PeopleSoft Ping

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PeopleSoft Ping

• David Kurtz
• Go-Faster Consultancy Ltd.
• david.kurtz_at_go-faster.co.uk
• www.go-faster.co.uk

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Resources

• If you cant hear me say so now.
• Please feel free to ask questions as we go along.
• The presentation will be available from
• Customer Connection gt Events -gt UK Tech PUG
• www.go-faster.co.uk

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Who am I?

• Independent consultant
• System Performance Tuning
• Oracle/Unix/Tuxedo
• PeopleSoft Apps
• www.ukoug.org
• Book
• www.apress.com

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What is PeopleSoft Ping?

• It is a component which runs a standard
  transaction and measures the duration of that
  transaction at each component in the PIA.

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What does PS Ping Measure?
Browser/ Network Time
Web Server Time
Application Server Time
Database Time
Web Server Access Log
Tuxedo Service Trace
Oracle SQLTrace
PeopleTools Trace
Application Server (application logic)
DBMS (application data meta-data
Java Servlet (presentation logic)
Browser (presentation JavaScript)
SQL
Tuxedo Message
http / https
Servlet Thread
Screen Paint
Java Script
APPQ
PSAPPSRV
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Where is PeopleSoft Ping?

• DERIVED_PTP.HTMLCTLEVENT.FieldChange
• Each ping saves the results from the previous
  ping to the database
• PS_PTP_TST_CASES
• Can get basic Ping graphs from PeopleSoft
• Cant control scale
• I prefer to use Excel

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Ping Chart
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Example of Contention
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The Database Test

• Repeatedly queries same rows from
• PTP_TABLE1_VW
• PTP_TABLE1
• Poor test of database performance
• Data blocks will become cached
• PerfTime Application Server clock

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The Application Server Test

• Creates and copies row sets
• Application server time
• CPU time DB time Cache access time Wait
  Time
• Row set operations CPU intensive
• Indication of CPU performance

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Case1Browser Time
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Case 1 Desktop Specification

• 384Mhz PC, 64Mb physical memory
• Windows Commit Charge 125Mb
• Its paging memory to/from disk

• With PS Ping running on PC, shut down everything
  else (virus checking etc).
• Commit Charge reduced to 89Mb
• Response time fell from 0.8s to 0.4s

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Case 1 Conclusion

• Paging memory from disk is slow
• General Windows performance affected
• Including the browser
• Make sure that you have enough physical memory in
  your desktops
• The web browser is a critical business platform
• Its not just for surfing

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Case 2 Application Server CPU Benchmark?
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Case 2 Two Application Servers

• HP-UX 11
• 750Mhz
• Ping Time 1.43s
• PT8.43.15

• Windows 2000
• 3.2Ghz
• Ping Time 0.33s

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Case 2 Conclusion

• Application server is CPU intensive
• If active and not waiting for the database, it is
  using CPU to execute PeopleCode etc.
• Fewer faster v- More slower CPUs?
• CPU speed is critical
• When executing in user mode, a clock cycle is a
  clock cycle is a clock cycle?

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Conclusion

• Ping is not a fundamental indicator of system
  performance.
• It does indicate
• contention in a particular tier.
• CPU performance of Application Server
• Performance of Browser

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Questions
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PeopleSoft Ping

• David Kurtz
• Go-Faster Consultancy Ltd.
• david.kurtz_at_go-faster.co.uk
• www.go-faster.co.uk