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  The File I/O Performance Monitor

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hIOmon Process I/O Performance Analysis
Add-On Support

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The hIOmon "Process I/O Performance Analysis Add-On" enables you to quickly and easily configure the hIOmon software so as to collect "summary" (i.e., aggregated) file and device I/O operation performance metrics for those particular processes that you select.  The collection of "Physical Device Extended Metrics" along with the export of the collected I/O operation performance metrics to a “hIOmon Manager Export File” can also be optionally configured.

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In addition, this Add-On enables use of the hIOmon Microsoft® Office Excel template/macros that can be optionally used to easily coalesce the process I/O operation performance metrics that have been exported to the "hIOmon Manager Export File", which is a Comma-Separated-Values (CSV) disk file to which the hIOmon Manager can directly export/save a specific set of I/O operation performance metrics that have been collected by and retrieved from the hIOmon I/O Monitor component.  The hIOmon Manager Export File can then be used by the hIOmon Excel template/macros to generate various charts and graphs based upon the metrics contained within the export file.

The hIOmon "Process I/O Performance Analysis Add-On" is included within the hIOmon File I/O Performance Monitor software package.  The Add-On itself makes use of two main components that can help you easily and quickly collect, export, and display a specific set of "summary" I/O operation performance metrics upon an individual process/application basis:

• The "hIOmonAMCSS" script file.  This "hIOmon Automated Monitoring Configuration Setup" VBScript provides a "Process I/O Performance Analysis" option that can be used to automatically configure the hIOmon File I/O Performance Monitor software to collect "summary" file and device I/O operation performance metrics for individual processes.  The hIOmon software is configured so that these metrics are collected for those particular files (and their associated devices) as well as specific processes that you specify as input to prompts displayed by the script.      

In addition, the script can optionally configure the hIOmon software to automatically export (save) a specific set of collected metrics to a "hIOmon Manager Export File".  The contents of the "hIOmon Manager Export File" can be imported into a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet (e.g., using the hIOmon Excel template/macros described below), a database, etc. for subsequent analysis.

• Microsoft Office Excel template/macros.  The hIOmon Excel template/macros (which are provided with the hIOmon "Device and File I/O Performance Analysis Add-On") can be used to directly import the summary I/O operation performance metrics from the "hIOmon Manager Export File" noted above into an Excel worksheet and to then easily generate a variety of graphs/charts based upon these metrics.  For example, you can graph upon an individual process basis over a period of time the total number of random I/O operations and sequential I/O operations observed by the hIOmon I/O Monitor.

NOTE:

The hIOmon "Process I/O Performance Analysis Add-On" relies upon the "summary" I/O operation performance metrics that can be collected and exported by the hIOmon software. Consequently, the hIOmon "Summarized Data Licensing Option" must be available (licensed for use) in order to make use of this Add-On.  In addition, the hIOmon "Raw Device Extended Feature Option" must also be available/licensed if the Add-On is to configure the hIOmon software to collect "Physical Device Extended Metrics".

The configuration script along with the hIOmon Excel template/macros provide a quick and easy way to help you evaluate and understand the particular "I/O profile" of your specific processes/applications in normal, everyday use and in production environments.  Additional information is provided below (and also within the "hIOmon Add-On User Guide" document).

An online tutorial that illustrates the "step-by-step" instructions described below is also available.

hIOmon Configuration Setup for Process I/O Operation Performance Metrics

The hIOmon “Automated Monitoring Configuration Setup” VBScript provides a specific “Process I/O Performance Analysis” option that uses the hIOmon WMI Support to help automatically define and activate a hIOmon “Filter Selection” (that identifies which particular files and processes that are to be monitored by hIOmon) and optionally to automatically create and activate a “hIOmon Manager Export File” to which a specific set of summary I/O operation performance metrics are exported (saved) for subsequent use by the hIOmon Excel template/macros included with the Add-On.

The "Process I/O Performance Analysis" configuration option provided by the hIOmon "Automated Monitoring Configuration Setup" script requires:

1. That the hIOmon File I/O Performance Monitor software be properly installed and active (i.e., that the hIOmon Manager and hIOmon I/O Monitor components are currently running; note that these components are normally configured upon the installation of the hIOmon software to automatically be started when the computer system is started).
   
   

2. That the "Summarized Data" is licensed.  The "Raw Device Extended Feature" option must also be licensed if "Physical Device Extended Metrics" are additionally to be collected by hIOmon.  Note that the trial version of the hIOmon File I/O Performance Monitor software includes full-support for both of these licensing options.
   
   

3. This script is interactive; as such it requires limited user input (e.g., specifying the particular files and processes to be monitored).

The "hIOmonAMCSS.vbs" VBScript file can be found in the "VBScript" folder within the "..\hIOmon\Support\hIOmonWMI\Scripting\Wsh" directory where the hIOmon software was installed.

