Monitor Client Interface

Adaptive Server saves performance data in a shared memory area that Monitor Server reads. Because of this shared memory technique, Monitor Server must be installed and running on the same machine as the Adaptive Server Enterprise installation being monitored. A one-to-one relationship exists between Adaptive Server and Monitor Server.

The monitors in the Adaptive Server Enterprise Plug-in are clients of Monitor Server. When you open a monitor, you are connecting to Monitor Server. Monitor Server obtains the specific data requested by its clients from the Adaptive Server shared memory area.

Each monitor is a separate connection to Monitor Server. For example, if you are running two Cache monitors and one Data Cache monitor for the same Adaptive Server installation, you have three open connections to the Monitor Server associated with that Adaptive Server.

You can use monitoring data to identify potential resource bottlenecks, to research current problems, and to tune for better performance.

Resource Statistics

Some of the resources that you can monitor are: CPU usage, page I/O, device I/O, locks, and network usage. Various combinations of these resources can be viewed at the following levels of detail:

• activity for the entire Adaptive Server
• activity at the application level
• activity at the database object level
• activity at the process level
• activity at the SQL statement level

Snapshot Data

Snapshot information, such as lock status, process status, and executing statements, is also available.

Refreshes

You can obtain refreshed performance data at any desired sample interval, from 1 second to 24 hours. You can also see cumulative statistics for the entire time a monitor is open.

Precise Values in Graphs

You can display the precise values represented in graphs by passing the mouse over a bar, line point, or pie section. The values display as small popups.

Before you can use a monitor:

• A Monitor Server must be configured on the same machine as the Adaptive Server you want to monitor.
• Monitor Server must be running.
• An entry for the configured Monitor Server must exist in the sql.ini or other Directory Service file on the machine where Sybase Central is running. Use the dsedit utility to make these changes.
• The correct release of a Java Virtual Machine must be installed on your machine. For instructions, see Installing Adaptive Server Enterprise and the latest Release Bulletin for Adaptive Server Enterprise.
• Your login must have appropriate privileges
• In the Sybase Central tree, a Monitors folder must be configured under the Adaptive Server icon.

To monitor Adaptive Server, you must be connected to it using either:

• A login that has sa_role, or
• A login associated with a user in the master database that has permission to execute the mon_rpc_connect stored procedure. (The stored procedure is in the master database.) For this option to work, non-sa_role monitoring must be enabled.

To associate a login with a user, the system administrator can:

• Add a user to master for each login that needs to run monitors, or
• Add one user to master and associate multiple logins to it through aliases. Use the User property sheet to set up aliases.

1. Execute the mon_authorize_non_sa stored procedure in the Adaptive Server to be monitored. This stored procedure is in the master database. You can execute a stored procedure using SQL Advantage or isql.
2. If the mon_authorize_non_sa stored procedure is not in the master database or if it issues an error message indicating that two-phase commit needs to be installed, some steps were omitted during the Adaptive Server and Monitor Server installation process. See the latest Release Bulletin for Adaptive Server Monitor for specific instructions.

If Monitor Server is installed on the same machine as the Sybase Central installation, you can start it by right-clicking its icon and choosing the Start command from the drop-down menu. Monitor Server reads startup parameters from the NT Registry. The Monitor Server icon indicates one of the following server states:

• Green indicates running
• Yellow indicates paused
• Red indicates stopped

If Monitor Server is not installed on the Sybase Central machine, you do not have control over it from Sybase Central and Sybase Central cannot know whether it is running.

See Adaptive Server Enterprise Monitor Server User's Guide for instructions on starting Monitor Server.

