You can use several tools that are related to sizing your current workloads and planning for future workloads when planning for capacity for Linux®. Most of the data that you gather to complete your plan is also used to plan for performance and availability.
Before you begin your capacity planning checklist, answer these questions and read the Linux whitepaper.
| Before you begin | |
|---|---|
| __ | Which type and size of database will your company use? |
| __ | What other software applications are involved? |
| __ | How many users will use these applications? |
| __ | How much data will the server handle? |
| __ | What are the inputs and outputs for the data? |
| __ | What are your future growth plans for your company both in the short term and long term? |
| __ | Read the Optimizing Linux environments for performance and scalability white paper for an overview of the tasks that are involved in planning for Linux capacity as it relates to performance. |
| Linux capacity planning tasks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| __ | Identify capacity considerations for Linux distribution
requirements Each Linux distribution has unique requirements for determining
how much capacity your Linux server can handle. Also, each distribution is
tuned differently with different workload and simulation tools that help you
develop a plan for current and future capacity. To learn more about capacity
planning within your Linux distributions, see these resources.
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| __ | Measure current workloads You need to assess the existing workloads that are assigned to your Linux partitions. Several tools can measure these workloads. See the Linux on POWER® applications |
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| __ | Plan to simulate the environment You need to model current and future capacity to ensure that you have the adequate resources for your workloads. There are several capacity simulation tools available. See the Linux on POWER applications |
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| __ | Plan for logical partitions You might need to shift logical partition (LPAR) resources as your business needs dictate. Your capacity plan will be affected by how your partition resources are allocated. For more information about LPAR planning on your Linux servers, see Planning for logical partitions. |
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| __ | Plan for Capacity Upgrade on
Demand If your simulations show that you will need seasonal or permanent capacity upgrades, you need to plan for additional processors. For more information about planning for, activating, and ordering additional processors for your hardware system, see Planning for Capacity on Demand. |
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.When you have completed these tasks, you should have a plan for capacity that identifies these elements:
| After you finish | |
|---|---|
| __ | Record your current configuration and list all standby capacity. |
| __ | Record a list of hardware that you will need to upgrade dynamically. |
| __ | Record a timetable for monthly or seasonal upgrades. |
| __ | Record a timetable for long-term upgrades. |