HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
GLOSSARY This glossary contains an alphabetized list of terms associated with Performance Collection Software. alarm action The command that is executed when a performance alarm is started, repeated, or finished. alphanumeric A character set composed of numbers, letters, or a combination of both. application A Performance Collection Software application is a user-defined group of related processes. APPLICATION= A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive that defines a collection of programs and reports on their combined activities. application data The data that is logged to Performance Collection Software application log files that contain measurements of processes combined into user-defined groups (applications). application log file The raw log file, LOGAPPL, where the SCOPE(XL) collection program places summarized measurements of the processes in each user-defined group (application). ASCII An acronym for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange. ASCII is a set of standard codes representing letters, numbers, and special characters. ASCII codes are used to exchange information between computers and peripheral devices. ASCII file A text file that contains ASCII code representing letters, numbers, and special characters. The file does not contain any special nonprinting characters. binary file A file that contains machine readable codes representing letters, numbers, and special characters. The file may contain special nonprinting characters. cache (disc cache) A facility on some HP 3000 systems that allows portions of disc contents to be maintained in the memory of the main processor. collection The Performance Collection Software procedure for gathering HP 3000 performance measurement data on system resource utilization, terminal transaction rates, and response times. On MPE/iX systems, SCOPE(XL) logs this data to as many as five different log files: global, application, process, disc space, and index. CPU An acronym for the Central Processing Unit--the functional part of a computer that executes program instructions. DAILYTIME A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive that sets the time of day when the daily sampling of the disc data is done. data file A text file that contains ASCII code representing letters, numbers, and special characters. The file does not contain any special nonprinting characters. All non-numeric fields in this file are bounded by double quote characters. This file format is often the preferred format for importing data into many popular spreadsheet programs. default An option that is selected automatically by the system if it is not overridden by a user-selected option or an appropriate command. detail data Raw data that is collected every 5 minutes by SCOPE(XL). empty space The difference between the maximum possible size of a log file and its current size. encryption/decryption A file-security mechanism that alters access to the contents of a file by making its contents unreadable by unauthorized users. exported log file A file created by the Performance Collection Software EXTRACT program (EXPORT command) or HP LaserRX/MPE Analysis Software (EXPORT LOGFILE or EXPORT WINDOW commands). It contains user-selected data ranges and types of data in one of several industry standard formats. An exported file is designed for direct printing or for use by other tools and programs. It cannot be used as input to Performance Collection Software or HP LaserRX/MPE Analysis Software programs. EXTRACT A Performance Collection Software program that allows the user to create extracted log files containing selected performance data for specific analytical needs. extracted log file A performance measurement log file created by the Performance Collection Software EXTRACT program. It contains user-selected data ranges and types of data. extraction The Performance Collection Software procedure for selecting desired data using the HP 3000 EXTRACT program. file equations The MPE commands used to redirect the file attributes for programs. For example, you can use a file equation to change the name of an extracted file. FINISH A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive that specifies the alarm action to be taken when a performance alarm is no longer satisfied. global A qualifier that implies the entire system. global data The data, logged to Performance Collection Software global log files, that contain measurements of systemwide activity. global log file The raw log file, LOGGLOB, in which the collection program stores measurements of systemwide performance. host computer See HP 3000 server. HP 3000 server The HP 3000 in which the Performance Collection Software is installed to give you access to remote data. It is the host computer. ICS An acronym for the Interrupt Control Stack whose principal activity is to handle interrupts. ID A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive that identifies a host system. IF A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive that defines a condition that must be true to be able to satisfy a performance alarm. interesting process A process, logged into a process log file, that becomes interesting when first created or terminated, or when it exceeds certain user-defined thresholds. intervals The specific Performance Collection Software time periods during which SCOPE(XL) logs data. log files Performance Collection Software data files that are either raw or extracted. Extracted