Estimating Processor Requirements

With a baseline figure established in the usage analysis, you can then validate and refine that figure to account for scalability, high availability, reliability, and good performance:

Steps to Estimate Processor Requirements

1. Customize the Baseline Sizing Figures

2. Validate Baseline Sizing Figures

3. Refine Baseline Sizing Figures

4. Validate Your Final Figures

   The following sections describe these steps.

Customize the Baseline Sizing Figures

Establishing an appropriate sizing estimate for your Portal Server deployment is an iterative process. You might wish to change the inputs to generate a range of sizing results. Customizing your Portal Server deployment can greatly affect its performance.

After you have an estimate of your sizing, consider:

• LDAP Transaction Numbers

• Web Container Requirements

LDAP Transaction Numbers

Use the following LDAP transaction numbers for an out-of-the-box portal deployment to understand the impact of the service demand on the LDAP master and replicas. These numbers change once you begin customizing the system.These numbers are taken for the Developer Sample and include access manager work.

• Access to authless anonymous portal - 6 BINDS, 49 SRCH

• Login by using the Login channel - 1 BIND, 2 SRCH

• Removing a channel from the Portal Desktop - 14 SRCH, 2MOD

• Reloading the Portal Desktop - 0 ops

Web Container Requirements

One of the primary uses of Portal Server installed on an web container is to integrate portal providers J2EE technology stack constructs, such as Enterprise JavaBeans^TM in the case of the application server or things like Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) and LDAP (LDAPSDK) connectivity. These other applications and modules can consume resources and affect your portal sizing. It is best to use connection pooling and jndi tooling available through the web container.

Validate Baseline Sizing Figures

Now that you have an estimate of the number of CPUs for your portal deployment, use a trial deployment to measure the performance of the portal. Use load balancing and stress tests to determine:

• Throughput, the amount of data processed in a specified amount of time

• Latency, the period of time that one component is waiting for another component

• Maximum number of concurrent sessions

Portal samples are provided with the Portal Server. You can use them, with channels similar to the ones you will use, to create a load on the system. The samples are located on the Portal Desktop.

Use a trial deployment to determine your final sizing estimates. A trial deployment helps you to size back-end integration to avoid potential bottlenecks with Portal Server operations.

Refine Baseline Sizing Figures

Your next step is to refine your sizing figure. In this section, you build in the appropriate amount of headroom so that you can deploy a portal site that features scalability, high availability, reliability and good performance.

Because your baseline sizing figure is based on so many estimates, do not use this figure without refining it.

When you refine your baseline sizing figure:

• Use your baseline sizing figure as a reference point.

• Expect variations from your baseline sizing figure.

• Learn from the experience of others.

• Use your own judgement and knowledge.

• Examine other factors in your deployment.

  If the Portal Server deployment involves multiple data centers on several continents and even traffic, you need a higher final sizing figure than if you have two single data centers on one continent with heavy traffic.

• Plan for changes.

  A portal site is likely to experience various changes after you launch it. Changes you might encounter include the following:

  • An increase in the number of channels

  • Growth in the user base

  • Modification of the portal site’s purpose

  • Changes in security needs

  • Power failures

  • Maintenance demands

    Considering these factors enables you to develop a sizing figure that is flexible and enables you to avoid risk when your assumptions regarding your portal change following deployment.

    The resulting figure ensures that your portal site has:

  • Scalability high availability, reliability and high performance

  • Room for whatever you want to provide

  • Flexibility for adjusting to changes

Validate Your Final Figures

Use a trial deployment to verify that the portal deployment satisfies your business and technical requirements.