Prehistory of SEDS: Virtual CMG'90 Trip Report about Control Chart Usage. Part 1.

Using the key word "Control Chart" I have found in the www.CMG.org knowledge base a few very old CMG papers with some discussions about using classical SPC approach against computer performance data.

Here is the first one:

 Fine-Grain Analysis (FGA): A Methodology for Analyzing Intermittent Performance Problems
  By Robert Berry & Jeffrey Hedglin 

 

The paper describes what Mainframe metrics are good to use for Control Charting. They should be two types - a. Performance Quality Measure - sounds like modern KPI... (e.g. response time);  b. System performance metrics (e.g. CPU queue length). Then the paper describes how the intermittent problem could be detected just by plotting SPC Control Charts for both type of metrics in sync (correlated).

I use that approach a lot now, but using MASF type of Control chart and specifically my IT-Control Charts.  BTW I am writing now my next CMG paper and plan to add there a couple very persuasive  examples of correlated IT-Control Charts, such as, number of concurrent user LOGONS vs. number of Ph. CPUs used by LPARS on some p770 AIX frame....

To be continued....