Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq
Contents
1. For more information on RSL please refer to the appropriate Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Q124594 System pagefile Configure the system pagefile with its initial size and maximum size values both set to 3 5 times the amount of memory Setting these sizes to the same value causes the pagefile to be allocated completely to disk and prevents fragmentation Spanning multiple pagefiles on more than one disk spindle and controller port can create additional performance gains Configure page file s early in the installation process to ensure contiguous physical space and optimize performance Defragmentation Defragment the file system and registry frequently NOTE Defragmenting the file system does not defragment the registry Defragmenting the registry requires a system backup and restore Resource Kit utilities such as regback and regrest can assist the customer in compacting and restoring registry files The Sysinternals website includes freeware for defragmenting the page file and registry Kernel Page Table Entry PTE Use Microsoft s kernel tuning assistant to tune the kernel to support settings additional users For more information on analyzing the kernel outputs please refer to the appropriate Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Q247904 For more information on setting up the server in debug mode to acquire the required information please refer to the appropriate Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Q151987 For2. Total Memory Disk Storage User Category Number Requirements Requirements i MB user MB user Light User 120 6 40 Medium User 5 10 100 Heavy User 20 12 75 The information in Table 5 can now be entered into the sizer Using the Sizer Screens The sizer includes a number of screens that allow the customer to specify a particular TCSC workload From this information the sizer calculates the number of servers and the configurations required to deploy this environment Note As dictated by changes in technology Compaq updates sizer screens to accommodate new server models The customer should refer to the appropriate ActiveAnswers Performance Briefs to obtain information on new servers 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 9 User Selection Figure shows the User Selection screen which allows the customer to specify the numbers of Light Medium and Heavy users Sizing Steps Figure 1 Specifying the numbers of Light Medium and Heavy Users 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 10 Sizing Methodology Figure 2 shows the Sizing Methodology screen which allows the customer to specify whether or not users will be utilizing 16 bit Windows applications Note 16 bit Windows applications require significant overhead when executing in a 32 bit enviro
3. Matching the User Profiles From the workload specified above Compaq was able to match the activities of managers team leaders and first line employees with standard user profiles as shown in Table 2 Table 2 Call Center User Categories User Category Total Number Manager Medium User 5 Team leader Heavy User 20 First line Light User 120 Estimating Total Storage Requirements The customer must also estimate the total storage memory and disk space required to accommodate the planned workload Baseline Memory The customer should identify the baseline memory requirement with no users on the system This value includes the memory required by the operating system and any support applications that run as services or background processes In this call center example Compaq used Performance Monitor to determine that the baseline memory value is 150MB Important Ifthe projected baseline memory value exceeds 250MB the customer should include additional memory when calculating the amount of memory required per user see below Memory Per User The customer should estimate the amount of memory needed by individual users In this call center example Compaq used the following values e Light User 5 6MB e Medium User 8 10MB e Heavy User 12MB Customers can compare their applications with the call center example used by Compaq to gauge the amount the memory needed by their users Users in TCSC environme
4. k Four processor 1p Eight processor 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 20 TSEsizer TSEsizer Figure 12 The second Solution Choice screen showing three further solution choices and Compaq s selection Solution Number 2 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 21 In this example Compaq selected Solution Number 2 two two way Compaq ProLiant DL360 servers to maximize the number of users per server Solution You Have Picked The sizer displays the solution picked by Compaq in this example as shown in Figure 13 TSEsizer Figure 13 A summary of the solution picked by Compaq for the call center environment in this example 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 22 Sizer Calculations Using Compaq s input the sizer calculated that the call center environment can be deployed using two two way ProLiant DL360 servers The sizer s calculations are based on the results of performance testing carried out by Compaq to determine the maximum numbers of Heavy Medium and Light Users supported by particular server configurations Table 6 summarizes the performance test results for a single ProLiant DL360 server with 1GHz Pentium III processor s with 256KB cache Tabl
5. Thin Client device Figure 8 illustrates the T1010 screen Figure 9 the Evo T20 screen Table 4 compares the features of the Thin Client devices offered by the sizer Table 4 Comparison of the Thin Client Devices Device Operating Integrated Processor Flash Memory DRAM memory System Browser Speed MHz MB MB T1010 8 32 Windows CE No 233 8 32 T1010 16 48 Windows CE Microsoft IE 4 0 233 16 48 T20 16 32 Windows CE No 300 16 256 32 256 T20 48 64 Windows NTe No 300 48 256 64 256 T20 64 96 Windows NTe Microsoft IE 5 5 300 64 256 96 256 T20 96 128 Windows NTe Microsoft IE 5 5 300 96 256 128 256 Visit the Compaq website for more information on T1010 16 48 or T20 Thin Client devices Lo TSEsizer Figure 8 Selecting a particular T1010 device 4 The embedded version of Windows NT 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 17 i TSEsizer Figure 9 Selecting a particular Evo T20 device 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 18 Input Summary After the customer input is complete the sizer displays the Input Summary screen as shown in Figure 10 which summarizes the TCSC environment specified by the customer If desired the customer can return to an earlier screen to make changes Selecting the Next button ca
