HP XP Performance Advisor Software - Manual (Page 9)

1 Introduction to XPWatch
This chapter describes the features of XPWatch and the environment required to run it.
Overview
XPWatch is a command-line interface utility provided with HP StorageWorks XP Performance Advisor.
It is designed for focused troubleshooting and can capture data as frequently as every 10 seconds.
XPWatch monitors the performance of the following:
• Ports
• Client-Host Interface Processor (CHIP) or Channel Adapter (CHA)
• Array Control Processors (ACPs) or Disk Adapters (DKAs)
• RAID Groups
• Logical Devices (LDEVs) of XP Arrays
XPWatch can be used to troubleshoot performance issues, such as:
• Hot spots within the Array (hard disk drives or RAID Groups that are over utilized compared to
the rest of the array)
• Front-end congestion (micro processors (mp) ports)
• Back-end issues
• Cache/Shared Memory issues, usage, contention and so on
• Determining true I/O throughput (from the mp port to the hard disk drive)
• Port I/O spikes
• Poor application response
The performance metrics are displayed on the console of the host system. The output data is stored
in a comma separated file (.csv). The .csv file can be loaded in XPSketch to obtain a visual
representation of the output data.
XPWatch offers the following features:
• Focused troubleshooting
• Real-time performance data monitoring and collection for time intervals as low as 10 seconds
• Ability to split data in desired intervals and store them in different files
• Customizable menu size
• Nicknames can be provided to the host groups for easy identification
• Command-line tool with easy-to-use selection menu
• Configuration changes that are reflected with every fresh run
• Small footprint and easy to execute, does not require any special installation
For more information on installing the XP Performance Advisor, see the HP Storage Works XP PA
Installation Guide.
XPWatch and XPSketch Reference Guide 9