and in subsequent server performance tuning one should compare the work of all main parameters (cpu, memory, disk, server uptime/downtime, bandwidth) simultaneously. For instance, if the processor load is high one should not automatically think that the problem consists exclusively in the processor. It is necessary to take into account the effect produced by the memory and the hard disk load. Probably the system is using too large virtual memory size. In this case a high processor load may prove to be a symptom of random-access memory insufficiency and not of low computing power of the processor. In analyzing the statistics and subsequent server performance tuning one should take into account that all four parameters play an important role and are interdependent.
Practical experience shows that in the course of time the load on the server in most organizations increases. The users master the system, begin to work more actively, use new functions therefore server operating speed requirements grow. Besides, usually new users also get connected to the system. All these factors may lead to the fact that the performance of the server may prove insufficient in time. Hence processing power monitoring should be performed constantly.