6. more information on RSL please refer to the appropriate Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Q124594 Onboard disk caching In some cases disabling onboard disk caching may improve performance The customer should verify this through performance testing Network read writes If local read writes are possible avoid using network read writes For example a local cache for a Web browser can provide significant performance gains over the remote storage of temporary Internet files MetaFrame SuperCache Enable MetaFrame SuperCache Disk quotas Use disk quotas particularly for user profiles Event logs Configure the System and Application Event logs for a maximum size of 1024KB so that log files have sufficient space MaxWorkltem and MaxMpxCt Legacy versions of Terminal Server such as the NT 4 0 Terminal with legacy systems Server edition have issues with MaxWorkltem and MaxMpxCt values For more information please refer to the appropriate Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Q232476 continued 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 34 Table 12 Operating System Tuning Recommendations continued Print drivers Print drivers constitute one of the largest causes of instability in a TCSC environment If possible do not deploy uncertified drivers consider deploying a universal print driver Security logging Avoid exces
7. output packet queue in packets If the length of the queue is greater than two this indicates that delays are being experienced The customer should identify and if possible eliminate the bottleneck Network Current Bandwidth Current Bandwidth is an estimate of the network interface s current bandwidth in bits per second bps For interfaces that do not vary in bandwidth or for those where no accurate estimation can be made this value is the nominal bandwidth Processor Sizing The customer should exercise caution when projecting processor capacity significant under sizing may result if poor scaling techniques are used For example Symmetric Multi Processing SMP scalability in Windows 2000 and NT environments is not linear This means that the customer cannot take performance measurement with a few active users and expect to interpolate the results for a much larger number of users The accurate projection of processor capacity requires well developed valid scripts sufficient client hardware and live testers Figure 19 illustrates this non linearity 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Projected Processor Capacity m Measured Processor Capacity Processor Time 10 20 30 40 50 60 Number of Users Figure 19 Test results demonstrating that SMP scalability is non linear Figure 19 shows that for low processor utilization up to 30 the num
8. profiles for Light Medium and Heavy users allowing Compaq to establish performance characteristics for these three classes of users with the Compaq ProLiant DL line of servers Compaq recommends that customers use this methodology when sizing a TCSC solution The Sizing Process Sizing a TCSC solution should include the following stages 1 Using the sizer The customer should use the Compaq online sizer to provide a number of possible hardware solutions These solutions are estimates based on input provided by the customer testing is required to determine if a particular solution is suitable Refer to the section of this Sizing Guide titled Using the Compaq Online Sizer for more information on using the sizer WARNING The Compaq sizer is most accurate when the customer s user profiles match the standard Light Medium and Heavy profiles Customers with non standard workloads should refer to the section of this Sizing Guide titled Sizing Non standard Solutions for further guidance At the very least these customers should scale up their estimated solutions by a factor of 25 providing a margin for error and accommodating future expansion 2 Pilot deployment The customer should carry out a pilot deployment Compaq recommends using live testers in a production environment to collect performance data and obtain an accurate understanding of the different usage patterns and user profiles 3 Refining Follow
9. view of the Rack Diagram Rack Layout 5 it DL360 Model DL360R01 P1000 210640 001 5 128MB 8U Cover for blank space 2U Cover for blank space tack Internal Trackball Keyboard 8U Cover for blank space 2U Cover for blank space U Cover for blank space Total for rack 1 Figure 18 A view of the Rack Layout 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 26 Sizing Non standard Solutions The Compag sizer is generic and cannot address every possible TCSC environment If the customer has a non standard workload the workload does not match the standard Heavy Medium and Light User profiles more effort is required to scale a solution Compaq recommends following these steps to size a solution for a non standard workload 1 Use the Compaq sizer to estimate a solution 2 Develop and debug scripts that model the planned TCSC environment 3 Scale up the estimated solution by a factor of 25 to provide a margin for error and accommodate future expansion 4 Validate the estimated solution using live testers in a production environment Note To simplify performance testing and minimize the risk of damaging hardware when adding or removing components the customer can use software switches to add or remove processors and memory For more information refer to Appendix B Adjusting the Boot ini file 5