The script can also be run by means of the "Start -> Programs -> hIOmon -> Getting Started Help -> hIOmon Automated Monitoring Configuration Setup" shortcut (that was added to the Start Menu by the Windows Installer as part of the hIOmon software installation process) or optionally run as part of the Windows Installer installation process for the hIOmon software.

To run the script as part of the Windows Installer installation process for the hIOmon software, simply check the "Invoke the hIOmon Automated Monitoring Configuration Setup Script" checkbox on the "Custom Installation Options" display that is shown as part of the installation process.

To run the script anytime after the hIOmon software has been installed, simply double-click upon the script file (or the shortcut above), which will then display a prompt requesting the particular configuration option to be performed. Select the "Process I/O Performance Analysis" option as shown below, then click on the "OK" button:    

The script will then issue several prompts that allow you to specify the particular files that are to be monitored by hIOmon.

Simply indicate:

1. The full path name of the particular file (or files using the wildcard) to be monitored by hIOmon.

2. The time period interval to be used for the collection of the summary I/O operation performance metrics.

3. Whether you want to collect "Physical Device Extended Metrics" for the particular file(s).

The following shows the prompt for full path name of the particular file to be monitored by hIOmon:

The following shows the prompt for the time period interval to be used for the collection of the summary I/O operation performance metrics:

The following shows the prompt asking whether you want to collect "Physical Device Extended Metrics" for the particular file(s):

When specifying the names of the particular processes to be monitored, you can optionally include a PID value (i.e., a Process Identifier value) or use the asterisk wildcard.

The process names that you enter represent "process name filters", which hIOmon uses to further limit the monitoring of the files that you have identified to only those particular processes that you also specify.  Consequently, hIOmon will only monitor the I/O operation activity to the specified files for those specific processes that you indicate.  Moreover, these "process name filters" are automatically configured by the script to be "global process name filters" (that is, they apply to all of the files specified to be monitored by hIOmon).

In addition, the script will automatically configure the Filter Selection so that "Summary" I/O operation performance metrics will be collected for all processes specified.  These "Process Summary" I/O operation performance metrics reflect the aggregated total for all monitored files to which a process directed an I/O operation and are collected upon an individual process basis.

Also note that you can request that the specified process be explicitly excluded from being monitored by hIOmon:

Also note that any process name not specifically included will be implicitly excluded from being monitored by hIOmon.

Based upon your input responses, the configuration script will create a Filter Selection that identifies which specific files and processes are to be monitored by hIOmon and how the associated performance metrics are to be collected.  The Filter Selection will also be made the "default" Filter Selection, so that it will automatically be used each time the hIOmon Manager service is started as part of starting the computer system.

The configuration script will then issue a prompt requesting the name of the "hIOmon Manager Export File" to be created/activated.  Note that creating the export file is optional; if you select to create the export file, then the configuration script will automatically create and activate the export file, using a default set of I/O operation performance metric types that are to be included within the export file (which will also be made a "default" export file so that it will automatically be used each time the hIOmon Manager service is started as part of starting the computer system).

NOTE that after handling the creation of the hIOmon Manager Export File, the configuration script will then attempt to activate the Filter Selection.  If "Physical Device Extended Metrics" are to be collected by hIOmon and the respective "physical disk volumes" (that are associated with the Logical Disks upon which reside the files specified to be monitored by hIOmon) are not currently attached to the hIOmon I/O Monitor component (this attachment is performed as part of the computer system boot startup process), then the computer system will need to be restarted before the hIOmon software can collect the I/O operation performance metrics as requested within the Filter Selection.  In this case, the script will display a message indicating that a system reboot is required.  Note, however, that the system will not automatically be restarted as a result of the message display; clicking on the "OK" button simply closes the message display.

If a system reboot is not required, then the script will automatically activate the Filter Selection (so that the hIOmon I/O Monitor will immediately begin collecting metrics for those files/devices specified within the Filter Selection) and then display a message indicating that the Filter Selection has been successfully activated/loaded.  And if the create/active export file option was previously chosen, then the configuration script will also automatically activate/start the created hIOmon Manager Export File (so that the hIOmon Manager can export the particular set of collected I/O operation performance metrics to this export file as they are retrieved from the hIOmon I/O Monitor component) and will display a message confirming that the export file has been activated.

That's it!  Using the configuration script, simply enter the full path names of the particular files for which you want the hIOmon software to monitor along with the process names to be monitored and for which summary I/O operation performance metrics will be collected, specify the periodic time interval to be used and whether you want to collect "Physical Device Extended Metrics" and to create a hIOmon Manager Export File, and lastly reboot the system (the configuration script will issue a message prompt if a system reboot is necessary).

The configuration script automatically configures the hIOmon software as required based upon the simple input parameters that you specify.