log files are optimized for quick retrieval by the PC programs and can be copied to the PC for local access. LOG A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive used to specify the type of data to be written to appropriate log files. LOGAPPL A Performance Collection Software raw log file that contains measurements of the activity in each user-defined application. LOGDISC The raw log file containing summarized measurements of disc space usage. LOGGLOB A Performance Collection Software raw log file containing measurements of the systemwide activity. LOGINDX The raw log file (only in MPE/iX) containing information used to rapidly index the log files when retrieving information. On MPE V systems, this information is kept in each of the other log files, so a LOGINDX file is not needed. LOGPROC A Performance Collection Software raw log file containing measurements of selected interesting processes. main memory Computer memory that is used directly by the CPU. MAINTTIME A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive that sets the time of day at which scheduled maintenance operations will be performed. MAXTHINK A THRESHOLD parameter that sets a filter used in calculating terminal response times. Any terminal transaction where the think time was greater than MAXTHINK seconds is ignored. measurement interface An HP 3000 performance data source used by Performance Collection Software's performance data collection facility. memory manager The part of the operating system that controls main and virtual memory. This activity can consume both CPU and disc I/O resources. MINTHINK A THRESHOLD parameter that sets a filter used in calculating terminal response times. Any terminal transaction where the think time was less than MINTHINK seconds--such as a terminal status read--is assumed to be a hardware-generated transaction. MPE An acronym for Multi-Programming Executive--the HP 3000 operating system. NOKILLED A THRESHOLD parameter that prevents the logging of any process that was considered interesting only because it was terminating and was not interesting for any other reason during the interval. NONEW A THRESHOLD parameter that prevents the logging of any process that was considered interesting only because it was a new process and was not interesting for any other reason during the interval. NOSHORT A THRESHOLD parameter that prevents the logging of any process that was considered interesting only because it was created or terminated and had a run time less than or equal to the NOSHORT parameter. parameters The options used to modify directive and command syntax to customize performance data collection. PARM A Performance Collection Software file that contains parameters that customize Performance Collection Software data collection. performance alarm A set of conditions, based on performance metrics, that indicate a needed action on a system. Performance alarms might be processed against real-time data by the SCOPE(XL) collector or against historical log file data by the UTILITY program. performance measurement data The data, collected in log files, that contains measurements of the effects of user-defined and system-overhead processes on that system. process The execution of a program file. This execution can represent an interactive (session) or batch (job) user, or an operating system. process control block An internal table used by MPE to manage processes. process data The data, logged to a Performance Collection Software process log file, that contains measurements of selected interesting processes. process log file The raw log file, LOGPROC, containing summarized measurements of selected interesting processes. QUEUE A Performance Collection Software PARM file parameter used to select processes for an application based on their CPU execution queue. raw log file A file that contains summarized measurements of system data. The SCOPE(XL) program collects data into raw log files: LOGGLOB containing global measurements, LOGAPPL containing application measurements, LOGPROC containing process measurements, LOGDISC containing summarized measurements of disc space usage, and LOGINDX (MPE/iX only) containing information used to rapidly index into the log files when retrieving information. remote log file A Performance Collection Software file that resides on an HP 3000 under the MPE file system. This file can be a raw or extracted log file. REPEAT A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive that sets the minimum time before a performance alarm is allowed to repeat its action. report file An ASCII file created by the user to define desired data metrics and the format of exported files generated by the EXTRACT program's EXPORT command. resizing The changing of the maximum size of a raw log file and, optionally, removing data from raw log files to ensure that a given amount of empty space exists to hold new log records. The UTILITY program is used to resize raw log files. response time The time between pressing ENTER or RETURN on the keyboard and obtaining a response from the computer system. Performance Collection Software records two different response times: "First Response" occurs when the first piece of data is written to the user, and "Response to Prompt" occurs when the system is ready to accept additional input and signifies this by issuing a new prompt. rollback The process of deleting 25 percent of a log file's data, starting with the oldest data, to make room for new data. Rollbacks occur when the SCOPE(XL) program