HP Performance Tuning Framework User Guide

Resource Collector

The Memory Usage plot is helpful for watching memory allocation while working interactively on the system.  Often minute-by-minute information is not necessary, but rather simply knowing how the system's resources are utilized over a longer period can help diagnose reduced performance issues.  To accomplish this analysis, Hewlett-Packard has added the Resource Collector to the Framework.

The Resource Collector is a separate process that periodically checks for the user-selected applications on a workstation.  If found, certain memory and system resource parameters of those applications are captured and logged.  After collecting data for a longer period of time, for example a typical workday, the logged data can be summarized to see how often the limits of the system resources were approached.  Based on this analysis, the fitness of the current hardware and software configuration for its dedicated tasks can be determined.  Possible conclusions could be that far too often the important processes are utilizing more than the amount of physical RAM in the workstation, thereby relying upon the much slower virtual memory system.  In this case, maybe adding more memory and enabling the large memory feature of Windows XP would be a solution.

There are individual versions of the Resource Collector for Windows XP and Windows XP x64 Edition, even though there is only one version of the Framework.  As described in the Software Requirements section, the 64-bit version of the Resource Collector is necessary for observing processes that utilize more than 4GB of memory.  The collected data is stored such that the one 32-bit version of the Framework can process and report values representing more than 4GB.

The Resource Collector Configure button at the bottom of the Memory Usage page will display the dialog shown below.  The Collector options are set on the left-hand side, and there are buttons to control the Collector on the right.  In the dialog shown here, the user has configured the Resource Collector to inspect any running Photoshop, XSI, and I-DEAS Design processes every thirty seconds.  Between collection periods, the Resource Collector goes to sleep so it does not consume any of the workstation's processor cycles.  The Start button will launch the Resource Collector, and then become a Stop button.  The Resource Collector will run until the Stop button is clicked, or until Windows is shut down or restarted.

The OS Tuning Page

A complex, feature-rich operating system such as Windows XP offers many options for customizing its behavior and features.  Not all relevant configuration parameters can be manipulated via the Control Panel however.  Many print and on-line articles have been published describing little-documented system parameters and registry settings that can be modified to augment the performance, security, or user-interface features of the operating system.

The HP Performance Tuning Framework contains an OS Tuning Page that enables the system administrator to modify several of these configuration parameters.  This page is only available on systems running Windows XP.  An instance of this page is shown in the image below.  There are checkboxes and other controls on the left-hand side of the screen, and a large description box on the right.  To view the description of a parameter, simply position the mouse over the desired control on the left, and the description of the corresponding parameter will be displayed.  The descriptions include:

• some background information about the tuning parameter
• several circumstances that may indicate when each possible setting of the parameter would be desired
• an indication of when the parameter change will take effect (for example, immediately, or after Windows Restart)

Technologies that improve human efficiency and productivity continue to be developed.  The computer network is fertile ground for such technologies, and Hewlett-Packard's Remote Graphics Software is a perfect example.  It uses the network to deliver flexibility and performance to technical computer professionals, by allowing users to view and control the operation of high-end 3D applications running on remote workstations across a standard network.  The Performance Tuning Framework enhances the value of Remote Graphics Software by adding configuration and maintenance capabilities that expose basic and advanced features of the software.

There are two separate components to the Remote Graphics Software solution: the Sender runs on the workstation where the applications and data reside, and the Receiver is run by users wishing to connect to the Sender machine to operate the applications.  If neither component is found on a machine, the Framework's Remote Graphics page will simply show a diagram depicting how Remote Graphics Software works (see the image below).  There is also a link to HP's Remote Graphics Software Site where users can read more about the product, and even download a free trial edition, good for thirty days.

The Sender startup options that can be modified are:

• Connection Timeout
  This is the number of seconds the Sender will wait before assuming a Receiver's connection has been broken.  Valid values are integers in the range from 1 to 60 seconds, and the default is 5.  This value could be increased when Receivers will be connecting over slow network links.
• Authentication Timeout
  This is the number of seconds the Sender will wait before assuming the user's account name could not be authenticated.  Valid values are integers in the range from 1 to 60 seconds, and the default is 5.  This value could be increased when the authentication process requires transmission over slow network links.
• Sender Process Priority
  All processes on a computer have a priority that is used by the operating systems' scheduler.  This setting is the relative priority that should be assigned to the Sender process.  The default priority is Normal, which is used by the majority of processes, but it may be raised or lowered by selecting one of the other settings, Below Normal, Above Normal, and High.
• Limit Connection
  This setting can be used to restrict connections to the Sender.  When it is set to No Limit, any number of different, valid accounts may be used to connect.  If the Single User option is selected, then multiple remote connections will still be allowed, however they must all use the same user account.  The default setting is No Limit.

In order for the Remote Graphics Sender to recognize when an application updates the graphics display, it must watch the operations each application requests of the OpenGL graphics library.  This requires that a small library be placed in the folder of each OpenGL application, where it can be loaded every time the program starts.  Without this library, the user interface components of the application (for example, the menus and buttons) will be visible to remote Receivers, however the graphics portion of the window will be blank or incomplete.