10. Compaq ActiveAnswers Sizing Guide August 2001 156P 0801A WWEN Prepared by elnfrastructure Business Unit Compaq Computer Corporation Contents Introduction ccceseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 3 The Sizing Process 3 Improving Server Performances issii 4 This Sizing Guide eee 5 Using the Compaq Online S ZE viii ccnnti cis cance csnaivvcnusccevenunscsven 5 Sizing Example 0 0 6 Matching the User Profiles 7 Estimating Total Storage Requirements cceeee 7 Using the Sizer Screens 8 Sizing Non standard Solutions 0 0 eeeeeeeeeeeeeeneeeeeeees 26 Network Sizing 26 Processor Sizing 27 Memory Sizing 29 DISK SIZING isi ss scccnecsdsceseccienaycoees 30 Key Performance Thresholds 31 Optimizing Server Performance cccceeeeeseeeeeees 32 Tuning the Operating Syste erilainen rage open rendirse 32 Tuning Application Settings 34 Tuning the Registry 35 SUMMALY oo ce cece eeeseeeeeeeeenenneeeees 36 Appendix A More Information cceseeeeeeeneeeeeees 37 Appendix B Adjusting the Boot ini file ccceseseeeeeseeeeees 38 Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Abstract The most commonly asked questions when sizing a Thin Client Server Computing TCSC solution are How many users can I support with a single server and How many users can I support with ea
11. Dword 0 Optimizing Citrix MetaFrame Citrix has published recommendations for optimizing the performance of MetaFrame For more information refer to the White Paper titled Advanced Concepts for MetaFrame XP Follow the White Papers link from the Support area of the Citrix website 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 36 Summary Compaq recommends using the Compaq online sizer as the first step to sizing a TCSC solution After obtaining an estimate of the solution the customer should implement a pilot program using live testers in a production environment Based on the results of the pilot the customer can refine the solution to meet specific business needs The customer should continue to monitor and refine performance throughout the lifecycle of the solution Sizing a non standard solution provides additional challenges Compaq offers guidelines for identifying bottlenecks so that the customer can size an appropriate solution The customer can eliminate bottlenecks and improve performance by sizing up or sizing out the solution After validating the solution the customer should optimize performance by tuning the operating system the application settings and the registry Compaq bases performance analysis and solution sizing on quantifiable rules for example a Processor Time value greater than 80 indicates a potential pe
12. Identify and eliminate bottlenecks This section provides guidelines for sizing the following areas to eliminate bottlenecks Network Processor Memory Disk Network Sizing Unacceptable propagation delays or long network queue lengths indicate that the customer s environment suffers from a network bottleneck One or more of the following conditions can increase network latency e There is a limited bandwidth connection between the server and client e There is a long distance connection between the server and client e The Network Utilization value is high Other factors that can impact network latency include the number and type of active users the screen resolutions of client machines and client printer and drive mappings Note If network performance metrics are unknown Compaq suggests 20kbps as a starting point for the network consumption per user for ICA and RDP clients Network utilization is linear Several tools on the market can help the customer create test scripts including Rational s Visual Test and Wilson Window Ware s WinBatch 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 27 Network Performance Counters Table 7 describes significant network performance counters Table 7 Network Performance Counters Counter Name Description Network Output Queue Length Output Queue Length is the length of the
13. Sizing Steps Figure 5 Specifying the rack mount size 1U is equivalent to 1 75 inches 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 14 Disk Drive Selection Figure 6 shows the Disk Drive Selection screen which allows the customer if desired to override the disk drive type selected by the sizer Various options for disk drive size and speed of revolution are available TSEsizer Sizing Steps Figure 6 Specifying the disk drive size and speed of revolution 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 15 Number and Type of Client Devices Figure 7 shows the Select Number and Type of Client Devices screen which allows the customer to specify the number of active users and the desired client device types The sizer can configure the following models e Compaq Thin Client T1010 e Compaq Evo Thin Client T20 Both models support Citrix s Independent Computing Architecture ICA or Microsoft s Remote Desktop Protocol RDP SEsizer Sizing Steps Figure 7 Specifying the type and number of client devices 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 16 Select Thin Client The sizer displays one of two Select Thin Client screens so that the customer can select a specific
14. able 12 Operating System Tuning Recommendations Area Recommendation File and Printer Sharing Set File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks to Maximize data throughput for network applications Performance Options Change the Performance Options setting to Background Services selected through Control Panel gt System Advanced Registry Monitor the current registry size and maximum settings In a non TCSC environment the registry size is nominal but in a TCSC environment user profiles are loaded for each active user causing the registry to grow continued 1 Canary is not a performance monitor counter but a test script that gives an absolute measure of user response To obtain a baseline the customer runs a canary script with no users on the system the customer then reruns the script with users on the system If the canary time increases by 10 or more with users on the system this indicates a potential bottleneck For example if the baseline is 10 minutes a canary time of 11 minutes or more with users on the system indicates a potential bottleneck 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 33 Table 12 Operating System Tuning Recommendations continued Registry Size Limit Set the value of the Registry Size Limit RSL to 60 80 of the page pool size This value depends on the amount of memory in the server
