DB2 Performance Expert for Multiplatforms V2.2, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1. Introduction 5

Warehouse data can also be used for Rules of Thumb (RoT), which is

included in Performance Warehouse.

RoT can help a DBA by being proactive in making suggestions on how to

improve performance. Performance Warehouse provides RoT queries for

SQL, database, tablespace, and buffer pool activity.

 Buffer Pool Analysis

Buffer pools are one of the most important aspects for tuning. PE Buffer Pool

Analysis gathers detailed information regarding current buffer pool activity

using snapshots. Buffer Pool Analysis allows the database administrator to

view buffer pool information in a variety of formats, including tables, pie

charts, and diagrams. Providing these different formats to view buffer pool

information will enable the database administrator to quick identify potential

problems and do trend analysis.

Exception processing

Exception process monitoring is another PE feature that allows DBAs to monitor

a database server proactively. DBAs can use the exception processing function

to activate predefined alert sets for OLTP or BI workloads or to configure their

own alerts both to notify them when a particular situation has occurred. PE

provides two types of alerts:

deadlock and periodic. The alert message can be

sent to specified e-mail addresses or a user exit can be called that allows you to

exchange the alert message and details with other applications or to execute

actions. Additionally, signals on the PE client indicate the occurrence of an

exception together with drill down options.

1.2 PE architecture

PE’s primary design goal was to provide an “end to end” solution for performance

monitoring of DB2 systems. PE for Multiplatforms has three parts, as shown in

Figure 1-1 on page 6:

 PE Server

 PE Client

 PE Agent

6 DB2 Performance Expert for Multiplatforms V2.2

Figure 1-1 PE architecture

PE Server

The PE Server collects and stores the performance data of the monitored DB2

instance. In a multiplatform environment, one PE Server can monitor multiple

DB2 instances in the network.

Figure 1-1 shows that one PE Server is installed on its own DB2 instance and

remotely monitors the other DB2 instances. However, the PE Server can be

installed on the same DB2 instance as the DB2 instance you wish to monitor.

The PE Server supports monitoring of DB2 UDB Enterprise Server Edition

(ESE), Data Partitioning Feature (DPF), and Workgroup Edition. The PE Server

for Multiplatforms comes in two flavors:

 DB2 Performance Expert for Multiplatforms

 DB2 Performance Expert for Workgroups

For information regarding the supported DB2 environments, please refer to the

IBM PE manual IBM DB2 Performance Expert for Multiplatforms IBM DB2

Performance Expert for Workgroups Installation and Configuration, SC18-9191.

DB2 UDB

ESE wih

DPF

Network

DB2 Clients

DB2 UDB

Workgroup

Network

PE Client

DB2 Connect

Server

PE Agent

DB2 UDB

ESE

DB2

Server

DB

DB

PE Server

Chapter 1. Introduction 7

The PE Server is architected and designed to store all of the monitored DB2

instance information in the PE database. As shown in Figure 1-2, PE Server has

two types of databases: master database and performance database.

 Master database

The master database is used to store the PE Server metadata and

configuration information. PE creates one master database called DB2PM

during configuration time. There is only one DB2PM database per PE Server.

 Performance database

Performance data of the monitored instance is stored in a database on the PE

Server instance. For each monitored instance, PE Server creates one

performance database. In Figure 1-2, you see three DB2 instances that the

PE Server is monitoring. Each monitored instance has a performance

database on the PE Server instance.

Figure 1-2 PE Server

The PE Server uses DB2 Snapshot and Event Monitors to collect DB2

performance data for the online monitoring, short-term history, long-term history,

PE Server

Performance DB

Performance DB

Performance DB

Master DB

Server 3

Server 1

Server 2

Workstation

PE Client

Monitored Instance 1

Monitored Instance 2

Monitored Instance 3