Tuxedo PIA Server Load Test

Typically, when configuring an application server, administrators can set the “weight” of the load, or amount  of requests, that need to be directed to a particular application server. Weight values are integers 1–10, with 1 being low and 10 being a heavy load. Servers that can handle extra work can take heavy loads, while servers that are either less powerful or are being used in other capacities can take lower loads.

When monitoring the queues used by each node of an application server domain, it is not only important to know the number of requests enqueued in each queue at any given point in time, but also how this request count translates into “weighted load” on the node.

By measuring the weighted load on each queue used by every server process on a domain node, administrators can analyze how load-intensive every queue is, and isolate that queue that imposes the maximum load on the node. This is where the Tuxedo PIA Server Load test helps. This test auto-discovers the queues used by every server process in a domain node, and reports the requests handled and the weighted load per queue. In the process, the test pinpoints that queue which contributes the most to the load on the node, and thus leads administrators to the type of transactions that are being the most load-intensive.

Target of the test : A Tuxedo Application Server

Agent deploying the test : An internal agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for each queue used by every server process in each node of an application server domain

First-level descriptor: Server process

Second-level descriptor: Queue ID

Third-level descriptor: Machine ID that represents the node of the application server domain. In a partitioned domain, where a single domain exists across more than one node, different partitions or nodes within a domain must be given different names. The PeopleSoft configuration is delivered as a single node domain by default. However, it is perfectly possible to configure it as a partitioned domain.

Configurable parameters for the test

Parameter	Description
Test period	How often should the test be executed
Host	The host for which the test is to be configured.
Port	The port number at which the specified Host listens to. By default, this will be 12345.
PSAdmin Home	To collect metrics from a Tuxedo application server, this test runs PeopleSoft Server Administration (PSADMIN) commands on the target server. The first step towards this is to launch the psadmin.exe. To enable the test to run the psadmin.exe, you need to configure the test with the full path to the directory in which the psadmin.exe resides. Therefore, in the PSAdmin Home text box, specify the location of the psadmin.exe. Typically, this will be the install directory of the Tuxedo application server. For instance, on Windows, your specification can be C:\ps\appsrv and on Unix, your specification can be: opt/ps/appsrv.
Domain	An application server Domain is the collection of server processes, supporting processes, and resource managers that enable connections to the database. A single application server machine can support multiple application server domains running on it. A server process is executable code that receives incoming transaction requests. The server process carries out a request by making calls to a service. Using a managed Tuxedo application server, you can monitor only those server processes and transactions that pertain to a single domain. This is why, the eG agent needs to be explicitly configured with the application server Domain it needs to monitor.

Measurements made by the test

Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretatione
Requests handled	Indicates the number of requests currently handled by this queue.	Number	This is a good indicator of the current queue length. A consistent rise in the value of this measure is a cause for concern, as it indicates that many requests to the corresponding server process are pending processing. This hints at a probable processing bottleneck in the server.
Server load	Indicates the weighted load imposed by this queue on the server.	Number	This is a weighted measure of the server requests. Some requests could have a different weight than others. By default, the workload is always 50 times the number of requests. Compare the value of this measure across queues to know which queue is imposing the maximum load on the domain.
Request rate	Indicates the rate at which requests were handled by this queue.	Requests/Sec
Load rate	Indicates the load rate of this server queue.	Load/Sec