Logging performance data with TPV

The Tivoli Performance Viewer (TPV) provides an easy way to store real-time data for system resources, WebSphere Application Server pools and queues, and applications in log files for later retrieval. You can start and stop logging while viewing current activity for a server, and later replay this data. Logging of performance data captures performance data in windows of time so you can later analyze the data.

This article assumes that one or more servers have been created and are running on the node, and that you have configured the TPV log settings. The log settings may affect performance and are described in detail in Viewing Data with the Tivoli Performance Viewer . The TPV logging feature is not intended to be a full-time monitoring solution, but instead for selective data recording for subsequent replay and analysis.

About this taskYou can study the sequence of events that led to a peculiar condition in the application server or node agent. First, enable TPV logging so performance data generated in the application server persists in a log file stored at a specific location. Later, using the replay feature in TPV, view the performance data that was generated in exactly the same chronological order as it was generated in real time, enabling you to analyze a prior sequence of events.

You do not need to know the syntax and format in which log files are generated and stored. Do not edit log files generated by TPV; doing so will irrecoverably corrupt or destroy the performance data stored in the log files.

If monitoring for the node agent is enabled, the log file includes system data from the
node agent so that data is available when you replay the log. If monitoring for the node agent is disabled, then that data is not available. By default, TPV starts monitoring the node agent whenever monitoring starts on a server in the node.

You can create and view logs in the administrative console.

Procedure

• Create logs.

  1. Click Monitoring and Tuning > Performance Viewer > Current Activity > server_name > Settings > Log in the console navigation tree. To see the Log link on the Tivoli Performance Viewer page, expand the Settings node of the TPV navigation tree on the left side of the page. After clicking Log, the TPV log settings are displayed on the right side of the page.

  2. Click on Start Logging when viewing summary reports or performance modules.

  3. When finished, click Stop Logging . Once started, logging stops when the logging duration expires, Stop Logging is clicked, or the file size and number limits are reached. To adjust the settings, see step 1.

  By default, the log files are stored in the profile_root/logs/tpv directory on the node on which the server is running. TPV automatically compresses the log file when it finishes writing to it to conserve space. At this point, there must only be a single log file in each .zip file and it must have the same name as the .zip file.

• View logs.

  1. Click Monitoring and Tuning > Performance Viewer > View Logs in the console navigation tree.

  2. Select a log file to view using either of the following options:

     Explicit Path to Log File

     Choose a log file from the machine on which the browser is currently running. Use this option if you have created a log file and transferred it to your system. Click Browse to open a file browser on the local machine and select the log file to upload.

     Server File

     Specify the path of a log file on the server.

     In a stand-alone application server environment, type in the path to the log file. The profile_root/logs/tpv directory is the default on a Windows system.

     In a deployment manager environment, click the Browse button next to the input to browse the various nodes and find the log file to view.

  3. Click View Log. The log is displayed with log control buttons at the top of the view.

  4. Adjust the log view as needed. Buttons available for log view adjustment are described below. By default, the data replays at the Refresh Rate specified in the user settings. You can choose one of the Fast Forward modes to play data at rate faster than the refresh rate.

     Rewind	Returns to the beginning of the log file.
     Stop	Stops the log at its current location.
     Play	Begins playing the log from its current location.
     Fast Forward	Loads the next data point every three (3) seconds.
     Fast Forward 2	Loads ten data points every three (3) seconds.

  You can view multiple logs at a time. After a log has been loaded, return to the View Logs panel to see a list of available logs. At this point, you can load another log.

  TPV automatically compresses the log file when finishes writing it. The log does not need to be decompressed before viewing it, though TPV can view logs that have been decompressed.

Sub-topics

Viewing Data Recorded by the TPV

Related tasks

Related reference

Viewing Data with the Tivoli Performance Viewer

Searchable topic ID: tprf_tpvlogdata