Foglight for SQL Server

Transcription

1 Foglight for SQL Server Managing SQL Server Database Systems

2 2011 Quest Software, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright. The software described in this guide is furnished under a software license or nondisclosure agreement. This software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the applicable agreement. No part of this guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for any purpose other than the purchaser s personal use without the written permission of Quest Software, Inc. The information in this document is provided in connection with Quest products. No license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual property right is granted by this document or in connection with the sale of Quest products. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN QUEST'S TERMS AND CONDITIONS AS SPECIFIED IN THE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR THIS PRODUCT, QUEST ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER AND DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTY RELATING TO ITS PRODUCTS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL QUEST BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION OR LOSS OF INFORMATION) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS DOCUMENT, EVEN IF QUEST HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Quest makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and reserves the right to make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time without notice. Quest does not make any commitment to update the information contained in this document. If you have any questions regarding your potential use of this material, contact: Quest Software World Headquarters LEGAL Dept 5 Polaris Way Aliso Viejo, CA legal@quest.com Refer to our Web site for regional and international office information. Trademarks Quest, Quest Software, the Quest Software logo, Foglight, IntelliProfile, PerformaSure, Spotlight, StealthCollect, TOAD, Tag and Follow, Vintela Single Sign-on for Java, and vfoglight are trademarks and registered trademarks of Quest Software, Inc in the United States of America and other countries. For a complete list of Quest Software s trademarks, please see Other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. Third Party Contributions Foglight contains some third party components. For a complete list, see the License Credits page in Foglight online help. January 2011 Version 5.5.8

3 Table of Contents Introduction to this Guide...9 About Quest Software, Inc Contacting Quest Software Contacting Quest Support Upgrading to the Current Version...11 Overview Running the Upgrade Wizard The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage...17 Reviewing the Databases Dashboard Currently Selected Group Selecting the Instance to be Monitored Filtering the Display by Severity Creating Custom Database Groups Previewing the Requested Database Components Shared by all Foglight for SQL Server Screens Viewing the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage Identifying the Instance Tracking the Instance Data Flow Monitoring Background Processes Monitoring Alarms Reviewing the Connection to StealthCollect Adding and Configuring Agents...47 Studying the Foglight for SQL Server Architecture Running the Database Discovery Wizard... 49

4 4 Foglight for SQL Server Monitoring SQL Server in a Clustered Environment Carrying Out the Automatic Discovery Process Discovering Instances by Host Name Adding Instances Manually Discovering Instances by IP Range Importing Instances from a File Configuring StealthCollect Reviewing Memory Usage Viewing the Memory Summary Monitoring the Memory Areas Utilization Monitoring the Hit Rates for the Main SQL Server Caches Monitoring Memory Allocation to the Cache Memories Monitoring Buffer Cache-related Data Reviewing the Top-consuming Objects of the Buffer Cache Tracking the Page Allocation Monitoring the Buffer Cache Hit Rates Monitoring Procedure Cache-related Data Reviewing Object Types Monitoring the Procedure Cache Tracking Memory Allocation to the Procedure Cache by Object Type Reviewing Statistics About Procedure Cache Objects Reviewing SQL Activity Viewing In-depth Data about the Instance Reviewing the SQL Server Instance Activity Viewing SQL I/O Activity Data Viewing Detailed Sessions Data Tracking Top SQL Statements Data Viewing Wait Statistics Monitoring Locks and Latches Tracking Current Lock Conflicts Tracking Historical Lock Conflicts Tracking Deadlocks and their Affected Objects Viewing I/O Statistics by Database Files

5 Table of Contents 5 Reviewing Database Usage Monitoring SQL Server Databases Overview Transactions Backup Status Properties Monitoring Database Details Monitoring Database Space and History Monitoring File Groups in the Selected Databases Monitoring Data Files Monitoring Transaction Logs in the Selected Databases Monitoring Log Files Monitoring Tables Monitoring Indexes Monitoring Disk Space Reviewing the Support Services Reviewing the Support Service Status Monitoring the Status of the Current Services Tracking the Service Status History Reviewing SQL Agent Jobs Tracking the SQL Agent Jobs Tracking Job Execution Messages Viewing the SQL Agent Jobs History Viewing SQL Agent Alerts Tracking SQL Agent Alerts Tracking Recent Alert Occurrences Monitoring Cluster Services Monitoring the State of the Current Microsoft Cluster Server Monitoring the Log Shipping Tracking the Performance of Servers used in Log Shipping Viewing the Log Shipping Details Tracking the Status of the Mirroring Operation Mirroring Table Viewing the Role and Data Flow of the Selected Database...169

