SGI^® Altix^® Performance Evaluation and Tuning I

This course provides the system administrator with methodologies and tools to evaluate system performance and recommend solutions. Students will learn to use Performance Co-Pilot™ and accounting to identify applications that may have performance problems. Students will then profile these applications to evaluate common code problems such as cache thrashing or false cache sharing.

Topics Covered

• Hardware overview
• Software overview
• Establish your metrics
• Instrument the system
• Performance analysis
• Live monitoring tools
• Get a baseline
• Modules environment
• Application profiling
• Multithreading
• Application memory profiling
• NUMA tools
• Profiling system time
• Application IO

Skills Addressed

• Use hinv and xscsi commands to determine hardware
• Use chkconfig, sysctl, rpm and XFS tools to determine software configuration
• Use a methodology to determine metrics needed
• Instrument the system using Performanc Co-Pilot™, sar and accounting
• Use PCP/accounting data collected to get a baseline performance
• Explain performance evaluation techniques
• Use live monitoring tools to monitor the system
• Use Intel® compiler options to improve code
• Use pfmon, profile.pl, histx to profile the application
• Use Intel compiler OPENMP to multithread an application
• Use SGI's Message Passing Toolkit mpirun
• Profile with ps and dlook and explain application memory use
• Profile with strace and explain application system time
• Profile with strace and explain application I/O characteristics

Target Audience

Experienced system administrators who have knowledge of Linux functionality and have at least six months experience with the Linux operating system

Prerequisites

Students should have completed the following courses:

• Linux® System Administration or Red Hat Certification (RHCE)
• SGI® Altix® 3000 Family Systems Administration
• Origin® Family Performance Evaluation and Tuning

Class Hours

Class starts at 9:00 AM. The course dates and times will be included in the confirmation notice you receive from SGI after you register.

Accreditation

This course is part of the Accreditation for Continued Excellence (ACE) program. An optional ACE examination is offered during the afternoon of the last day of class. The examination period follows the completion of the standard coursework.

There is no additional charge to take this examination on the last day of class. If you wait to take the examination at a later time, an examination charge will be accessed per the conditions of the ACE program.

If you plan to take the examination on the last day of class, ensure that your travel arrangements allow for up to two (2) hours in the afternoon to complete the examination.