The status bar shows:

• Status of the current monitor:
  • Initializing - the monitor is in the process of connecting to Monitor Server and Adaptive Server, and has yet to collect the first sample.
  • Running - the monitor refreshes the data after each sample interval.
  • Paused - the data is fixed and will not be refreshed until you reverse the pause. During a pause, data continues to be collected in the background, maintaining accurate cumulative data. To resume data refreshes after a pause, from the View menu, choose Resume.
  • Done - the monitor is finished gathering data. This status applies only to monitors that collect a one-time snapshot of data, such as the Process Current SQL Statement monitor.
  • Error - an error condition is preventing the monitor from continuing to collect more data.
• Statistics setting - current setting of the Statistics option (sample, cumulative, or both).
• Refresh time - time the sample currently displayed was obtained by Monitor Server.
• Session start time - time this monitor was opened.

The list of Monitor Server names in the drop-down box on the Monitor Server tab lists the contents of the sql.ini or other Directory Service file on the Sybase Central machine. If the correct Monitor Server is not in the list, use the dsedit utility to add Monitor Server to the sql.ini or other Directory Service file.

Each Adaptive Server installation has a unique Monitor Server configured for it. If you do not know the correct Monitor Server name, refer to the Directory Service, sql.ini (Windows NT) or interfaces (UNIX) file on the Adaptive Server host machine.

Short sample intervals cause frequent refreshes of data in a monitor. When data refreshes so often that you cannot read the display, choose a longer interval or pause the refreshes

The status bar indicates the time that the last samplesamples was obtained by Monitor Server

You might notice discrepancies in the rates reported by different monitors for related data items over the same sample interval. Discrepancies might occur because the rates are averaged over the period of the actual sample interval for each data point. The actual sample interval for several data points can vary with network traffic and server activity, even among sampling requests made at the same time. Differences in sample interval lengths can also cause discrepancies in data.

Very short sample intervals in monitors that obtain many event summaries can potentially have an effect on a busy Adaptive Server installation. For more information about event summaries, see the Adaptive Server Enterprise Monitor Server User's Guide.

You can change the sample interval in the middle of a session without affecting the cumulative values collected for the session.

To set the sample interval

1. Choose View--> Sample Interval. The Set Sample Interval dialog box opens.
2. Click in the appropriate box and change the displayed value to the desired new hours, minutes, or seconds.

Sample rates - average number of occurrences per second in the most recent sample interval.

= Count for the most recent sample / Number of seconds in a sample interval

= Cumulative count for the session / Number of seconds since monitor opened

To set the statistic type:

1. Choose View-->Statistics.
2. From the cascading menu, choose the type of statistics that you want the monitor to display. Choices that do not apply to the current monitor do not show up in the cascading menu. The possible choices are:
   • Sample - unless otherwise labeled, all rates, counts, and percentages on the monitor reflect activity for the last sample interval
   • Cumulative - unless otherwise labeled, all rates, counts, and percentages on the monitor reflect activity for the entire session
   • Both - where applicable, both sample and cumulative data are displayed.

To open a monitor from the Sybase Central main window:

1. Select the Monitors folder under the Adaptive Server you want to monitor. If a Monitors folder is not in the tree, read about Configuring the Monitors folder.
2. In the right pane, double click the monitor you want to open.

1. From the title bar of any open monitor, choose File-->Monitors.
2. In the cascading menu, choose the monitor you want to open. The new monitor gathers statistics for the same Adaptive Server as the original monitor.

The monitor window refreshes automatically at the end of each sample interval.

To pause refreshes:

1. Choose View-->Pause.

To resume refreshes:

1. Choose View-->Resume.

1. In the monitor window (not the Sybase Central main window), choose File-->Close.

If you reopen the same monitor, you are establishing a new session. All menu settings are reset to their default values and all activity counters and session values are reset to zero.

To set a filter

1. Select Filter-->filterName, where filterName is any command in the Filter menu.
2. Complete the dialog box and click OK. For more information about a specific dialog box, click the Help button on the dialog box.

A newly set filter is effective immediately. The next refresh displays filtered data.

Note: The top n and threshold filters can be implemented by selecting a filter command for a numeric data item.

