Use Collection Services to collect performance data for later analysis by the Performance Tools licensed program or other performance report applications, iSeries™ Navigator monitors, and the graph history function. (If you prefer viewing real-time performance data, system monitors provide an easy-to-use graphical interface for monitoring system performance.)
Collection Services collects data that identifies the relative amount of system resource used by different areas of your system. Use Collection Services to:
Collection Services stores your data for each collection in a single collection object, from which you can create as many different sets of database files as you need. This means a lower system overhead when collecting performance data. Even if you elect to create the database files during collection, you still experience a performance advantage over the i5/OS® performance monitor because Collection Services uses a lower priority (50) batch job to update these files. The reduction in collection overhead makes it practical to collect performance data in greater detail and at shorter intervals on a continuous basis. Collection Services enables you to establish a network-wide system policy for collecting and retaining performance data and to implement that policy automatically. For as long as you retain the management collection objects, if the need arises, you have the capability to look back and analyze performance-related events down to the level of detail that you collected.
Collection Services allows you to gather performance data with little or no observable impact on system performance. You can use iSeries Navigator to configure Collection Services to collect the data you want as frequently as you want to gather it. A collection object, *MGTCOL, serves as an efficient storage medium to hold large quantities of performance data. Once you have configured and started Collection Services, performance data is continuously collected. When you need to work with performance data, you can copy the data you need into a set of performance database files.
The figure above provides an overview of the following Collection Services elements:
You can start Collection Services by using any of the following methods.
| Starting method | Description |
|---|---|
| Start Performance Collection (STRPFRCOL) command | Use the STRPFRCOL command to start the system-level collection of performance data by Collection Services. |
| iSeries Navigator | Perform a variety of Collection Services tasks by using iSeries Navigator. |
| Performance Management APIs | Use Performance Management APIs to start, customize, end, and cycle collections. In addition, you can use the APIs to work with the management collection objects or define your own transactions. |
| Traditional menu options | Type GO PERFORM in the character-based interface and select option 2 (Collect performance data) from the Performance Tools main menu. The Performance Tools book has additional information.. |
| PM iSeries | PM iSeries automates the start of Collection Services and then creates the database files during collection. |
Related concepts
iSeries Navigator Time zone considerations for Collection Services Performance explorer concepts