6 6 Foglight for SQL Server Viewing the Selected Database s Mirroring Performance History Viewing the Partner s Mirroring Page Monitoring SQL Server Transactions via the DTC Panel Monitoring Full-text Indexes via the Full Text Search Panel Using the SQL Error Log Drilldown Reviewing the SQL Server Error Logs Reviewing the SQL Agent Error Logs Reviewing the Foglight Agent Error Logs Reviewing Configuration Settings Reviewing SQL Server Configuration Viewing the Server Property Values Viewing the SQL Server Configuration Options Viewing User Metrics Viewing User-Defined SQL Metrics Viewing User-Defined Performance Counters Viewing User-Defined Collections Using the Global Administration Options Reviewing the Global Administration Settings Defining Connection Details Defining the Connection Settings for the Monitored Instances Defining Data Collection and Storage Options Defining Alarms Reviewing all Existing Alarms Viewing and Editing the Alarm Settings Configuring Alarm-triggered Notifications Configuring Foglight Mail Server Defining Error Log Filtering Setting User-Defined Metrics Configuring Performance Counters Setting Options for Displaying Data in the Buffer Cache Setting Options for Displaying Data in the Sessions Panel Setting Options for Displaying Data in the Procedure Cache...213

7 Table of Contents 7 Setting Options for Displaying Data in the Locks Panel Defining Retention Policies Defining the Collection and Display of Top SQL Statements Defining the Collection of Database Indexes Defining the Collection of Database Tables Configuring the Connection to StealthCollect Configuring User-defined Collections Configuring the On-demand Data Port Reviewing Foglight for SQL Server Alarms Alarms Displayed in the Sessions Pane Response Time Alarm Packet Errors Alarm Alarms Displayed in the SQL Processes Panel Blocking Alarm Deadlocks Alarm Recompiles Alarm Error Log Alarm Alarms Displayed in the SQL Memory Panel Buffer Cache Hit Ratio Alarm Free Buffers Alarm Page Life Expectancy Alarm Procedure Cache Hit Ratio Alarm Alarms Displayed in the Background Processes Panel Cluster Server Down Alarm Log Shipping Alarm Non-preferred Cluster Node Alarm SQL Agent Alerts Alarm SQL Agent Job Failure Alarm SQL Server I/O Errors Per Second Alarm Support Services Alarm Table Lock Escalation Alarm Alarms Displayed in the Disk Storage Panel Recent Backups Alarm Database Unavailable Alarm...241

8 8 Foglight for SQL Server Dynamic Data File Growth Remaining Alarm Fixed Data File Space Used Alarm Log Flush Wait Time Alarm Disk Queue Length Alarm Generating Reports Generating Reports for a Foglight for SQL Server Instance Studying the Various Reports Glossary Index

9 1 Introduction to this Guide The Foglight for SQL Server provides configuration instructions, conceptual information and instructions on how to use the Foglight for SQL Server cartridge. This guide is intended for SQL Server database administrators.

10 10 Foglight for SQL Server About Quest Software, Inc. Quest Software simplifies and reduces the cost of managing IT for more than 100,000 customers worldwide. Our innovative solutions make solving the toughest IT management problems easier, enabling customers to save time and money across physical, virtual and cloud environments. For more information about Quest go to Contacting Quest Software Mail Web site Quest Software, Inc. World Headquarters 5 Polaris Way Aliso Viejo, CA USA Refer to our Web site for regional and international office information. Contacting Quest Support Quest Support is available to customers who have a trial version of a Quest product or who have purchased a Quest product and have a valid maintenance contract. Quest Support provides unlimited 24x7 access to SupportLink, our self-service portal. Visit SupportLink at From SupportLink, you can do the following: Retrieve thousands of solutions from our online Knowledgebase Download the latest releases and service packs Create, update and review Support cases View the Global Support Guide for a detailed explanation of support programs, online services, contact information, policies and procedures. The guide is available at: support.quest.com.

