IT manager discovery process

The IT manager will now consider the recommendations from the system analysis and use Tivoli Decision Support to answer some questions before deciding on what course of action to take. First, the IT manager will establish the scope of the data search by writing down questions that will help him or her focus on resolving the problem. Some typical questions are:

• Which systems are over- or under-provisioned?

• Where are the performance anomalies?

• What performance problems are on the horizon?

To begin the decision-making process, the IT Manager will use the Tivoli Decision Support Discovery Interface, select both the Server Performance Prediction Discovery Guide and the Domino Management Discovery Guide, and choose the role of IT manager.

6.3.2.1 Which systems are over- or under-provisioned?

By selecting How might I improve performance on my systems report? from the Server Performance Prediction Discovery Guide, the IT Manager can drill down and retrieve information from all Lotus Notes Servers. Figure 104 on page 178 highlights all Lotus Notes servers that are either under- or over-provisioned.

If you have a system that shows very high CPU utilization but has relatively low network activity, we can say that the CPU is inadequate for the workload, that is, the system is under-provisioned. If you have a system that shows low CPU utilization but has relatively high network activity, we can say that the CPU is excessive for the workload, that is, the system is over-provisioned.

The measure used for this view is the processor overload. This is expressed as a percentage of the difference between the CPU and network utilization divided by the network utilization.

In this case, the report shows that the server nickel has high CPU utilization as well as relatively high network activity; this can be interpreted as being under-provisioned. It can also be noted that the other servers are

over-provisioned.

Figure 104. Under-provisioned and over-provisioned Notes servers

6.3.2.2 Where are the performance anomalies?

By selecting How might I improve performance on my systems report? from the Server Performance Prediction Discovery Guide, the IT Manager can drill down and retrieve information from all Lotus Notes Servers. Figure 105 on page 179 highlights the situation for all Lotus Notes servers.

This view can be useful in detecting areas where one or more of the systems is not performing as expected. The logic behind this view is that, for systems having the same purpose and the same hardware configuration, processor utilization should be proportional to the network activity on the system. If it is not, then there is probably something amiss with one of the systems.

In this report, we can see that the server nickel does not have the same behavior as the other servers and that it has much higher average statistics.

Figure 105. Performance anomalies by server

6.3.2.3 What performance problems are on the horizon?

By selecting What Performance Problems are on The Horizon? from the Server Performance Prediction Discovery Guide, the IT Manager can select the Systems most quickly approaching critical thresholds report and drill down in order to retrieve information from all Lotus Notes Servers. Figure 106 on page 180 highlights all Lotus Notes servers that are predicted to hit a critical performance threshold within the next 180 days. A critical situation is highlighted in red for server nickel.

Figure 106. Lotus Notes server approaching critical thresholds

6.3.2.4 IT manager conclusions

The IT manager’s role here is to look at the broader issue of managing the network in terms of meeting SLAs and providing a scalable cost-effective solution. Based on the results of the information gathered earlier in this section, the IT Manager will deliver a detailed proposed-solution report to the Chief Executive Officer.

It is clear from the analysis of the reports that the server nickel is overloaded and that there is an uneven distribution of workload among the Lotus Notes mail servers. It has also become apparent that there is no formal process to add users and services to the mail servers. After analyzing the reports, the IT manager and the system analyst decide on the following solution:

• Since the enterprise has an under-provisioned server, it is necessary to redistribute the workload among all Lotus Notes servers, thus, providing a longer term solution while maximizing the capabilities of the network. It must be done within 10 days because the server nickel will soon compromise the SLA.

• To implement a process to add users and services to the Lotus Notes mail servers will include the use of Tivoli Decision Support to identify which

servers are best able to handle the extra workload. This will allow the IT manager to leverage the existing IT infrastructure and get a maximum return on the investment.

• Make budgetary provisions for memory and CPU upgrades for all the Lotus Notes servers. The trends from TDS show that there will be significant growth in workload and users.

Note that TDS has given the manager the power to predict when systems will reach their critical thresholds and, therefore, can plan and budget well in advance in order to maintain SLAs.

Finally, the manager must present his proposals and solutions to the CEO.