To set a top n filter

1. Select the Top button from the filter dialog box.
2. In the Number box, enter the number of rows you want displayed.
3. If the dialog box includes buttons for selecting the statistic type:
   1. Select the Sample button to apply the filter to data from the most recent sample.
   2. Select the Cumulative button to apply the filter to cumulative (session) data.

To set a threshold filter

1. Select the Threshold button from the filter dialog box.
2. In the Value box, enter a threshold value. It must be a positive integer. The monitor displays values that are equal to and above the specified threshold value.
3. If the dialog box includes buttons for selecting the statistic type:
   1. Select the Sample button to apply the filter to data from the most recent sample.
   2. Select the Cumulative button to apply the filter to cumulative (session) data.

1. Do either of the following:
   • To cancel the current filter without implementing a new one, choose Filter -->No Filter.
   • To cancel the current filter and set a new one, choose Filter and any other command in the Filter menu.

Title bar -- The title bar shows the name of the Adaptive Server being monitored.

Menus -- The menu bar and menu commands are context sensitive based on the current monitor. Menus and commands that do not apply to the current monitor do not display or are gray.

Status bar -- The status bar at the bottom of the window shows sample interval information and run status of the monitor.

Scroll bars -- The monitor display contains scroll bars whenever they are needed to display the entire range of data. Font and window size -- You can resize a monitor window by grabbing the window edges.

Column width -- You can adjust column widths in monitor table displays by dragging the column header to the desired size.

Precise values in graphs -- You can display the precise values represented in graphs by passing the mouse over a bar, line point, or pie section. The values display as small popups.

Shows high level resource information for currently running Adaptive Server applications. Use this monitor to:

• Identify the applications that are executed most often and consume the most resources. Improving the performance of these applications will have the greatest impact on overall system performance.
• Compare current performance against benchmarked values.
• Determine which applications tend to be I/O intensive, which are CPU intensive, and which are victims of or responsible for a large number of blocking locks.

See also:

This monitor shows information about the procedure cache and data cache. Use this monitor to:

• Determine efficiency of current configuration for data cache and procedure cache.
• Determine if enough memory is allocated to Adaptive Server and if the allocation of that space in the procedure cache and data cache is appropriate.

See also:

This monitor shows overall activity and efficiency levels of the 10 most active data caches (including named data caches and the default cache) during the current session. Use this monitor to:

• Determine if memory is allocated efficiently among named data caches and the default cache
• Determine if objects are bound to named data caches in an efficient scheme
• Decide where to make adjustments if inefficiencies are indicated
• Determine if buffer pools in a data cache are handling the large I/O requests of Adaptive Server.

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Shows device I/O activity on the database devices defined for Adaptive Server. The I/O counts on this monitor are buffer counts, not page counts. Use this monitor to:

• Identify bottlenecks caused by device contention.
• Identify bottlenecks caused when the maximum possible physical I/O rate for a device is approached.
• Evaluate the distribution of load among devices and decide whether to reallocate objects among the devices, or split tables.
• Determine when to add new devices.
• Watch transaction log I/O, if the transaction log is isolated on its own device.

See also:

Shows details about the current CPU load caused by Adaptive Server task processing. The monitor isolates the time Adaptive Server spends processing tasks versus the total CPU time used by Adaptive Server. Use this monitor to:

• Tune the following Adaptive Server configuration parameters:
  • max online engines (applies to SMP systems only)
  • runnable process search count
• Evaluate the task load on Adaptive Server

See also:

Displays a pie chart showing Adaptive Server memory allocations. The information is based on Adaptive Server configuration parameter values, and is therefore static. Use this monitor after you:

• Change Adaptive Server memory configuration
• Upgrade to a new Adaptive Server release

This monitor shows packet volume and packet sizes used for communication between Adaptive Server and its clients. The monitor also shows values of some Adaptive Server configuration parameters that affect network traffic. Use this monitor to:

• Watch volume of Adaptive Server network activity and be proactive about preventing network overload.
• Determine effectiveness of current network configuration for Adaptive Server applications.
• Configure the default network packet size and max network packet size configuration parameters.

