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Conference orarep::nomahs::dectrace_v20

Title:DECtrace V2.0 and All-in-1 Perf Rpts conf.
Notice:Kits+Doc, 2 | Patches, 3
Moderator:OMYGOD::LAVASH
Created:Mon Apr 26 1993
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:467
Total number of notes:2058

441.0. "CPU time is bigger than lapsed time!" by ORAREP::JRFVAX::HODGES () Tue Feb 11 1997 19:46

    I have used TRACE (fairly successfully, I think!) to tune multiple
    databases.  I use the BLR_TO_SQL converter and then create some views
    and run a SQL statement and I get the top N users of CPU time or lapsed
    time or direct i/o or whatever!  (I didn't figure this out on my own -
    one of the mission-critical-engineering guys did all the real work!) 
    So I have a lot of confidence in both the technique and the code.
    
    However last week I saw one data point that came out very strange.  I
    was sorting by lapsed time and this wasn't the biggest user but maybe
    #5 or 6 on the list.  The lapsed time was 1 min 2.46 seconds but the
    CPU time was 113 seconds, which is more than the lapsed time.  I don't
    recall ever seeing this before and it was only this one datapoint out
    of hundreds that I looked at.  
    
    I looked and looked at this trying to see something that I was missing 
    and I can't; it really looks like an error of some sort.  The base
    collection was only 30 minutes and the display can show up to 99 hours
    of lapsed time so I don't think the lapsed time field "overflowed" or
    anything like that.
    
    I know there's not much concrete here to go on, but I wondered if
    anyone else has seen any discrepancies in the data using whatever
    reporting methods they use.
    
    Trace version is 2.2; Rdb version is 6.1-02 for the database running on
    Alpha VMS 6.2.
    
    Thanks,
    Mary Ann
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441.1CPU time and Lapsed time not calculated equallyOOTOOL::CRAIGWed Feb 12 1997 15:1529
	Hi Mary Ann,

	Nice to hear from you.

	I remember having a discussion with George about
	this issue before. I don't remember all of the
	details, so if I'm way off base George will fill
	us in when he gets back to the office next week.

	One time is larger because it includes time periods
	which aren't included in the other calculated time.

	Some examples that I can think of include:
	time waiting for connections to databases, time
	waiting for record retrieval when there is contention,
	system overhead, etc. that 

	The time difference can be exaggerated if the priority
	of the process trying to connect is lower than some
	other process running at the same time.

	Let me know if you need more specifics. That's the
	best I can remember right now. Hope it sheds some light
	on the differences.

	Take care,
	Sheri	

	
441.2CPU is BIGGER than LAPSED!ORAREP::JRFVAX::HODGESThu Feb 13 1997 15:1512
    Hi Sherri (and Richard and George and others!)  B-)
    
    Yep, I'm still here!
    
    I don't think that explanation applies here.  What I saw in this one
    instance was that the lapsed time, which I've always believed includes
    CPU & lock stalls and all that other 'stuff' being done on my behalf,
    was actually smaller than the CPU time!  Lapsed time was 1 minute & 2
    seconds while CPU time was 113 seconds which works out to 1 minute and
    53 seconds!!!
    
    Mary Ann
441.3base what?OOTOOL::LAVASHSame as it ever was...Tue Feb 18 1997 11:466
    CPU time is stored in ticks which are I beleive are tens of milliseconds
    does your reporting program translate that into seconds???

    If not your comparing apples to truckloads of apples.

    George
441.4did anybody get the license number of that truck?ORAREP::ODIXIE::HODGESThu Mar 06 1997 01:317
    Well, this week I feel like I've been hit by a truckload of apples!
    
    I'll try to find time to check the code.
    
    Thanks for the pointer!
    
    Mary Ann