11 2 Upgrading to the Current Version Starting to work with a Foglight for SQL Server instance requires upgrading to the current version both the instance and the Foglight Agent Manager that runs the instance. This chapter contains instructions for using the upgrade wizard. Important Foglight for SQL Server does not support the upgrade method of placing the new version under the folder FGLHOME/upgrade/cartridge folder. Important If upgrading to the current version of Foglight for SQL Server in a Federation architecture, the upgrade should be applied first to the federated database servers and then to the Federation Server. If the Federation Server is upgraded first, this server will display incorrect information regarding the number of instances being monitored, as reported under the Status Summary section. All the same, this information will be displayed correctly on the federated databases.

12 12 Foglight for SQL Server Overview Any upgrade of Foglight for SQL Server to the latest version, which is not met by similar upgrade of the database cartridge components, is detected upon opening the Databases dashboard, when the upgrade wizard starts automatically. Figure 1 Selecting the check box at the bottom left of the screen prevents this wizard from appearing when entering the Databases dashboard. Nevertheless, if several database cartridge components still require upgrade, the need to upgrade them is indicated in the dashboard. The indication is evident both in the caption Upgrade required, which is displayed in red to the right of the requested instance, and in the button Upgrade now, which appears only if upgrade is required. Note Even though instances whose components need to be upgraded appear in the Databases table, such instances cannot be accessed by clicking them, until they have been fully upgraded.

13 Upgrading to the Current Version 13 Running the Upgrade Wizard Figure 2 Running the Upgrade Wizard To upgrade the requested instances: 1 Click Upgrade now. The screen that appears now is the same screen that appears by default upon entering the Databases dashboard when one or more database cartridge components require upgrading. While the need for upgrade is indicated for both Foglight for Oracle and Foglight for SQL Server, the upgrade is carried out separately for each database cartridge type. 2 Select which type of database cartridge to upgrade by clicking the Database cartridge s name. 3 Use the following screen to select which Foglight Agent Managers and Foglight for SQL Server versions are to be upgraded.

14 14 Foglight for SQL Server Note The Other Agents column in the table indicates whether the specified Foglight Agent Manager runs agents of other cartridge types. If a value is displayed in this column, go to Dashboards > Administration > Agents > Agent Status to view which other agents run under the specified Foglight Agent Manager. If the other agents appear in the list below, upgrading Foglight Agent Manager to the latest version is safe. For agents of any other cartridge type, consult the documentation of the respective cartridge types. DB_SQL_Server DB_Oracle DB_Oracle_RAC DB_Oracle_RAC_Instance DB_Auto_Discovery 4 Click the button Upgrade the selected Foglight Agent Managers. A progress bar appears. 5 After the upgrade is complete, click Next. The following screen is used for granting privileges to the users that were previously used for monitoring the instances shown in the table.

15 Upgrading to the Current Version 15 Running the Upgrade Wizard For further details and instructions regarding the functionality provided via this screen, see Defining the Connection Settings for the Monitored Instances on page 189.

16 16 Foglight for SQL Server

17 3 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage The Foglight for SQL Server Instance home page provides a quick and intuitive representation of SQL Server instance architecture and activity. Using this home page allows efficient, real-time diagnosis and resolution of SQL Server operation and performance issues. The homepage comprises several panes, each of them relating to areas of the SQL Server's architecture through performance metrics. These panes are connected by a series of graphical flows that represent the logical process flows between the areas of SQL Server's architecture. The various graphical elements and metrics change color as their values move through a range of thresholds, and the data flows' values are updated in real time to illustrate the rate at which data is moving through the system.

