Many IT Managers will be familiar with the ‘disk or die’ ultimatums that a disgruntled system can issue. If the system demands feeding and threatens to shut down if it doesn’t get more disk to chew, it’s time to address the issue of disk once and for all. The expense of using disk to accommodate problems in the hope of buying extra investigation time is a quick fix that few organizations can sustain.
Disk Monitoring
Pay Now or Pay Later? Why Real-Time Disk
Monitoring is Money in the Bank for IBM
System i ManagersDisk Monitoring - Calculating the Real Cost of Disk
Many IT Managers will be familiar with the 'disk or die' ultimatums that a disgruntledsystem can issue. If the system demands feeding and threatens to shut down if itdoesn't get more disk to chew, it's time to address the issue of disk once and for all.The expense of using disk to accommodate problems in the hope of buying extrainvestigation time is a quick fix that few organizations can sustain. If you've been heldhostage to the system's insatiable appetite and are looking for alternative solutions tosoothe the savage beast, look no further than your approach to disk monitoring.
Hungry Systems with Expensive Tastes
Whilst disk problems are not unique and could strike at any moment, they don't strikewithout good reason. Without knowing what the reasons are, Managers are forced tomake difficult and expensive disk decisions that could create a big dent in their annualbudget at the expense of other critical projects. What's more, if problems that affectdisk are left unattended, they can escalate quickly and impact many other areas ofsystem performance so Managers are under even more pressure to now solve anumber of issues requiring immediate attention. With no solution to pinpoint thecause, Operators may not know where to begin investigations as there is no apparentchain of events with a root cause evident, only the combined results of multipleproblems.
The goal is not to make less use of DASD, after all, it exists to be used, but rather toensure that all use is best use. If any unnecessary or wasteful use is suspected, theorganization responsible must view this as an unnecessary expense. Catchinginstances of runaway DASD immediately and being able to isolate the problem thatcaused it for fast resolution are the main objectives of effective disk monitoring. Thecompany that can do this can put an end to their system's expensive taste for disk.
Available AvailableDASD DASD Space ProblemsSpace ImpactingDASD What causedconsume all these problemsProblems available and why wereImpacting Space they not detectedDASD earlier?TOTALProblems SYSTEMImpacting FAILUREDASD1.27pm 2.03pm 2.17pm
Calculating the Cost
Potential problems with any system object be it a file, data queue, ASP or spooled filecould trigger a situation that will impact DASD resource. The most common are listedbelow and left unattended, could have the greatest impact on the system. Any solution2for monitoring disk should pay particular attention to these areas and alert Managersto any change in their individual size, collective quantity, percentage statistics orstatus in real-time if they are to minimize impact on disk usage. Doing so will not onlyput Operators in a pro-active position to manage and respond to DASD threatsgenerally but will also safeguard against the unnecessary expense of avoidable DASDusage.? Journal Receivers? Temporary Storage? ASP? Important Files? Looping Jobs
Case Study
Company X is a large Facilities Management organization. They are servicing threeimportant, different customers on an i5 550 that are experiencing a number ofproblems that are impacting disk. The cost of purchasing more disk is an option butwould greatly impact their profit for these customer accounts and would not resolvethe problems long-term. Their Service Level Agreements are below target for twoconsecutive months on all three accounts and they face stiff financial penalties as aresult. They are struggling to resolve the underlying issues as they are only aware ofthe result of the problems in the form of escalating DASD use. The table below revealsthe true cost that a lack of effective disk monitoring is costing them.
Problem Area Impact Frequency CostJournal Average Customer A: x 1 ? Total Penalty charges forReceivers Avoidable sub-standard SLA terms =DASD Usage: Customer B: x 1 $1,000? Proportional DASD Costs =$85815GB* Customer C: x 2 ? Staff Resource toinvestigate issue =$360
Temporary Average Customer A: x 5 ? Total Penalty charges forStorage Avoidable sub-standard SLA terms =DASD Usage: Customer B: x 3 $2,500? Proportional DASD Costs =$1,2879GB* Customer C: x 2 ? Staff Resource toinvestigate issue =$1,200ASP Average Customer A: x 1 ? Total Penalty charges forAvoidable sub-standard SLA terms =DASD Usage: Cus... [download for more]
