Analyzing User Profile Allocated Storage on IBM i

Answer

Overview

On IBM i, each user profile consumes system storage through authorization, ownership entries and storage allocated to owned objects. These entries are created when a user profile owns objects, has private authorities, belongs to authorization lists or primary groups.

Uncontrolled growth of these entries can lead to system storage pressure, user profile allocation failures, and increased complexity in security administration and auditing activities.

SQL Used for Analysis:

Using the Run SQL Scripts tool, run the following SQL Statement:

SELECT USER_NAME,
       OWNER_ENTRIES,
       PRIVATE_AUTHORITY_ENTRIES,
       AUTHORIZED_USER_ENTRIES,
       PRIMARY_GROUP_ENTRIES,
       TOTAL_PROFILE_ENTRIES,
       AVAILABLE_PROFILE_ENTRIES,
       DECIMAL(
           (DECIMAL(AVAILABLE_PROFILE_ENTRIES, 21, 2) /
               (DECIMAL(AVAILABLE_PROFILE_ENTRIES, 21, 2) + DECIMAL(TOTAL_PROFILE_ENTRIES, 21, 2))) * 100,
           5,
           2) AS PERCENT_FREE,
       STORAGE_USED,
       MAXIMUM_STORAGE_ALLOWED
    FROM QSYS2.USER_STORAGE
    ORDER BY TOTAL_PROFILE_ENTRIES DESC;

Sample Report: 

Explanation of Key Columns:

• USER NAME

  The name of the user profile being analyzed.

• OWNER ENTRIES

  This is the number of entries for objects for which this user is the owner.

• PRIVATE AUTHORITY ENTRIES

  This is the number of entries for objects for which this user has a private authority. This value is often the primary driver of profile growth.

• AUTHORIZED USER ENTRIES

  This is the number of entries for other users that have private authorities to objects for which this user is the owner

• PRIMARY GROUP ENTRIES

  This is the number of entries for objects for which this user is the primary group.

• TOTAL PROFILE ENTRIES

  This is the total of owner, private authority, authorized user, and primary group entries used

• AVAILABLE PROFILE ENTRIES

  The number of authority-related entries available to the user for this ASP group

• PERCENT FREE

  Percent of of available free entries.

• STORAGE USED

  The amount of auxiliary storage, in kilobytes, occupied by the user's owned objects for this ASP group.

• MAXIMUM STORAGE LIMIT

  The maximum amount of auxiliary storage, in kilobytes, that can be assigned to store permanent objects owned by the user. Contains the null value if the user does not have a maximum amount of allowed storage.

Maximum Limites for each profile:

Explanation of Key Metrics

The query retrieves both permanent storage and user authority entries allocated to each user profile. The most critical columns include PRIVATE_AUTHORITY_ENTRIES, which commonly drive profile growth; TOTAL_PROFILE_ENTRIES, which reflects the total allocated capacity; and AVAILABLE_PROFILE_ENTRIES, which indicates remaining headroom before profile extension is required.

Interpreting the Results

Profiles with high counts of private authority entries should be reviewed to determine whether authorization lists can be used instead. Profiles with low available entry counts may be approaching their allocation limits and could experience failures when new authorities or objects are assigned.

Recommended Actions

Administrators should periodically review user storage metrics, reduce excessive private authorities, leverage authorization lists, and monitor profiles trending toward capacity limits. Incorporating this analysis into routine system health checks can significantly reduce long-term security and storage risks.

Adicional Resources:

• How do you create a report of all objects owned by a user profile
• Finding Authorized User Entries for a User Profile
• Finding Private Authorities for a User Profile
• USER_STORAGE view
• Message MCH2804 on a User Profile
• How do you create a report for Users approaching the Maximum Storage defined in their profiles.
• Getting Message MCH2804 Tried to go larger than storage limit for object &1 for a user profile, however PRTPRFINT does not show the profile as being full.
• Tool to List Private Authorities