Tuning Hardware, Operating System, and Network Performance

 

The following sections describe issues related to optimizing hardware, operating system, and network performance:

• Hardware Tuning

• Operating System Tuning

• Network Performance

Hardware Tuning

When you examine performance, consider your hardware capacity and configuration first. BEA certifies WebLogic Server on multiple hardware platforms. BEA only certifies platforms that pass rigorous internal testing. Table 1-1 presents links to further information about hardware tuning.

Table 1-1 Hardware Considerations 

Issue	For more information
Platform Support Page	The Platform Support page is frequently updated and contains the latest certification information on various platforms. Check this page often for the most current platform information.
Solaris	For BEA WebLogic Server and Solaris-specific details, see "Sun Microsystems Solaris on SPARC" on the Platform Support page. See also Sun Microsystems Information.
Hewlett Packard	For BEA WebLogic Server and HP-UX-specific details, see "WebLogic HP-UX Platform Support" on the Platform Support page See also Hewlett-Packard Company Information.
Standardized benchmarks and metrics	The Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation provides a set of standardized benchmarks and metrics for evaluating computer system performance.

Operating System Tuning

Tune your operating system according to your operating system documentation. BEA certifies WebLogic Server on multiple operating systems. Table 1-2 presents links to further information about operating system tuning.

Table 1-2 Operating System Considerations 

Issue	For more information
Platform Support Page	The Platform Support page is frequently updated and contains the latest certification information on various platforms. Check this page often for the most current operating system information.
File descriptors	On the UNIX platform, each socket connection to the server consumes a file descriptor. You need to configure your operating system to have the appropriate number of file descriptors. See "Tuning Solaris File Descriptor Limits" on the "Sun Microsystems Solaris on SPARC" Platform Support page.
Solaris TCP tuning parameters	See "Setting Solaris Tunable Parameters" on the "Sun Microsystems Solaris on SPARC" Platform Support page.
Maximum memory for a user process	Check your operating system documentation for the maximum memory available for a user process. In some operating systems, this value is as low as 128 MB. For more information, see your operating system documentation.
Using native I/O for serving static files (Windows only)	When running WebLogic Server on Windows NT/2000 you can specify that WebLogic Server use the native operating system call TransmitFile instead of using Java methods to serve static files such as HTML files, text files, and image files. Using native I/O can provide performance improvements when serving larger static files. See "Using Native I/O for Serving Static Files" in the BEA WebLogic Server Administration Guide for more information.

Network Performance

Network performance is affected when the supply of resources is unable to keep up with the demand for resources. Table 1-3 presents some issues to consider.

Table 1-3 Network Configuration Considerations 

Issue	Consideration
Network hardware and software	If you have a problem with one or more network components (hardware or software), you must isolate and eliminate the problem. For more information, see your network administrator.
Network bandwidth	You must have an appropriate amount of network bandwidth available for WebLogic Server and the connections it makes to other tiers in your architecture, such as client and database connections. For more information, see your network administrator.
LAN infrastructure	If you have high network traffic that consistently exceeds the capacity of the available resources (for example, the hit rate on a Web server has reached its maximum value while the system is 100 percent busy), you must either: redesign the network and redistribute the load, reduce the number of network clients, or increase the number of systems handling the network load. For more information, see your network administrator.