15. ber of users supported per processor is almost linear Above 30 utilization the number of users supported grows in a non linear manner The figure shows that projecting total usage from the 30 utilization level in this environment could cause the solution to be undersized by as much as 40 Note Compaq normalized Figure 19 to better illustrate the non linearity 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 28 Processor Performance Counters Table 8 describes significant processor performance counters Table 8 Processor Performance Counters Counter Name Description Processor Time The Processor Time counter is a primary indicator of processor activity measuring the percentage of time the processor spends executing useful work NOTE Each processor has an Idle thread that consumes cycles when no other threads are ready to run Processor Time is calculated by measuring the length of time the processor spends executing the idle thread and subtracting that value from 100 Processor Queue Length The Processor Queue Length counter provides an indication of the number of threads in the processor queue The counter displays the last observed value rather than providing an average queue length As cache size and clocking rates increase customers can no longer rely on Processor Queue Length to provide an accurate metric for processor capaci
16. ch processor This Sizing Guide discusses factors that determine how well a server scales and details how to determine server capacity while optimizing server performance In addition the Sizing Guide lists application and operating system settings that can optimize server performance Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 2 Notice This publication does not constitute an endorsement of the product or products that were tested The configuration or configurations tested or described may or may not be the only available solution This test is not a determination of product quality or correctness nor does it ensure compliance with any federal state or local requirements Compaq the Compaq logo Compaq Insight Manager Deskpro FASTART ProLiant and SmartStart are trademarks of Compaq Information Technologies Group L P in the U S and other countries Microsoft Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation Intel Pentium Intel Inside and Celeron are trademarks of Intel Corporation Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and or registered trademarks of their respective companies Compaq shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein The information in this document is provided as is without warranty of any kind and is subject to change without notice The warranties for Compaq products are s
17. e 6 Performance Test Results for a Single ProLiant DL360 Server Maximum numbers of users supported Processors Memory Heavy Users Medium Users Light Users One way 2GB 32 42 55 Two way 4GB 60 78 100 Note The solution selected by Compaq requires two two way ProLiant DL360 servers This solution can support twice the numbers of users specified in the two way row of Table 6 meeting the needs of the sample call center environment For information on the performance of other ProLiant DL server platforms please refer to the appropriate Performance Briefs published on ActiveAnswers 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 23 Thank You The sizer displays the Thank You screen shown in Figure 14 Simultaneously the ActiveAnswers system configurator presents the following detailed information on the selected solution e Configuration summary Figure 15 e Detailed bill of materials Figure 16 e Rack diagram Figure 17 e Rack layout Figure 18 TSEsizer Figure 14 The Thank You screen 156P 0801A WWEN izing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compag ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 24 Configuration Summary Below is a summary of your c ae By To contact COMPAQ about solution click ProLiant DL360 me Ty pe Jodel DL360R01 P1000 256K 9 GB 10 000 RPM 7 98 28MB GB Re
18. er aami 1 000 ytes In Use a Memory WADMINI 1 000 Active Sessions Termin WADMINI Astart 1G e int i Performance a 6 45 AM Figure 20 Test results showing the linear relationship between the number of users and the total amount of memory consumed In Figure 20 the green upper line represents the number of users and the red lower line represents the total amount of memory consumed the value of the Committed Bytes in Use counter The figure shows that the relationship between the number of users and memory consumption is linear The customer can take advantage of this linear relationship when sizing memory requirements After measuring memory consumption with no users to establish the baseline operating system requirements the user can perform a limited load test extrapolating the test results to project the total amount of memory required IMPORTANT Because it trims the working set a server with low memory resources can provide misleading load test results The customer should monitor the Pages Output Sec counter for indications of excessive paging If the value of the counter does not exceed single digits the level of paging is acceptable 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 30 Memory Performance Counters Table 9 describes significant memory performance counters Table 9 Memory Performance Counte
19. et forth in the express limited warranty statements accompanying such products Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty 2001 Compaq Computer Corporation All rights reserved Printed in the U S A Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide prepared by elnfrastructure Business Unit First Edition August 2001 Document Number 156P 0801A WWEN 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 3 Introduction Since 1995 Compaq has been providing answers to customers sizing questions Through the Compaq ActiveAnswers website Compaq publishes white papers sizing guides and online sizers that help customers better understand new technologies and deploy the appropriate hardware in the appropriate quantities to meet their business needs When sizing a Thin Client Server Computing TCSC environment the most commonly asked questions are How many users can I support with a single server and How many users can I support with each processor The number of variables involved makes these questions difficult to answer Because a single accurate performance characteristic is impossible to develop Compaq has standardized on the methodology outlined in a Microsoft White Paper titled Windows 2000 Terminal Services Capacity and Scaling This methodology specifies