18 18 Foglight for SQL Server Reviewing the Databases Dashboard Note The following section describes the various components of the Databases dashboard. To learn how to customize this dashboard s display and focus on a requested instance, see Selecting the Instance to be Monitored on page 21. The Foglight for SQL Server Instance homepage is launched via the Databases dashboard. To access the Databases dashboard: 1 Ensure that the navigation panel on the left is open. To open the navigation panel, click the right-facing arrow on the left. 2 On the navigation panel, click Homes > Databases. The Databases dashboard provides an at-a-glance view of the monitored environment, with all of the currently monitored database types. Status summary chart Database cartridge type tiles Additional operations section Status indicators (database-specific health Currently selected database group table The Databases dashboard comprises the sections listed below. Advanced operations section includes the following buttons: Figure 1

19 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage 19 Reviewing the Databases Dashboard Discover more databases allows adding instances to be monitored, as well as configuring the connection to StealthCollect (if Performance Analysis is installed). For details, see Chapter 4, Adding and Configuring Agents, on page 47. Administer Agents after selecting one or more instances of the same database type, allows setting options for collecting, storing, and displaying data for the selected instances. For details, see Chapter 12, Using the Global Administration Options. Database cartridge type tiles each tile represents a database type (SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, DB2, or All) and displays the number of instances for each database type, along with a breakdown according to the instance health state severity (Normal, Warning, Critical, Fatal). Status section includes the following components: Status summary a color-coded bar, which provides a visual representation of the summarized health condition of all databases listed in the Database Group table. The status summary bar provides a graphic representation of the monitored environment s current state, broken down to the number of instances and their current health state: Fatal, Critical, Warning, Normal or Unknown. Database-specific health summary when the database group All is selected, this section displays all of the currently monitored instances for each database type, divided by their health state (for example: four SQL Server instances, three of which have the health state Warning and one is indicated with the health state Fatal). When a user-defined database group is selected, this section displays data only about the agents included within the selected group. The Status Indicators section can be used for filtering the Databases Group table to display only instances that meet a criterion set in this section. For details, see Filtering the Display by Severity on page 22.Currently selected database group table a list of all monitored databases within the database group that is currently selected in the Databases section. Currently Selected Group This Databases table displays the group that is currently selected from the available database groups under the Databases section of the navigation pane. The Databases table columns are as follows:

20 20 Foglight for SQL Server Name Description Database Sev Name Version Up Since Workload Alarms The SQL Server instance s highest severity alarm, which determines the instance s health state. The name of the SQL Server instance. The version number of the SQL Server instance. The date and time when the SQL Server instance was last restarted. A dwell that displays the workload chart for the SQL Server instance. The number of warning, critical, and fatal alarms for the instance. The dwell shows the most recent alarms invoked for the specific instance displayed in the row. The alarms are displayed by their severity levels, with the aggregated number for each severity. To view a detailed list of the alarms invoked for the specific instance, click any of the alarm icons displayed. The dialog box Outstanding Alarms appears, allowing to browse through the alarms. See the Foglight Online Help, Monitoring System-Wide Alarms for details on the alarm information. System Utilization Host CPU (%) Memory (%) Disk (% Busy) The name of the computer that hosts the SQL Server instance. The overall operating system CPU usage (including SQL Server). The amount of memory consumed by all operating system processes (including SQL Server), including both RAM resident memory and swapped memory. The percentage of time the busiest device spent serving systemwide input/output requests. This metric serves as a measure for the system I/O load.

21 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage 21 Selecting the Instance to be Monitored Name Description Agent State The operational status of the monitoring agent. When the agent instance is running, hovering over the State icon displays the status message Collecting Data. When the agent instance is running but not collecting data, hovering over the State icon displays one of the following status messages: Starting Stopped Stopping Unknown SC SC Indicates whether StealthCollect is installed and configured for this agent. StealthCollect is available only if Performance Analysis is installed as part of the Foglight for SQL Server installation. Note The StealthCollect configuration indication appears also on the Foglight for SQL Server s home page. For details, see Reviewing the Connection to StealthCollect on page 45. Selecting the Instance to be Monitored As the Databases dashboard displays by default all of the currently monitored databases, it is advisable to customize the dashboard s view to display only the relevant instances, and then preview such instances to decide which to monitor. To select the instance to be monitored: 1 Display only instances relevant for your needs, using either of the following methods: Filtering by severity using the status indicators to display only instances of a specific database type that share a specific health state severity. For further details, see Filtering the Display by Severity on page 22.

