Hyper-V Switches

  1. Selecting the Hyper-v switches option from the Subsystem list will invoke a Hyper-v switches dashboard that serves as a single console from which you can observe the network traffic flowing into and out of the virtual switches associated with a Hyper-V server, identify abnormalities in traffic patterns, isolate virtual switches that are experiencing heavy network traffic, and review historical performance of the switches to ascertain whether such traffic-related anomalies occurred sporadically or regularly.

    Figure 1 : The Hyper-V Switches dashboard

  2. The Comparison tab page, as the name suggests, displays comparison bar charts for pre-configured measures. With the help of these bar charts, you can effortlessly point to the virtual switch that is experiencing heavy traffic. To view a graph clearly, click on it. This will enlarge the graph. In the enlarged mode too, by default, the graph will only reveal the top-10 virtual switches in that performing sphere. You can choose a different top-n or last-n option from the Show list in the enlarged graph for viewing a few other best/worst performers.

  3. For receiving greater visibility into the historical performance of the virtual switches, use the History tab page. Clicking on this tab page will reveal measure graphs for a default set of traffic-related metrics, each of which will indicate how well the corresponding measure has performed across switches during the last 24 hours (by default).

    Figure 2 : The History tab page of the Hyper-V Switches dashboard

  4. In the event of an abnormality, you can use these historical measure graphs to ascertain whether the issue occurred suddenly or is only the climax of a consistent performance deterioration over time.

  5. To view a measure graph clearly, click on it. The graph will then enlarge as depicted by Figure 3.

    Figure 3 : An enlarged measure graph in the History tab page of the Hyper-V Network Adapters dashboard

  6. You can change the Timeline of the graph in the enlarged mode, or pick a different top-n or last-n option from the Show list to view the historical performance of a few other best/worst virtual switches.

  7. To view the percentage of time during the last 24 hours for which a virtual switch was affected by issues, click on the icon at the right, top corner of Figure 4.

    Figure 4 : Summary graphs in the History tab page of the Hyper-V Switches dashboard

  8. Using the graphs in Figure 1, you can effectively perform service level audits and detect when and what type of network issues caused the agreed-upon service levels to be compromised.

  9. Similarly, click on the icon at the right, top corner of the History tab page in Figure 2 to view and analyze the past trends in virtual switch performance. By default, the trend graphs will pertain to the last 24 hours.

    Figure 5 : The Trend graphs in the Hyper-V Switches dashboard

  10. Using these trend graphs, you can determine when the performance of a virtual switch peaked and when it hit rock bottom - this way, you can easily infer how a virtual switch's load patterns have varied during the last 24 hours, and thus receive a heads-up on potential switch-related anomalies.
  11. You can click on a trend graph to enlarge it. An enlarged summary/trend graph allows you to alter the graph Duration - i.e., view the daily or monthly summary/trend information, instead of the default hourly data in the graphs.

  12. Moreover, by default, the trend graphs in the History tab page plot the minimum and maximum values of a measure during the given timeline. In enlarged trend graphs, you can view the Graph type, the average values or sum of trend values are plotted below the graphs.

    Note:

    In case of descriptor-based tests, the Summary and Trend graphs displayed in the History tab page typically plot the values for a single descriptor alone. To view the graph for another descriptor, pick a descriptor from the drop-down list made available above the corresponding summary/trend graph.

  13. At any point in time, you can switch to the measure graphs by clicking on the button.
  14. If need be, you can instantly change the timeline of the measure/summary/trend graphs in the History tab page by clicking on the Timeline link at the right, top corner of the tab page.
  15. Typically, the History tab page displays measure graphs for a default set of measures.