20. here is only one processor queue per server the customer should divide the Processor Queue Length by the number of processors to determine the queue for each processor In a server with four processors a Processor Queue Length of 24 indicates that each processor has a queue of six threads Faster processors 1 133GHz and up can sustain queues of up to 20 threads per processor with no performance impact 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 32 Table 11 Potential Performance Bottleneck Thresholds continued Committed Bytes in Use Since this counter displays a ratio rather Excessive swapping than a byte count the threshold value varies The customer must eliminate thrashing and excessive swapping Network Utilization A sustained average at or above 60 Slow client response or a collision count Canary A value that is 10 over baseline Slow user response Optimizing Server Performance Many factors can impact server performance but Compaq has identified the following areas that can be tuned to achieve the greatest improvements e Operating system e Application settings e Registry IMPORTANT Before editing the Registry the customer must be able to restore it to its original condition Tuning the Operating System Table 12 summarizes Compaq s recommendations for tuning the operating system to improve system performance T
21. ical Reference Mueller and Chaudhry ISBN 0 73560 633 1 Windows NT Server 4 0 2000 Testing and Troubleshooting A Comprehensive Guide to Enhancing Server Performance Gilbert Held ISBN 1 55622 662 4 Citrix MetaFrame for Windows Servers Installation and Tuning Tips Citrix White Paper published on the XS4ALL website 156P 0801A W WEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 38 Appendix B Adjusting the Boot ini file Table 16 describes two convenient software switches that can help the customer analyze system performance without physically adding or removing hardware These Boot ini switches allow the customer to set the number of processors and or the amount of memory in a server Table 16 Convenient Boot ini switches Switch Description MAXMEM nnnn The MAXMEM switch allows the customer to specify the maximum amount of memory in bytes NUMPROC x The NUMPROC switch allows the customer to specify the number of processors Example The following Boot ini example uses the NUMPROC switch to set the number of processors to four boot loader timeout 30 default multi 0 disk 0 rdisk 0 partition 1 WINNT operating systems multi 0 disk 0 rdisk 0 partition 1 WINNT Windows 2000 Server fastdetect numproc 4 156P 0801A WWEN
22. ing the pilot deployment the solution should be refined to meet specific performance goals At this stage and throughout the solution s lifecycle the customer should tune the server to optimize performance The Compaq Thin Client Server Computing page of ActiveAnswers contains a number of links to information on deploying TCSC solutions The methodology described in this White Paper does require a large number of clients but can fully test the most dense server deployments Compaq has found this methodology to be very accurate for tuning the network processor s memory and disk input output Other tools are available off the shelf or from Citrix 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 4 4 Production After implementing the necessary refinements the customer should place the updated solution into production confident that the solution can accommodate the projected workload 5 Further refining The customer should continue to monitor the performance of the solution while in production making further refinements as necessary Improving Server Performance The customer should continue to refine performance after the solution has been placed in production Often the customer can tune the server to eliminate performance bottlenecks that impact the target user groups and workload Note Refer to the section of this Sizing Guide titled Opti
23. l browsing of an intranet site using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 5 Light User Light Users are also characterized as task users Light Users typically open a single line of business application For test purposes Compaq simulates a Light User with a script that simulates a call center application that starts a Visual Basic program to access an SQL database The script queries reads writes and prints information from the database Sizing Example The following sections describe how to use the sizer to estimate a solution for a fictional call center environment The call center workload has the following characteristics e There are 450 support personnel present during a given day e At any peak period no more than 145 users are active e Of the 145 active users five are managers 20 are team lead troubleshooters and 120 are first line employees e Managers use standard office automation tools usually opening a single application at a time e ach team leader supports five first line employees ensures that system performance is optimal verifies that the online database provides correct responses to queries and troubleshoots problems as required e The first line employee responds to incoming phone calls and provides information to the end user after making appropriate queries to the online database 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 7