Please see the "hIOmon Add-On User Guide" document for specific "step-by-step" instructions for using the configuration script.

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The configuration script automatically configures the hIOmon Manager Export File to include the following "summary" I/O operation performance metric types upon an individual process basis (which reflect cumulative values since the hIOmon I/O Monitor began collecting metrics for the respective process):

• Name of the monitored process

• Timestamp (month, date, hour, minute) when the metrics were prepared for offload to the hIOmon Manager service (so that they could then be exported/saved to the export file)

• Separately for both read and write I/O operations and as observed by the hIOmon I/O Monitor:
  -  Accumulated number of I/O operations
  -  Accumulated number of "Fast" I/O operations; that is, I/O operations that were successfully completed in less than one millisecond as observed by the hIOmon I/O Monitor either by explicit request for use of the "system file cache" (SystemCache Hits) or not (i.e., successfully completed in less than one millisecond but did not explicitly request the use of the "system file cache")
  -  Average queue length
  -  Maximum queue length
  -  Accumulated total (in seconds) of the time durations associated with the I/O operations
  -  Maximum time duration (in seconds) for an observed I/O operation (i.e., maximum response time)
  -  Accumulated total (in bytes) of data transferred by the I/O operations

• Average and maximum queue length for read and write I/O operations combined

• Accumulated number of file I/O operations (whether Read or Write) that represented random accesses to the file regardless of the particular open file instance.  In this case a file I/O operation is considered to be a random access when the data transferred at its starting file address is not contiguous to the file address of the last data transferred by the preceding file I/O operation and regardless of whether the preceding file I/O operation was directed to another open instance of the same file.

• Accumulated number of file I/O operations (whether Read or Write) that represented sequential accesses to the file regardless of the particular open file instance.  In this case a file I/O operation is considered to be a sequential access when the data transferred at its starting file address is contiguous to the file address of the last data transferred by the preceding file I/O operation regardless of whether the preceding file I/O operation was directed to another open instance of the same file.

• Duration (i.e., the length of time in seconds during which the associated summary I/O operation performance metrics were collected by the hIOmon I/O Monitor)

• Idle time total (i.e., accumulated total duration in seconds as observed by the hIOmon I/O Monitor in which there were neither I/O operations in process nor any I/O operations queued)

• Statistics Time Duration Base (i.e., time duration in seconds since the hIOmon I/O Monitor first started accumulating the associated summary I/O operation performance metrics)

If the Filter Selection includes files to be monitored for which "Physical Device Extended Metrics" are also to be collected, then the script automatically configures the hIOmon Manager Export File to additionally include the following I/O operation performance metric types:

• Separately for Physical Device read and write I/O operations and as observed by the hIOmon I/O Monitor:
  - Accumulated number of I/O operations
  -  Accumulated number of "Fast" I/O operations; that is, the number of Physical Device I/O operations observed by the hIOmon I/O Monitor that were successfully completed in less than one millisecond.
  -  Split I/O operations
  -  Accumulated total (in bytes) of data transferred by the I/O operations

• Accumulated number of Physical Device I/O operations (whether Read or Write) that represented a random access to the Physical Device.  A Physical Device I/O operation is considered to be a random access when the data transferred at its starting file address is not contiguous to the address of the last data transferred by the preceding Physical Device I/O operation as observed by the hIOmon I/O Monitor.

• Accumulated number of Physical Device I/O operations (whether Read or Write) that represented a sequential access to the Physical Device.  A Physical Device I/O operation is considered to be a sequential access when the data transferred at its starting file address is contiguous to the address of the last data transferred by the preceding Physical Device I/O operation as observed by the hIOmon I/O Monitor

Please see "Appendix A - Export Data Definitions" in the hIOmon User Guide document for additional information about the metrics above.

Also note that the script automatically configures the hIOmon Manager Export File such that this export file contains only "Process Summary" metrics (which represent the aggregate for all of the monitored files associated with a particular process).  Note that neither "Device Summary" metrics (which represent the aggregate for all of the monitored files associated with a particular disk) nor "File Summary" metrics (i.e., summary metrics for the individual files monitored by hIOmon) will be included within this hIOmon Manager Export File that is automatically configured by the "Process I/O Performance Analysis Add-On".

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hIOmon Excel Template/Macros to Import and Graph I/O Operation Metrics

The script described above configures the hIOmon software to automatically export (save) a specific set of collected I/O operation performance metrics to a hIOmon Manager Export File.  The hIOmon "Device and File I/O Performance Analysis Add-On" also includes hIOmon Excel template/macros that can be used to directly import these metrics from the hIOmon Manager Export File into an Excel worksheet and to easily generate a variety of graphs/charts based upon the imported metrics.

Please refer to the hIOmon Excel Template/Macro description page for more information about these hIOmon Excel template/macros.

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