Tuning Netfinity Servers for Performance: Getting the Most out of Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0, 2nd edition
Authors: David Watts, Chris Neophytou, Murat Gulver
Venue:  (2000)

From the Book:PREFACE: PrefaceThis IBM Redbook describes what you can do to improve and maximize the performance of your business server applications running on IBM Netfinity hardware based on the Windows 2000 and Windows NT Server 4.0 operating systems. It describes what can be done to improve the performance of the Netfinity hardware, the operating system and specific server applications such as Lotus Notes, SAP R/3, and Microsoft SQL Server. The keys to improving performance are to understand what configuration options are available to you, understand the monitoring tools that you use, and then analyze the results the tools give you so that you can implement suitable changes that positively affect the server.The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 explains the technology implemented in the major subsystems in Netfinity servers and shows what settings can be made or adjusted to obtain the best performance. Rules of thumb are supplied to give you advice on what to expect from any changes you consider.Part 2 introduces the two main performance monitoring tools that are available to Windows 2000 users of Netfinity servers: the Performance console and Netfinity Capacity Manager. Detailed instructions are provided showing you how to use the two tools and a comparison is made giving you insight into when to use one tool over the other.Part 3 shows you how to analyze your system to find performance bottlenecks and what to do to eliminate them. We describe an approach you can take if you are asked to walk up and solve a performance bottleneck. We also provide details on what to look for and how to resolve problems.Each of the majorsubsystemscovered in Part 1 are closely examined so that you can find specific bottlenecks and options are presented as to what can be done to resolve them. A discussion is provided to enable you to anticipate future bottlenecks as well. Part 3 also includes a sample analysis of real-life servers, showing how tools can be used to detect bottlenecks and what the recommendations are for particular systems.Part 4 examines specific performance characteristics of specific server applications: Lotus Notes, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange, Oracle Server, SAP R/3, Windows Terminal Services, and a typical file server. For each of these applications, the redbook explains what can be done to maximize the server's performance. This book is aimed at people who configure Windows 2000 servers and seek to maximize performance. Some knowledge of servers is required. Skills in performance tuning are not assumed.The team that wrote this redbookThis redbook was produced by a team of specialists from around the world working at the International Technical Support Organization, Raleigh Center.David Watts is an Advisory Specialist for Netfinity Servers at IBM's ITSO Center in Raleigh. He manages residencies and produces redbooks on hardware and software topics related to IBM Netfinity servers. He has authored over a dozen publications; his most recent books include Netfinity and Windows 2000 Integration Guide, Implementing Netfinity Disk Subsystems, and Netfinity Server Management. He has a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Queensland (Australia) and has worked for IBM for over 11 years. He is an IBM Professional Server Specialist and is an IBM Certified IT Specialist.Gregg McKnight is a Senior Technical Staff Member in the Netfinity Server Development and Performance department in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. He has 14 years' experience in performance-related activities on IBM Servers and is currently the technical leader for the Netfinity Server Development and Performance organization, which is responsible for server systems simulation, design optimization, and system performance optimization and validation. His areas of expertise include hardware architecture and design optimization, BIOS optimization, server systems hardware and firmware measurement, optimization, and validation. He is the author of the IBM white paper Fundamentals of Server Performance.Peter Mitura is a Technical Support Manager in the IBM Personal Systems Group supporting Central/Eastern Europe and CIS territories. He has five years of experience in the Technical Support field in the Personal Computer industry. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the Slovak Technical University and is a Netfinity Professional Server Specialist. His areas of expertise include analysis of information systems, Lotus Notes enterprise implementation, and personal computer hardware.Chris Neophytou has worked as a Network Specialist with IBM Australia for two years. His areas of expertise include IBM Netfinity Servers, IBM ThinkPads, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows Terminal Server. He is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and a Netfinity Professional Server Specialist. He has a Bachelor of Engineering degree, with honors, from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Murat Gulver is a Technical Project Manager at Bordata Bilisim A.S. in Turkey. He has three years of experience with Netfinity and the Microsoft server product line. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Istanbul (Turkey) and has worked for Bordata for over three years. He is an IBM Professional Server Expert and a Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE). His areas of expertise include hardware architecture, Windows NT 4.0 Server, Exchange Server enterprise design and implementation, and SQL Server database design and performance. Comments welcomeYour comments are important to us!We want our Redbooks to be as helpful as possible. 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