24. mizing Server Performance for guidance on tuning operating system application settings and registry Performance Bottlenecks Significant bottlenecks can occur in the following areas e Processor e Memory e Disk e Network Within each of these areas the customer can monitor appropriate Performance Monitor counters to determine if a bottleneck exists For example Processor Time and Processor Queue Length counters can indicate if there is a processor bottleneck Note As cache size and clocking rates increase the Processor Queue Length value that indicates a bottleneck with one server configuration does not necessarily indicate a bottleneck with a differently configured server Performance Improvement Options The customer has the following options for removing bottlenecks and improving server performance 1 Scaling up the server adding hardware such as faster processors or additional memory to the existing server 2 Scaling out the server adding servers to achieve the desired performance After sizing the server appropriately the customer should optimize performance by tuning the operating system application settings and registry 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 5 This Sizing Guide The remaining sections of this Sizing Guide provide information on the following topics e Using the Compaq Online Sizer Compaq rec
25. mmit limit increases and the ratio is reduced Disk Sizing With the latest advances in disk throughput cache and size the customer need no longer encounter disk I O bottlenecks in a TCSC environment In addition multiple controllers ports and extended cache sizes allow the customer to break heavily accessed volumes into multiple smaller volumes to remove potential bottlenecks It is an industry standard practice in a TCSC environment to place data stores user data and databases on dedicated file and database servers 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 31 Disk Performance Counters Table 10 describes significant disk performance counters Table 10 Disk Performance Counters Counter Name Description Average Disk Queue Length The Average Disk Queue Length counter displays the average numbers of read and write requests that were queued for the selected disk during the sample interval NOTE As with Processor Queue Length newer faster technologies mean that the Average Disk Queue Length value that indicates a bottleneck with one disk configuration may not indicate a bottleneck with a differently configured disk subsystem Physical Disk Time The Physical Disk Time counter displays the percentage of time the selected disk drive is busy servicing read or write requests Key Performance Thresholds Performance testing car
26. mputing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 35 Tuning the Registry IMPORTANT Compaq recommends backing up the registry before making any changes Table 14 summarizes Compaq s recommendations for tuning the registry to improve system performance Table 14 Registry Tuning Recommendations Area Recommendation Clean up A large number of users can access a server in a TCSC environment the registry stores every change made by every user Over time the registry can become filled with obsolete entries decreasing system performance Compaq uses a Microsoft tool RegClean to delete obsolete entries Customers should contact a Microsoft representative to obtain this tool NT Executive paging For environments deploying Citrix MetaFrame disable NT Executive paging to keep the kernel and driver code in memory and reduce disk paging To disable executive paging the customer should set the DisablePagingExecutive value to 1 Key HKEY LOCAL MACHINE System CurrentControlSet Control Session Manager Memory Management Value DisablePagingExecutive Reg Dword 1 Print job logging For environments deploying Citrix MetaFrame disable print job logging otherwise each print job would log two messages To disable print job logging the customer should set the EventLog value to 0 Key HKEY LOCAL MACHINE System CurrentControlSet Control Print Providers Value EventLog Reg
27. nment The operating system emulates 16 bit applications through DOS Virtual Machine impacting processor performance by as much as 40 and memory requirements by as much as 50 Sizing Steps Figure 2 Specifying if 16 bit applications will be used 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 11 Processor Selection Figure 3 shows the Processor Selection screen which allows the customer to specify whether or not more than two processors can be deployed in a single server TSEsizer Sizing Steps Figure 3 Specifying whether more than two processors can be deployed in a single server 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 12 Storage Space Selection Figure 4 shows the Storage Space Selection screen which allows the customer to specify the average disk storage requirement per user and the amount of disk space required by applications TSEsizer Sizing Steps Figure 4 Specifying the amount of disk storage space required by users and applications 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 13 Rack mount Size Selection Screen Figure 5 shows the Rack mount Size Selection screen which allows the customer to specify a height limit for the server 22U 36U or 42U TSEsizer
28. nts deploying Enterprise Resource Planning ERP or Customer Relationship Management CRM applications require the most memory per user up to eight times the amount of memory listed above Estimates of the amount of memory needed by individual users can only be validated on test 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 8 Disk Storage The customer must estimate the amount of disk space required by the server and by individual users In this example Compaq used the following values e Light User 40MB e Medium User 100MB e Heavy User 75MB Note Light Medium and Heavy characterize processor usage rather than memory or disk storage requirements In this example a Medium User needs more disk space than a Heavy User Since disk I O is not typically a bottleneck in a TCSC environment the amounts of disk space allocated to individual users are not critical However the sizer requires the customer to calculate and enter a single average disk space per user value In the call center example the calculation is as follows 40MB x 120 Light Users 100MB x 5 Medium Users 75MB x 20 Heavy Users 6800MB for a total of 125 users The average disk storage requirement per user is 55MB Workload Summary Table 3 summarizes the workload requirements for the call center example Table 3 Summary of Workload Requirements