fills a raw log file. RUN file The file created by SCOPE(XL) to control the running of the collector. If the RUN file is purged, SCOPE(XL) will terminate. RXLOG The default file created by the EXTRACT program. This file can be accessed on the host (via remote file access) or downloaded to a PC workstation. SCOPE(XL) The Performance Collection Software collector program that runs on the HP 3000 under the MPE operating system. It collects data from several sources in the HP 3000, but mainly from the Measurement Interface (MI), and writes (logs) this raw performance measurement data to raw log files. Raw log files reside on an HP 3000 under the MPE file system. SCOPE2 This is the daily disc space collection program for MPE V. It is run by the SCOPE program, as needed. SCOPEIN A message file used for communicating between the UTILITY and SCOPE(XL) programs. SCOPEJOB.SCOPE.SYS The Performance Collection Software job stream that starts SCOPE(XL). SCOPEOUT A message file created whenever the UTILITY program is awaiting a response from SCOPE(XL). The file is created in the LOGON group of the user that runs UTILITY and should be purged automatically whenever UTILITY terminates. If it remains after UTILITY is executed, it can be purged manually. SCOPEXL2 This is the daily, disc-space collection program for MPE/iX. It is run by the SCOPE(XL) program, as needed. SEPARATOR A directive in a report file that specifies the character used to separate fields in an exported file. The report file is used by the EXTRACT program during its EXPORT function. service level An agreement, usually between the data processing department and computer system users, that specifies the levels of acceptable service. Performance Collection Software has instrumentation to collect data for the most popular type of service-level agreement. This agreement is based on the percentage of terminal transactions that exhibit response times at or below an agreed level. SERVICE LEVEL A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive that defines service levels for an application. See service level, above. SLA A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive that defines service levels for an application. See service level, above. STATUS The file created by SCOPE(XL) to record status, data inconsistencies, or errors. This file is created automatically to contain noteworthy events in the life of SCOPE(XL), such as starting, stopping normally or abnormally, and resizing a raw log file. The file is a circular ASCII file and can be printed using the FCOPY or MPE/iX PRINT command. The file may be resized to hold more or less data, but you must be careful to preserve its characteristics (circular, record length, and other parameters). summary data Raw data that is summarized into one data point per hour. It can be graphed on Performance Collection Software more quickly, since fewer data records must be handled to produce a graph. Summarization reduces the size of the global and application data to approximately one-tenth to one-twelfth of the detail data size. swap To transfer some or all of a process's main memory resources to or from slower mass memory (disc). system ID The string of characters that identifies your system. system manager The person responsible for the operation and maintenance of a computer system. system resources The parts of a computer system used to fulfill users's processing demands. The CPU, disc, and main memory are the most common system resources. terminal emulator A program, such as HP OfficeShare's AdvanceLink, that is run on a PC but mimics an HP 3000 terminal. THEN A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive for defining service levels for an application. See also service level. think time The interval between the moment a system issues a prompt and when the user presses a key that initiates the next transaction. THRESHOLD A Performance Collection Software PARM file directive that defines how much of a system's resources a process must use before the process becomes interesting enough to be logged. throughput The number of transactions that occur in a computer during a given period. TODAY A keyword used in the EXTRACT and UTILITY programs to specify a starting or stopping date based on the current calendar date. transaction In Performance Collection Software, a terminal transaction begins when a terminal-user's input is completed (read complete) and ends when the next input can be accepted (initiation of next read to that terminal). UTILITY A Performance Collection Software program used to determine the contents of log files and the amount of disc space they occupy. The program is also used to resize raw log files. WAIT THRESHOLD The Performance Collection Software PARM file directive that lets the user specify a process as interesting and log it if it spends too much time waiting for a key system resource. wild card character A character (such as *, @, ?, or #) that can be included in a file name to indicate any character or group of characters would be acceptable in that position in another file name. workload The total amount of work demanded of a computer system. This work can include interactive commands and batch programs executed against various data files over a period. variables Entities that can assume an assigned value or a number of different values. virtual memory The portion of a disc (or other storage device) that is used as an extension of the main memory and is controlled by the operating system's memory manager.