Graph Tool

The graph tool is the principal onperf interface. This tool allows you to display any set of database server metrics that the onperf data collector obtains from shared memory. Figure 93 shows a diagram of a graph tool.

Figure 93. Graph-Tool Window

You cannot bring up a graph-tool window from a query-tree tool, a status tool, or one of the activity tools.

Title Bar

When you invoke onperf, the initial graph-tool window displays serverName, the database server that the INFORMIXSERVER environment variable specifies, in the title bar. The data comes from the shared memory of the indicated database server instance.

If the configuration of an initial graph-tool has not yet been saved or loaded from disk, onperf does not display the name of a configuration file in the title bar.

If you open a historical data file, for example named caselog.23April.2PM, in this graph-tool window, the title bar displays caselog.23.April.23.April.2PM.

Graph-Tool Graph Menu

The Graph menu provides the following options.

Option

Use

New

Creates a new graph tool. All graph tools that you create using this option share the same data-collector and onperf processes. To create new graph tools, use this option rather than invoke onperf multiple times.

Open History File

Loads a previously saved file of historical data into the graph tool for viewing. If the file does not exist, onperf prompts you for one. When you select a file, onperf starts a playback process to view the file.

Save History File

Saves the contents of the data-collector buffer to either an ASCII or a binary file, as specified in the Configuration dialog box.

Save History File As

Specifies the filename in which to save the contents of the data-collector buffer.

Annotate

Brings up a dialog box in which you can enter a header label and a footer label. Each label is optional. The labels are displayed on the graph. When you save the graph configuration, onperf includes these labels in the saved configuration file.

Print

Brings up a dialog box that allows you to select a destination file. You cannot send the contents of the graph tool directly to a printer; you must use this option to specify a file and subsequently send the PostScript file to a printer.

Close

Closes the tool. When a tool is the last remaining tool of the onperf session, this menu item behaves in the same way as the Exit option.

Exit

Exits onperf.

Important:

To save your current configuration before you load a new configuration from a file, you must choose Configure > Save Configuration or Configure > Save Configuration As.

Graph-Tool Metrics Menu

Use the Metrics menu to choose the class of metrics to display in the graph tool.

Metrics are organized by class and scope. When you select a metric for the graph tool to display, you must specify the metric class, the metric scope, and the name of the metric.

The metric class is the generic database server component or activity that the metric monitors. The metric scope depends on the metric class. In some cases, the metric scope indicates a particular component or activity. In other cases, the scope indicates all activities of a given type across an instance of the database server.

The Metrics menu has a separate option for each class of metrics. For more information on metrics, see Ways to Use onperf.

When you choose a class, such as Server, you see a dialog box like the one in Figure 94.

Figure 94. The Select Metrics Dialog Box

The Select Metrics dialog box contains three list boxes. The list box on the left displays the valid scope levels for the selected metrics class. For example, when the scope is set to Server, the list box displays the dbservername of the database server instance that is being monitored. When you select a scope from this list, onperf displays the individual metrics that are available within that scope in the middle list box. You can select one or more individual metrics from this list and add them to the display by clicking Add. To remove them from the display, click Remove.

The Filter button in the dialog box brings up an additional dialog box in which you can filter long text strings shown in the Metrics dialog box. The Filter dialog box also lets you select tables or fragments for which metrics are not currently displayed.

Graph-Tool View Menu

The View menu provides the following options.

Option

Use

Line

Changes the graph tool to the line format. Line format includes horizontal and vertical scroll bars. The vertical scroll bar adjusts the scale of the horizontal time axis. When you raise this bar, onperf reduces the scale and vice versa. The horizontal scroll bar allows you to adjust your view along the horizontal time axis.

To change the color and width of the lines in the line format, click the legend in the graph tool. When you do, onperf generates a Customize Metric dialog box that provides a choice of line color and width.

Horizontal Bar Graph

Changes the graph tool to the horizontal bar format.

Vertical Bar Graph

Changes the graph tool to the vertical bar format.

Pie

Changes the graph tool to the pie-chart format. To display a pie chart, you must select at least two metrics.

Quick Rescale Axis

Rescales the axis to the largest point that is currently visible on the graph. This button turns off automatic rescaling.

Configure Axis

Displays the Axis Configuration dialog box. Use this dialog box to select a fixed value for the y-axis on the graph or select automatic axis scaling.

The Graph-Tool Configure Menu and the Configuration Dialog Box

The Configure menu provides the following options.

Option

Use

Edit Configuration

Brings up the Configuration dialog box, which allows you to change the settings for the current data-collector buffer, graph-tool display options, and data-collector options. The Configuration dialog box appears in Figure 95.

Open Configuration

Reinitializes onperf with the settings that are stored in the configuration file. Unsaved data in the data-collector buffer is lost. If no configuration file is specified and the default does not exist, the following error message appears:

Open file filename failed.

If the specified configuration file does not exist, onperf prompts for one.

Save Configuration

Saves the current configuration to a file. If no configuration file is currently specified, onperf prompts for one.

Save Configuration As

Saves a configuration file. This option always prompts for a filename.

To configure data-collector options, graph-display options, and metrics about which to collect data, choose the Edit Configuration option to bring up the Configuration dialog box.

Figure 95. The Configuration Dialog Box

The Configuration dialog box provides the following options for configuring display.

Option

Use

History Buffer Configuration

Allows you to select a metric class and metric scope to include in the data-collector buffer. The data collector gathers information about all metrics that belong to the indicated class and scope.

Graph Display Options

Allows you to adjust the size of the graph portion that scrolls off to the left when the display reaches the right edge, the initial time interval that the graph is to span, and the frequency with which the display is updated.

Data Collector Options

Controls the collection of data. The sample interval indicates the amount of time to wait between recorded samples. The history depth indicates the number of samples to retain in the data-collector buffer. The save mode indicates the data-collector data should be saved in binary or ASCII format.

Graph-Tool Tools Menu

Use the Tools menu to bring up other tools. This menu provides the following options.

Option

Use

Query Tree

Starts a query-tree tool. For more information, see Query-Tree Tool.

Status

Starts a status tool. For more information, see Status Tool.

Disk Activity

Starts a disk-activity tool. For more information, see Activity Tools.

Session Activity

Starts a session-activity tool. For more information, see Activity Tools.

Disk Capacity

Starts a disk-capacity tool. For more information, see Activity Tools.

Physical Processor Activity

Starts a physical-processor tool. For more information, see Activity Tools.

Virtual Processor Activity

Starts a virtual-processor tool. For more information, see Activity Tools.

Changing the Scale of Metrics

When onperf displays metrics, it automatically adjusts the scale of the y-axis to accommodate the largest value. You can use the Customize Metric dialog box to establish one for the current display. For more information, see Graph-Tool View Menu.

Displaying Recent-History Values

The onperf utility allows you to scroll back over previous metric values that are displayed in a line graph. This feature allows you to analyze a recent trend. The time interval to which you can scroll back is the lesser of the following intervals:

• The time interval over which the metric has been displayed
• The history interval that the graph-tool Configuration dialog box specifies

  The length of time you can scroll back through cannot exceed the depth of the data-collector buffer.

  For more information, see The Graph-Tool Configure Menu and the Configuration Dialog Box.

Figure 96 illustrates the maximum scrollable intervals for metrics that span different time periods.

Figure 96. Maximum Scrollable Intervals for Metrics That Span Different Time Periods