Method and apparatus for dynamically sampling digital counters to improve statistical accuracy
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsAndrew J. Rindos, III, Steven P. Woolet
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Abstract
An improved data collection method and apparatus wherein the data is accumulated in groups of storage means as the data is generated, and the data in each group of storage means is transferred to another store at a rate that is determined at least in part by the rate at which data was accumulated. In the event that data is generated faster than it is being transferred, data is not lost but data granularity is reduced. After being transferred to another store, the data is available for statistical analysis by application programs.
Claims21
Apparatus for collecting data on performance of operations by a computer system operating at an operation rate, said apparatus comprising:
- a group of data storage means for accumulating performance information concerning the performance of operations by the computer system;
- means for placing said performance information in selected ones of said data storage means at the operation rate of the computer system;
- means for transferring said performance information accumulated in said group of storage means to a processing storage means at a sampling rate which is a function of the operation rate at which said performance information is being placed in said group of storage means;
- and
- said processing storage means for storing said performance information for later processing.
A method for sampling data on transaction processing by a computer system comprising the steps of:
- loading processing information concerning a transaction of the computer system in selected storage devices of a group of data storage devices at a transaction rate which is related to transaction .processing by the computer system;
- and
- unloading said processing information accumulated in said group of storage devices at a sampling rate which is a function of the number of times that information is being placed in said group of storage devices by said loading step.
A storage medium storing a computer process for sampling information from a group of data storage locations at a rate which is a function of the number of times that information is being placed in said group of storage locations, said process comprising the computer implemented steps of:
- calculating a value R which is the product of a previous time period and the ratio of a desired number of times n that information is to be placed in said group of storage means over said number of times that information is being placed in said group of storage means;
- waiting for said time period R after transferring said information before again transferring information;
- delaying said transfer for a period of time Tmax when said R is greater than said Tmax;
- delaying said transfer for a period of time Tmin when said R is less than said Tmin;
- and
- delaying said transfer for a period of time of said R minus a predetermined value delta1 when said ratio is less than the integer of one but said R plus said delta1 is greater than said Tmin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.