The Framework has knowledge of many 3D applications, and it will automatically add the installed applications it finds to the list of OpenGL Library Locations (see the image above).  The checkboxes next to each application name can be used to copy or remove the library needed by the Remote Graphics Sender.  Clicking on the checkbox at the top of the list, labeled All, will copy the library to (or remove it from) each folder below it in the list.  This makes it very easy to prepare a workstation for remote display of all its applications.

The Add button will present a file selection dialog that can be used to navigate to a specific executable that should be included in the list.  The Search button will display a folder selection dialog that can be used to designate a top level folder.  The Framework will then search all folders below the selected one for executables requiring the OpenGL library.  As the search discovers files that depend upon OpenGL, their folders are added to the Library Locations list.

The Framework attempts to help users of the Remote Graphics Receiver by testing connections to workstations running the Remote Graphics Sender component (see the image below).  Also, as exposed for the Sender, the Receiver's two timeout values can be adjusted through the Framework's interface.  This feature can only be applied to the Start menu shortcut created by the Receiver installation process.

The Remote Graphics Receiver maintains a list of recently connected Sender machines.  The Framework reads that list and then presents a Test button for each recent Sender workstation.  This button performs the following operations for on the Sender:

• Sender Socket Test
  The Framework will attempt to open the socket used by the Remote Graphics Sender on the remote machine.  If there is no service watching that dedicated socket, the connection will fail.  When the socket connection is successful, the Remote Graphics Software logo will be displayed next to the machine name.
  
• Ping Test
  The Framework will attempt to gather Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo responses from the remote machine using the Windows ping utility.  Upon a successful response, the average roundtrip time will be reported.
  
  Note:  The default Windows network configuration does not respond to echo (ping) requests, however it may be enabled through the advanced firewall settings for the network connection; this is documented in the Microsoft TechNet article How to Configure Windows Firewall on a Single Computer.
  
• Route Trace
  If ping was successful, the final step the Framework performs uses the Windows tracert command to measure transmission rates between the sub networks connecting the Sender and Receiver workstations.  The number of sub networks traversed is reported in the Framework window in the column labeled Number of Hops.

The Framework can perform these tests on machines not already in the Recent Senders list by entering the workstation name or network address in the Test New Sender field.  The transcript of the tests will be displayed in a new window, as shown in the image below.  When the Sender socket test succeeds, an Add button on the output window can be used to insert this new machine into the list of recent Senders.

Note:  The Remote Graphics Receiver rewrites its recent Senders list each time it terminates, so new Senders added by the Framework will get lost if the Receiver is running at the time of the addition.  For this reason, the Add button should not be used if the Receiver is running.

For more than a decade, HP has been a leader in driving industry standards and providing customers with innovative PC management solutions.  HP Client Management Solutions continues that leadership tradition by providing a comprehensive portfolio of solutions that reduce the complexity of managing client systems throughout their lifecycle.  The Framework's Client Management Page provides information, status, and downloads for some of the HP-provided client management utilities.

SSM is a free utility that helps streamline the mass deployment of software updates to client workstations.  Its capabilities include:

• deploying system software updates (HP's SoftPaqs for drivers and BIOSes, for example) from a centralized file store to multiple client workstations - simultaneously and automatically
• deploying customer-created update packages
• enforcing BIOS configurations and passwords
• logging the changes made to each workstation

If SSM is not currently present on the workstation, its installation SoftPaq can be downloaded and launched from the Framework.  Once installed, SSM can be run from the Client Management Page, and its read-me file and User Guide can be viewed by clicking the appropriate Framework buttons, as show below.

HP CMI is an open architecture for gathering client computer inventory, monitoring health events, and managing BIOS configuration settings on HP business class client computers.  This interface is included standard on new workstation models beginning with the HP xw4300 workstation.  The HP CMI Software Provider is available for Windows XP workstations without the built-in hardware support.  At this time, there is no HP CMI Software Provider available for Windows XP x64.

If HP CMI is available, the Run button will display the HP CMI classes exposed through the interface.  The read-me file and HP CMI White Paper can each be viewed with one button click.  If HP CMI is not present, the Software Provider may be downloaded and installed using the Framework interface.

The HP BIOS Configuration for ProtectTools utility is used to locally set BIOS options (such as modifying the boot order, disabling serial ports, etc.) using the new Microsoft Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Specification for the Client Management Interface.  This package also includes HP Protect Tools Security Manager which provides an interface for the HP BIOS Configuration.

If HP BIOS Configuration for ProtectTools utility is not installed, its SoftPaq can be downloaded and run from the Framework interface.  When the Framework recognizes that it is installed, the utility can be launched from the Run button, and the User Guide can be displayed by clicking on its button.

HP BIOS Configuration for ProtectTools

The 3Dconnexion motion controller configuration is reported on the 3Dconnexion page.  The types of information reported include:

• the motion controller installation detected in the Windows's Registry
• the USB Plug-and-Play motion controller currently connected on workstation
• the 3Dxware software driver version installed on the workstation
• the list of 3Dconnexion Add-in and Plug-in application software installed on the workstation
• hyperlinks to the motion controller product information
• hyperlinks to the motion controller software download site

There are buttons to Run/Stop the motion controller driver on this page.  There is a View button to display the motion controller product specifications.

This screen image shows the 3Dconnexion Page for a machine with the USB SpacePilot installed.