See also:

Shows details about currently held or blocked locks on tables. The data is sorted using the following keys: database, object within database, page within object, and status within page. This ordering makes blocked and blocking processes show up next to each other in the list. Use this monitor to:

• Determine which tables are currently experiencing lock contention.
• Research the processes, login accounts, and tables associated with current locks.
• Determine which tables are experiencing contention because of a hot spot problem.
• Research time waited on locks.
• Research the types of locks that are blocking.

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Shows physical and logical page I/O statistics associated with tables and their indexes. It shows activity on all tables, including system tables, temporary work tables, and database tables. Use this monitor to:

• Determine which tables are the most heavily used and therefore most likely to contribute to I/O bottlenecks
• Determine which tables and indexes could benefit from being bound to a named data cache
• Determine which tables could benefit from index redesigning or index maintenance

See also:

This monitor summarizes the principal Adaptive Server performance indicators. Use this monitor to:

• Check the current overall performance of Adaptive Server
• Identify problem areas that warrant further investigation
• Begin to isolate the cause of a current performance problem

See also:

Plots values for selected statistics for up to 60 sample intervals. You select the statistics you want to plot from a dialog box when you open the Performance Trends monitor. Each statistic you choose is presented in a separate graph. The x axis shows sample intervals, with 0 indicating the most recent sample interval, and negative values showing past intervals. The Y axis shows the values for the statistic you requested. Use this monitor to:

• Capture benchmark data.
• Determine busy times or determine when bottlenecks tend to occur. For example, using a sample interval of 1/2 hour lets you easily plot trends for a 24-hour period.
• Scan for trouble indicators. For example,using a sample interval of one minute lets you review activity over the past hour at a glance.

To Set Up the Performance Trends Monitor

1. Open the Performance Trends monitor.
2. In the Performance Trends dialog box, choose one or more items that you want to see graphs for.
   Each item will have a separate graph. If there is not enough room on your terminal to display graphs for all of the items you choose, the monitor shows titles without the graphs.
3. From the Performance Trends monitor, choose View -->Sample Interval to set the sample interval length.
   The monitor displays 60 sample intervals at a time. If you set sample interval to 10 seconds, you can see the activity trends for 10 minutes at a time. If you set sample interval to 30 minutes, you can see the activity trends for 30 hours at a time.

Shows high level resource information for currently running Adaptive Server processes. If a process consists of worker threads, the monitor adds all data for all worker threads and presents only the totals for the parent thread (the process). Use this monitor to:

• Begin to troubleshoot a slow-running process.
• Watch process activity and resource usage (CPU usage, I/O requests, and lock requests).
• Research locking problems.
• Select a process to examine in the Process Current SQL Statement Monitor.

1. Select a process by clicking on it.
2. Select File -->Monitors.
3. From the cascading menu, select Process Current SQL Statement.

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Shows information about the currently executing SQL statement for a process, including the currently executing query plan. Use this monitor to:

• Tune long-running SQL statements
• Research process response-time problems

There are two ways to select the process whose currently executing SQL text you want to see:

• From the Process Current SQL Statement Monitor, select a process in the upper portion of the monitor.
• From the Process Activity Monitor:
  1. Highlight the process whose SQL statement you want to examine.
  2. Select File-->Monitors.
  3. From the cascading menu, select Process Current SQL Statement.

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Shows statistics on execution, page I/O, and locks for all stored procedures and triggers that have executed during the sample or session. (A trigger is a special type of stored procedure.) Use this monitor to:

• Identify the stored procedures that are executed most often and consume the most resources. Improving the performance of a few of those procedures can have a great impact on overall system performance.
• Compare current performance against benchmarked values.

See also:

Shows summary information about transaction activity handled by Adaptive Server. Use this monitor to:

• Compare current transaction activity against benchmark values. Large deviations in transaction throughput rates can indicate developing bottlenecks.
• Determine if tuning efforts on SQL statements or indexes is making data modification operations more efficient.

See also: