VitalSigns for VSE provides comprehensive performance monitoring of VTAM traffic. VSV agents collect performance data.
VSV ships with three agents to collect performance data, one each for NCP, VTAM, and RTM. Complex networks with multiple CPUs, operating systems, domains, and NCPs can be monitored by a single installation of VitalSigns Online communicating with multiple agents throughout the system.
VitalSigns Online controls, retrieves, and reports performance data. VitalSigns Online provides menu-navigated control over data collection, retrieval, and reporting.
Current performance is reported online in a hierarchy of summary and detail displays. Long-term data can be reported to PDB facilities.
Customized alerts regarding exceptional conditions are available by several routes.
The Online system also provides a tool for testing 3270 terminals.
Navigate VitalSigns Online through a hierarchy of menus, by a pop-up index of available displays, or with two- to eight-character “fastpath” commands to be typed at the command line of any display.
You can open, move, and control the size of any number of displays. The pop-up index can be made to list all the VitalSigns displays, or just those you currently have open.
Monitor Controls: Performance monitoring is controlled by a menu-guided process of defining NCPs, VTAM applications, and terminals; selecting specific resources to monitor; specifying threshold values; and scheduling data retrieval. Monitoring can be set to begin automatically at system startup.
Data Retrieval: VitalSigns Online retrieves data from multiple agents and writes it to a single DASD repository. The data is first written to a collection file. When the file is full, VitalSigns starts another one, for up to five files total. At specified intervals, the data moves from the collection files to a recall file. The recall file can be archived to tape, if desired.
Reports: VitalSigns Online reports performance statistics by processing the data it has stored on DASD. It can recall immediate history–lag time is as short as one minute–for online display. It can report long-term data using batch processes and performance database (PDB) facilities.
The hierarchy of displays ranges from broad summaries to details about single lines or terminals. Navigate by selecting records, then selecting from a menu of the available details.
VitalSigns Online can write to SMF Type 28 records for processing by report writers that require that format–e.g. BGS’s BEST/NET SNA® and Merrill Consulting’s MXG®. It writes such data to sequential data sets or to MVS SMF data sets.
Terminal Response: To troubleshoot or verify installation of 3270-type terminals, create a test buffer, define a terminal or groups of terminals, and schedule the test.
The report display shows minimum, maximum, and average response time, and SNA errors.
Exception Alerts: VitalSigns can alert you about exceptional conditions–an NCP line operating at 60% of capacity, for example. At the control display, select records and fields to be monitored, specify thresholds, and specify routing for the alerts.
Thresholds can be set at two levels for a given item: warning and critical.
The Exception Summary Display reports all exceptions during the most recent monitoring interval and links to details about individual exceptions. Most other displays also include links to exception details.
Exception alerts can be sent to:
NCP Agents monitor activity of IBM Network Communication Programs and all the devices and traffic associated with them, in all common configurations, new or old.
NCP summary reports show CCU utilization, NCP buffer counts, and intermediate and hold queue depths. The summary display leads to details regarding the performance of cluster controllers (or PUs), the lines from the controllers to the NCPs, and the terminals (or LUs) connected to the controllers.
Frame/relay reports provide data on physical and logical connections, and physical and LMI stations.
Ethernet LAN connections are monitored for frame counts, queue lengths, congestion, and collisions.
Network token ring interfaces (NTRI) physical and logical lines are monitored for TIC use, queue lengths, time-outs, frame counts, congestion, and active connections.
X.25 network packet switching interfaces (NPSI) are reported with detail displays for lines, for packet traffic to and from physical units, and for traffic to and from X.25 terminals over virtual circuits.
Session and gateway statistics describe traffic between session partners in a given NCP domain and traffic between session partners in remote NCP domains, respectively. VitalSigns monitors PIUs passing to and from VTAM applications, along with details regarding individual applications and secondary logical units (SLUs) in session with VTAM applications.
VTAM Agents monitor performance of VTAM applications and devices, including:
All logical units in session with VTAM applications are monitored, including switched logical units communicating via NCPs
Session details for individual terminals describe virtual sessions, i.e. traffic between session managers and applications. The data includes:
Buffer pool data describe the size and capacity of VTAM buffer pools.
Application availability statistics, collected through VTAM’s API interface, report on down time and the portion of time that applications are available to users.
Response times for VTAM sessions are measured with the dynamic definite response protocol (DDR). Messages from VTAM to devices include an order for a response. When the response arrives, VitalSigns calculates the transmission time for the original outbound message.
RTM Agents monitor response times for traffic between terminals and 3×74 controllers. They count the number of responses within or exceeding thresholds, and response times for users, hosts, and networks.
We offer individualized product demonstrations by request. Your organization can also try SDS Software on your system for 30 days, free of charge.
Phone: (800) 443-6183
Phone: (763) 571-9000
200 Village Center Drive, Suite 250
North Oaks, MN 55127
USA