You are required to monitor the performance of a multi-user networked operating system for a client.

Question

I. Develop and attach a monitoring strategy.​​​​​​​(4)








II. Identify system performance measurement criterions.​​​​​(5)









III. Assess performance and identify performance-limiting factors for the client.​​(8)













IV. Suggest recommended ways of improving performance.​​​​​(6)

Answer 1

I. Monitoring Strategy

1. Define Objectives: Start by identifying key objectives, such as ensuring system uptime, optimizing resource usage, and troubleshooting performance issues.

2. Choose Monitoring Tools: Select appropriate monitoring tools that can track system metrics. Tools such as Nagios, Zabbix, or SolarWinds can help monitor various elements of multi-user networked systems.

3. Establish Baselines: Collect baseline data to understand typical performance levels during different times (peak vs. off-peak), which will be essential for identifying anomalies later.

4. Regular Reporting and Alerts: Set up automated reporting to regularly summarize performance metrics and establish alerts for performance thresholds (CPU, memory usage, disk I/O) to notify the IT team of any issues in real time.

II. System Performance Measurement Criterions

1. CPU Utilization: Measure the percentage of CPU capacity being used, which integrates both user and system processes.

2. Memory Usage: Monitor total, used, and available memory, including swap space usage, to identify memory bottlenecks.

3. Disk I/O Performance: Track read/write speeds and queue lengths to assess the performance of disk storage systems.

4. Network Bandwidth and Latency: Measure the throughput of network connections and latency in data transmission for remote interactions and transactions.

5. Process and Thread Management: Evaluate the number of active processes, running threads, and any process conflicts or deadlocks, which can affect user experience.

III. Assess Performance and Identify Performance-Limiting Factors

1. High CPU Usage: Identify periods of unusually high CPU utilization which may indicate inefficient application processes or a need for resource allocation adjustment.

2. Memory Bottlenecks: Analyze memory metrics for any signs of excessive swapping or memory leaks that lead to slowdowns or crashes.

3. Disk Performance Issues: Look for long disk access times or high I/O wait times which can slow down application response and system performance.

4. Network Congestion: Assess network traffic to identify if bandwidth is being saturated, affecting user performance, especially for applications requiring real-time data exchange.

5. Resource Contention: Check for multiple processes competing for limited resources, which can lead to degraded performance, leading to slower process completion times.

6. Application Inefficiencies: Review application performance logs to identify poorly optimized applications or coding inefficiencies that consume excessive resources.

7. Configuration Issues: Evaluate system configuration settings that may be adversely affecting performance, such as inappropriate limits on open files or connections.

8. User Load Impact: Assess the impact of the current number of users on system performance, especially during peak usage times.

IV. Recommended Ways of Improving Performance

1. Upgrade Hardware Resources: Invest in better CPUs, additional memory, and faster disk systems (like SSDs) to accommodate increased loads and improve response times.

2. Optimize Application Code: Work with developers to optimize inefficient codes, perhaps through refactoring or using optimized libraries and algorithms to reduce CPU and memory usage.

3. Implement Load Balancing: Use load balancing techniques to distribute workloads evenly across servers, ensuring no single server becomes a performance bottleneck.

4. Increase Network Capacity: If network bandwidth is limited, consider upgrading the infrastructure or using technologies such as VLANs to segment traffic and relieve congestion.

5. Regular System Maintenance: Conduct regular maintenance tasks such as disk defragmentation (for HDDs), updating software, and clearing out unused applications or processes.

6. User Education and Management: Provide training for users on resource-heavy applications to optimize their use, ensuring they understand how to work efficiently within the system.

By applying the above strategies, assessment criterions, evaluations, and recommendations, system performance can be effectively monitored and improved, leading to a better experience for all users within the networked operating system.