29. ommends that all customers wishing to size a TCSC solution should start by using the Compaq online sizer e Sizing non standard solutions This section provides guidelines for sizing solutions for customers with non standard workloads and discusses how to identify bottlenecks The section lists key performance thresholds that the customer s solution should not exceed e Optimizing server performance This section provides guidelines for improving system performance by tuning the operating system application settings and the registry e A summary This section summarizes the information provided in the Sizing Guide e Appendix A Appendix A lists sources of additional information e Appendix B Appendix B describes software switches that can facilitate performance testing Using the Compaq Online Sizer Before using the Compaq online sizer the customer should analyze the workload requirements for the planned TCSC environment identifying profiles for the various user categories and determining the storage requirements for each Ideally the user profiles will match the standard Light Medium and Heavy User profiles described in Table 1 In this case the sizer s solution estimates are relatively accurate However if the user profiles do not match the standard profiles the estimated solutions are less accurate in this case the customer should refer to the section of this Sizing Guide titled Sizing Non standard Solutions for fur
30. quested 18 2 GB ProLiant DL360 Disk Data Area 1 Memory 2 ProLiant DL360 960 MB Configured JL360RO01 P1000 256K 128MB D00 RPM 7 lata Area 1 i Requested 18 2 GB C onfigured Memon 902 MB Requested 960 MB Configured Figure 15 A view of the Configuration Summary Detailed Bill Of Materials BOM The complete list of parts required for your solution broken out by server and rack components is listed below System Parts 1 Estimated Quantity Part Number Description Retail Price 210640 00 ProLiant DL360 Model DL360R01 P1000 256K 128MB 210642 B2 64 MB PC133MHz Registered ECC SDRAM DIMM Memory z i EH i B2 256 MB PC133MHz Registered ECC SDRAM DIMM Memory Er gt istered ECC SDRAM DIMM Memory W710 Color Monitor Opal 142671 B22 9 1 GB Wide Pluggable Ultra3 10K Drive 1 Estimated SubTotal System Parts 2 Estimated Quantity Part Number Description Retail Price 210640 001 ProLiant DL360 Model DL360R01 P1000 256K 128MB zm P14 210642 B21 128276 B21 128278 B21 256 MB PC133MHz Registered ECC SDRAM DIMM Memory 349 00 Figure 16 A partial view of the Bill of Materials 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 25 Rack Diagram The recommended rack placement of each system is shown below Figure 17 A
31. rformance bottleneck and on the years of experience gained applying these rules Compaq recommends that the customer take the time to apply and build on the guidelines provided in this Sizing Guide In this way the customer can answer the commonly asked questions How many users can I support with a single server and How many users can I support with each processor 156P 0801A WWEN Appendix A More Information Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 37 For more detailed information on topics discussed in this Sizing Guide please refer to the sources listed in Table 15 Table 15 Publications containing More Information Inside Windows 2000 Third Edition Microsoft Press Solomon ISBN 0 7356 1021 5 and Russinovich Windows NT 2000 Thin Client Solutions Implementing Terminal Services and Citrix MetaFrame Todd W Mathers ISBN 1 57870 239 9 Advanced Concepts for MetaFrame XP Application Server for Windows White Paper published by Citrix White Papers gt MetaFrame XP Application Server for Windows gt Show All Windows 2000 Terminal Services Capacity and Scaling White Paper published by Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit Deployment Planning Guide Chapter 16 Deploying Terminal Services Microsoft hardbound book and CD ROM distributed with the Windows 2000 Resource Kit Microsoft Windows 2000 Performance Tuning Techn
32. ried out by Compaq has identified the performance threshold values listed in Table 11 Exceeding these values may introduce performance bottlenecks but the final arbiter of system performance is the user Performance bottlenecks can differ for each application The counters listed in Table 11 provide the most common indications of performance issues It is possible that in certain environments the user may experience bottlenecks even if threshold values have not been exceeded it is also possible that the user may not experience a bottleneck when a threshold value is exceeded Table 11 Potential Performance Bottleneck Thresholds Performance Counter Threshold Symptoms of Bottleneck CPU Utilization A sustained average value at or over 80 Slow user response Processor Queue Length The threshold value depends on the Slow user response characteristics clocking rate cache size and so on of the processor under test Pages Sec A sustained average value at or above 12 Busy disk access light to 15 pages per second Physical Disk A sustained average value at or above Busy disk access light 80 Average Disk Queue Length The threshold value depends on the disk Busy disk access light technology deployed Available Bytes The customer should monitor paging Excessive swapping activity closely when the available memory value is less than 75 Page files must be spanned and sized correctly continued 1 Because t
