1. Performance Tuning
  2. Hardware- and Network-Related Issues

Hardware- and Network-Related Issues

This help topic describes common hardware- and network- related issues.

Client

After a response has been received from OpenAir, your computer needs to parse and display the page. If you experience any of the following, your hardware may not be able to process the response and you may need to upgrade some or all of your hardware components:

  • Your hard disk is making loud noise while loading the page

  • Your hard disk is silent, but pages take a long time to load

  • Your computer’s temperature is higher than normal when working within OpenAir, or your computer’s fans sound like they are working harder to control the temperature

Possible upgrades to boost your computer’s performance include:

  • Faster processor

  • More memory

  • Faster hard disk

  • Faster graphics card

For information about identifying client-related issues, see Identifying Client Performance Issues.

Note:

Running other applications on your computer at the same time as accessing OpenAir may result in a noticeable reduction in performance.

You should refer to your computer documentation or IT Helpdesk for details on tuning your computer.

Web Browser

Your web browser is a critical component in working with OpenAir. The selection and correct configuration of your web browser will have a major influence on the performance and user experience with OpenAir.

  • Use the newest version of your browser — For information about supported browsers, see General Security Principles.

  • Use a minimum screen resolution of 1280px x 800px for the best experience

  • Remove any unnecessary extensions and plugins.

  • Avoid excessive use of tabs.

  • Caching — Ensure the browser checks for newer versions of the cached pages automatically.

  • Cache size — Set the cache size to a high value (250MB, for example).

    • To increase the cache size for Google Chrome, you can append -disk-cache-size-<size in bytes> to the Shortcut Target value in the Properties for the Google Chrome shortcut.

    • To increase the cache size for Firefox, you can change the configuration settings browser.cache.disk.max_entry_size and browser.cache.disk.capacity on the browser configuration. Enter about:config in the address bar and accept the warning to access the configuration page.

  • Safe Browsing — Most supported browsers let users select a Safe Browsing protection level. Never turn Safe Browsing off. If you use an enhanced protection level, you may need to enter the URL for your OpenAir account in the list of allowed sites.

  • Popups — If popups are blocked, ensure you add an exception for OpenAir. Use the URL for your OpenAir account.

For information about identifying client-related issues, see Identifying Client Performance Issues.

Clearing Browser Cache

Sometimes you may experience temporary performance issues due to the contents of your browser cache (temporary internet files).

If you have never cleared cache before, it may take five minutes or longer. Subsequent attempts to clear cache should take less than one minute if done on a regular basis. You may want to clear cache whenever you notice slow performance while working in OpenAir.

For detailed instructions on how to clear your browser cache, visit https://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser%27s-Cache.

Internet Connection and Setup

The speed of your Internet connection is a significant factor for performance. The faster the connection the better.

The smaller the volume of data you need to exchange with OpenAir the faster will be the response. See Volume of data transferred.

Tip:

Be aware that other applications running on your computer can also use your Internet connection and impact performance.

For information about troubleshooting Internet connection problems, see Using a Trace Route.

Firewalls

A firewall is generally set up to protect your network or computer from unwanted Internet traffic. The primary function of a firewall is to let good traffic pass through while bad traffic is blocked. If your company uses a firewall to monitor Internet traffic, your network administrator may need to modify the firewall to use OpenAir successfully.

If you are experiencing performance issues, pages that load slowly, or frequent time-outs, try accessing OpenAir from a location outside of the firewall. If you determine that the firewall may be a problem, contact your network administrator.

Proxy Servers

You should not use a proxy server with OpenAir.

When your company uses a proxy server for Internet traffic, and you visit a Web page from your work station, a request is sent to the proxy server for that page. The proxy server retrieves the page from the Internet and forwards the page to your computer. The page is then cached, or saved, on the proxy server's disk drive for future use. For subsequent requests of the same page, the proxy server returns the cached version of the page stored on its drive instead of accessing a current version of the page from the Internet.

Cached pages returned by a proxy server can cause problems when using OpenAir, because you need to view accurate and up to date information about your company, but the proxy server shows cached pages with stale data.

Volume of data transferred

Reducing the volume of data requested from OpenAir will have a dramatic affect on performance. Filter Sets are the primary means of limiting data. You should also be aware of drop-down lists containing thousands of entries. Several large drop-down lists on a page will have a noticeable impact on performance.

For specific scenarios and best practice guidelines, see Performance Issue Scenarios and Best Practice Guidelines.

Tip:

Rather than navigating through a series of forms, use the global create list to get straight to the form you need.

Amount of processing required

Reducing the amount of processing required by OpenAir will also improve performance. You can, for example, batch a set of API requests into a single request, avoid creating excessive processing load from frequently running reports, or avoid creating complex dashboard displays.

Tip:

If you discover that a report takes a long time to return results, you can schedule the report to run during a quieter period and to automatically send the report by email to yourself (and other recipients).

For specific scenarios and best practice guidelines, see Performance Issue Scenarios and Best Practice Guidelines.