Summary: Sun usage monitoring tools

From: Steve Radford - UGTS (sradford@gisws10.rtpnc.epa.gov)
Date: Wed Feb 22 1995 - 05:47:36 CST


My original post:

I'm looking for suggestions on tools (commercial and public domain)
which could be used on a Sun server to monitor usage of that server's
resources (ie - disk, cpu,io). I will summarize. Thanks.

Thanks to the following who replied (if I missed anyone, sorry):

pinassea@ptsun07.cern.ch (Pierrick Pinasseau)
Matthias Kurz <mk@baerlap.north.de>
"jpmchugh.FR" <jpmchugh@fr.oracle.com>
pmeyer@Onramp.NET (Phil Meyer)
don@mars.dgrc.doc.ca (Donald McLachlan)
pwilson@pa.pdc.com (Paul J. Wilson - Federal Sales)
sharon.joseph@sofpak.com (Sharon Joseph-Tatta)
pamela@jupiter.Legato.COM (Pamela Pledger)
Kevin Martinez <lps@rahul.net>
Silver Mountain Communications <smc@MT.net>

Sounds like a lot of interest, yet no concensus on the best way to
accomplish the task. Sounds like a marketing opportunity for SunSoft.
Following are excerpts from the replies:

BEGINNING OF EXCERPTS

- I read your request for information on products that could assist
  you in monitoring disk usage over the network and might suggest our
  product Diskinfo. DiskInfo analyzes network disk usage for maximum
  productivity and cost-effectiveness.

- For SunOS 4.1.3 the best I have seen to date is from HP :-)

- Under openwindows, there is the performance meter which will give
  you a simple but information filled details about your machine.

- I recommend Sharpshooter from AIM. Its good stuff.

- I am using a public domain software called top which is nothing but
  a crude line output of cpu time.

- If you are running solaris you can use "PROCTOOL" it's a very good
  tool who show you (by graphic) cpu,disk,access use of the memory
  etc... you can have a log of this thing and after you can do some
  statistic (what I have done with perl script and gnuplot for the
  graphic.)

- For Solaris i recommend top or proctool. Both are free. 'top' comes
  with sources, 'proctool' is only available in binary format. Top
  runs on normal terminals, proctool has a GUI.

  I prefer proctool. You have to be careful, when you choose the
  version.
  2.3.3 - last Openlook version for Solaris 2.3
  2.3.6 - last Version for Solaris 2.3, needs Motif libraries
  2.4.1 - last Version i know for Solaris 2.4

- On solaris there is that sar stuff. We have SNM, and I still am
  not getting what I want from it. It is great for intermitent data
  archiving, and on the spot snmp, but as a performance monitor,
  well let's say, I haven't figured it out. I saw an ad for a tool
  from HP. ( My what a marketing idea.) I don't have it in house
  though. It made some pretty big promises ( Like SNM does ).

- Enabling process accounting will give you the ability to peruse
  lots and lots of statistics. Solaris 2 is particularly good at
  generating all kinds of system data. The book by Adrian Cockcroft,
  Solaris Performance Tuning, (SunSoft Press) gives good directions
  and tips for understanding what is going on is SunOS 4.x and
  Solaris 2.x systems.

  What I haven't found are nice profiling utilities to analyze,
  summarize or reduce all this data into something easy to peruse.

  I have just tried (last nite) something along these lines from HP.
  It is called HP GlancePlus Pak for Sun Sparc systems. It is
  available on CD as a trial or evaluation package that can later
  be enabled - presumably after you pay HP. I have no idea how much
  but the package does go along way towards the abovementioned goals.
  I predict it may even be more helpful after I have read the
  directions! ;^)

  Call Laure Evans at HP to get your eval copy.
  800-237-3990
  415-691-3552

  I have also found Proctool to be a useful program. Sun should
  consider "officially" adopting it. It is locatable via archie and
  the version number should correspond with your Solaris number.

- Have you tried accounting?

END OF EXCERPTS.

 Steve Radford Reality is irrelevant...
 radford_steve@unixmail.rtpnc.epa.gov perception is the key.
 Martin Marietta Technical Services
 In Support of U.S. EPA NDPD UGTS
                                                                         
 My comments represent my views, not EPA views, not Martin Marietta views.



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