33. rs Counter Name Description Pages Output Sec The Pages Output Sec counter measures the number of pages written to disk to free up space in physical memory More pages are written to disk if memory resources are low NOTE Pages are written to disk only if they are changed in physical memory so they are more likely to hold data than code Available Bytes The Available Bytes counter displays the amount of physical memory in bytes available to processes running on the server The counter sums the space available on the following lists e Free memory list Free memory is available for use e Zeroed memory list Zeroed memory contains pages that have been filled with zeroes to prevent later processes from accessing sensitive data e Standby memory list Standby memory contains information that has been removed from a working set physical memory to be transferred to disk but is available for recall The Available Bytes counter displays the last observed value only not an average Committed Bytes in Use The Committed Bytes in Use counter displays the ratio of Memory Committed Bytes to Memory This counter displays the current percentage value only it is not an average NOTE Committed memory is physical memory for which space has been reserved in the paging file should information need to be written to disk The commit limit is determined by the size of the paging file If the paging file is enlarged the co
34. s security logging this can impact processor and disk subsystem performance Services To conserve resources make sure that only necessary services are running Network protocols Ensure that only the required network protocols are installed Through the Advanced Settings feature verify that the binding orders of the protocols to each Network Interface Card NIC list the most commonly used protocol first Tuning Application Settings Table 13 summarizes Compaq s recommendations for tuning application settings to improve system performance Table 13 Application Tuning Recommendations Area Recommendation Cursor Avoid blinking cursors Scrolling Disable smooth scrolling Backgrounds Use single color backgrounds Wallpaper Do not use bitmaps in desktop wallpaper Screen saver Use only blank screen savers if any Shortcuts Utilize desktop shortcuts rather than complete files Active Desktop Disable Active Desktop Office Assistant Do not use animated Office Assistants Motionless Office Assistants are available through the Office 2000 Resource Kit Grammar Checker Disable the background Grammar Checker for Microsoft Office products Microsoft FindFast Disable Microsoft FindFast 16 bit applications Avoid the use of 16 bit applications If necessary deploy 16 bit applications on dedicated servers 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Co
35. ther guidance on sizing 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 6 Compaq recommends validating any estimated solution using live testers in a production environment Table 1 Standard User Profiles User Category Description Heavy User Heavy Users are also characterized as structured task workers Heavy Users tend to keep multiple applications open simultaneously and remain active for a long period of time The average typing speed of a Heavy User is 40 to 50 wpm For test purposes Compaq simulates a Heavy User with a script that creates saves and prints documents with Microsoft Word browses Web pages sends and receives e mail with Microsoft Outlook and performs extensive Microsoft Excel activity including use of PivotTable dynamic views and graphing or charting of data Medium User Medium Users are also characterized as knowledge workers Medium Users open and close applications relatively quickly After completing work with a particular application the Medium User is more likely to close the application than to leave it open The average typing speed of a Medium User is 35 to 40 wpm For test purposes Compaq simulates a Medium User with a script that creates small documents with Microsoft Word performs simple data entry in Microsoft Excel sends and receives seven e mail messages per hour with Microsoft Outlook and engages in minima
36. ty However as cache size and clocking rates increase the Processor Queue Length value that indicates a bottleneck with one server configuration may not indicate a bottleneck with a differently configured server NOTE However many processors are deployed each server has a single queue Unlike a disk counter which counts threads that are running the Processor Queue Length Counter counts ready threads 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 29 Memory Sizing Per user memory consumption is linear making memory one of the easier components to size even without complete sizing data Figure 20 illustrates the results of a load test where users were added incrementally up to a total of 100 users Performance O x e Console Window Help Il D oa ie 181 x action view Favorites gt m ef e oO wo Bala xel ela olala Tree Favorites 9 Console Root 4 System Monitor Memory Usage and Active Terminal Server Sessions E g Performance Logs and Alerts zo Number of Users Committed Bytes D keo Last 0 000 Average 19 263 Minimum 1 883 Maximum 35 479 Duration 3 38 59 color scale counter instance Parent object _ Comput
37. uses the sizer to calculate a number of solution options that meet the needs of the environment specified on the Input Summary screen TSEsizer Figure 10 Summary of the customer input provided by the sizer 156P 0801A WWEN Sizing a Thin Client Server Computing Solution Deploying Compaq ProLiant DL Series Servers Sizing Guide 19 Solution Choices The sizer displays one or more Solution Choices screens each listing a number of solutions that meet the customer s needs The last Solution Choices screen displayed allows the customer to enter a specific solution The sizer offers configurations featuring the Compaq servers described in Table 5 Table 5 Servers offered by the Sizer The ProLiant DL360 server is Compaq s most flexible ultra thin 1U high performance rack mount server ProLiant DL360 1GHz This 2U chassis sets the standard for two way dense computing The ProLiant DL380 server is ideal for space constrained data centers and service providers ProLiant DL380 1 133GHz The ProLiant DL580 server offers the maximum ProLiant DLU TUUMHE four way performance for large applications The ProLiant DL760 formerly known as the ProLiant 8500 server offers eight way balanced system architecture with modular design for space constrained data centers ProLiant DL760 700MHz In this example the sizer displays two Solution Choices screens as shown in Figure 11 and Figure 12 Two processor
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