Applications for performance management

Managing performance requires the use of a variety of specialized applications. Each of these applications offers a specific insight into system performance. Some applications collect the data, while others are used to display, analyze, monitor or manage the data collected.

The following figures represent the main performance applications. The cloud shape represents all of the data that exists in the system that can be collected. There are four collectors that have access to and can collect the data. Ultimately the data that is collected by a collector is deposited into a set of database files.

Overview of performance data
Overview of performance applications

Each of the collectors has unique characteristics.

Collection Services
Collection Services provides for the collection of system and job level performance data. It is the primary collector of performance data. You can run this continuously to know what is happening with your system. Collection Services data is deposited into a management collection object and then converted and put into database files. The interval data that is collected is specified by either application defined or user defined interval data.
IBM® i Job Watcher
IBM i Job Watcher provides for the collection of job data for any or all jobs, threads, tasks on the system. It provides call stacks, SQL statements, objects being waited on, Java™ JVM statistics, wait statistics and more which are used to diagnose job related performance problems.
IBM i Disk Watcher
IBM i Disk Watcher provides for the collection of disk performance data to diagnose disk related performance problems.
Performance Explorer
Performance explorer provides for the collection of detailed data at a program and application level to diagnose problems. It also traces the flow of work in an application and can be used to diagnose difficult performance problems. Application-defined performance explorer trace points, such as with Domino®, NetServer, or WebSphere® servers specify the data that is collected. It is intended to be used as directed by IBM. Performance Explorer data is deposited into a management collection object and then converted and put into database files.

The performance data contained in any of the database files can be accessed though APIs or CL commands. The performance data contained in some of the database files can be investigated and analyzed using one or more of a variety of tools that are further described in Viewing and analyzing data.