High Watermark Report considerations

The following section is an explanation of the High Watermark Report.

The statistics featured in the High Watermark Report may prove easier to understand by viewing a series of graphics that show sessions starting and ending over a time span. In the examples, the time span covers 19 generic units. The report is based on the following series of events, which occurred on a managed server.

Time Event
1 Process Start
2 Process Start
2 Process Start
3 Process End
3 Process End
4 Process Start
4 Process Start
6 Process Start
7 Process End
8 Process End
9 Process End
10 Process Start
11 Process Start
12 Process Start
14 Process End
15 Process Start
16 Process End
17 Process End
18 Process End

Image shows a scenario of a High Watermark Report with a session limit of 2 and the number of times sessions exceeded the limit as 6.

Image shows a scenario of a High Watermark Report with a maximum concurrent sessions number of 4 and the number of times the maximum was reached it as 3.

Image shows a scenario of a High Watermark Report with the number of times above the limit as 3.

Image shows a scenario of a High Watermark Report with the last time the limit was exceeded as 11.

Image shows a scenario of a High Watermark Report with 3 overlimit periods.

In the previous illustration:

  • Start Time of Longest Period Over Limit = 11
  • Longest Period Over Limit = 6 time units
  • Percent Time Over Limit = (1+4+6 units) / 19 units = 57.89%

All Servers Statistics. On the High Watermark Report, the results detailed for All Servers may not make intuitive sense at first glance. The source of the confusion has to do with the nature of what is being quantified.

For example, take a High Watermark Report run against two nodes, A and B, each with a session limit of 1. If the two nodes behave identically, as in the following graphic, each will have a number of sessions over the limit equal to two.

Image shows a scenario of a High Watermark Report run against 2 nodes each with a session limit of 1 and behaving in an identical manner.

However, the number of sessions in which the two combined are over the limit is six, as shown in the next graphic. Therefore, the report column # Times Sessions Exceeded Limit will show a value of 6 for All Servers.

Image shows a scenario of a High Watermark Report run against 2 nodes when they exceeded their session limit of 6.

Keep in mind these information when using and interpreting the High Watermark Report.

  • If the clocks are not accurate for all managed servers included in the report, the values for All Servers may not be accurate.
  • For Sterling Connect:Direct® for Microsoft Windows version 4.2, in the absence of the fix for SR1343840, whenever Processes are put on the wait, hold, or timer queues, they are treated as still running. This may affect the accuracy of the report. No fix is needed with later versions of Sterling Connect:Direct for Microsoft Windows.

During the report's specified time frame, if one or more Processes exceed the Max Process Duration value specified, the report's accuracy will be affected.