Working With Colors and Thresholds

Performance Meter uses colors and thresholds to help you differentiate between activity that you consider normal and activity that you consider exceptional. If a parameter exceeds a threshold value, the exceptional value is displayed using a different color. By default, values less than the default thresholds are displayed in blue and values exceeding the default thresholds are displayed in red.

The Setup dialog box enables you to change the colors and threshold values.

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Tip -

Be consistent in your use of colors: if red means "warning" for one parameter, then it should mean the same for the other.

If you do not know an appropriate threshold value for a parameter, consider using the same color for both "above" and "below" so that you are only monitoring activity.

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To Change Chart Colors

1. Choose Setup from the Options menu.

   Performance Meter displays the Setup dialog box. For each parameter, color selectors enable you to choose the colors for values above and values below the current threshold.

2. Press mouse button 1 on any of the color selectors and choose a new color.

3. Click Apply when you are satisfied with the changes you have made.

   Performance Meter applies the new colors to the display.

To Change the Threshold Value for a Parameter

1. Choose Setup from the Options menu.

   Performance Meter displays the Setup dialog box which contains a Threshold box for each parameter.

2. Type a new threshold value for the relevant parameter and click Apply.

   Values below the new threshold value are now displayed using the color selected for below, and values above this threshold value are now displayed in the color selected for above.

Table 18-1 Default Threshold Settings

Parameter	Default Threshold Value
CPU	50%
Load	2 per second
Disk	20 per second
Page	8 per second
Context	32 per second
Swap	2 per second
Interrupts	50 per second
Packets	16 per second
Collisions	2 per second
Errors	2 per second