22 22 Foglight for SQL Server Creating user-defined groups using the Databases area to create groups that contain only the databases that need to be monitored for a specific need. For further details, see Creating Custom Database Groups on page View the selected instances severity level, using the status indicators. 3 Click the requested instance to view a cue card with a preview of the instance s most significant performance indicators. For details, see Previewing the Requested Database on page Click Investigate on the cue card to launch a full-screen view of the requested database. Filtering the Display by Severity The Status Indicators section can be used for filtering the Databases Group table to display only instances that meet a criterion set in this section. To filter the display by severity: 1 Click a a specific type of severity within a a specific database type (for example: SQL Server instances whose severity level is Fatal). The selected filter is shown in the table s title. 2 To select another filter, click the required status indicator (for example: SQL Server > Normal severity). To display the entire list of databases, click Clear filters.

23 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage 23 Selecting the Instance to be Monitored Creating Custom Database Groups While all existing and newly discovered instances are added to the All list, the Databases area of the navigation pane allows creating, editing, and removing subgroups of database instances, thereby serving as a filter that allows displaying only a specific, user-defined group of instances. The Databases area includes the following components, which can be selected from a drop-down list: Database Groups includes by default the All list, as well as the Database Groups list, which serves as the parent group for creating user-defined sub-groups of database instances. Such sub-groups are recognized as Foglight services. The Database Groups section also displays the highest severity level of the database groups, under the column Sev. Services displays the configured services, which contain at least one object (database topology) that is used by Foglight for SQL Server. All of the Foglight for SQL Server sub-groups, which were created via the Database Groups section, are displayed also under Services. In addition, Services displays groupings of monitored resources that were created via the Service Builder dashboard, and contain Foglight for SQL Server database topology. The Services section also contains the column SLC (Service Level Compliance), which indicates the current availability of the selected service over a given period of time. For details about the Service Builder dashboard, see Foglight Online Help. To create a database group: 1 Select the parent database instance group, Database Groups, under Databases in the navigation pane. 2 Click the button.

24 24 Foglight for SQL Server The Add Sub Group dialog box appears. 3 Type a name for the group in the Name field. 4 Type a description for the group (optional). 5 Select an instance in the Available column, and click [>] to move the instance to the Selected column. Alternatively, click [>>] to move all of the databases to the Selected column. 6 Click OK. The sub-group name appears in the Database Groups list. The database instances are listed in the Databases dashboard. After adding one or more user-defined sub-groups, it is possible to add sub-groups to these sub-groups. To remove a database sub-group: 1 Select the sub group to be removed.

25 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage 25 Selecting the Instance to be Monitored 2 Click the button. The verification dialog box appears. 3 Click Remove. The sub-group is removed from the Database Groups list. To edit a database sub-group: 1 Select the requested sub group. 2 Click the button. The Edit Group dialog box appears. 3 To add an instance to the sub group, select the requested instance in the Available column and click [>]. The selected instance moves to the Selected column. 4 To remove an instance from the sub-group, select the requested instance in the Selected column, and click [<]. The selected instance moves to the Available column. 5 Click OK.

26 26 Foglight for SQL Server Previewing the Requested Database Clicking a database in the databases group table opens a cue card for the selected instance, providing all of the principal data at a glance. Clicking the link Home Page within the cue card opens the database s home page. Note To access the instance s home page directly, click the Home Page icon to the right of the instance name. Selected instance Home Page icon Cue card The Home Page link Figure 2 The cue card provides a preview of the database s most significant indicators, via the following sections: General identical to the home page s Instance pane. This section provides the following details: DB Type identifies whether the monitored database is SQL Server, Sybase, DB2 or Oracle. Version identifies the database version number, along with the most recently installed service packs. Up Since identifies the date and time when the instance was last started. Alarms displays the number of warning, critical, and fatal alarms for the instance. The alarms are displayed by their severity levels, with the aggregated number for each severity.

27 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage 27 Selecting the Instance to be Monitored Performance displays the total number of active sessions, compared with the total number of sessions. Configuration indicates whether the following operations are configured: Log shipping Mirroring Replication Host displays the following indicators about the operating system s performance: CPU load Memory utilization Disk utilization Storage displays the storage s total percentage of used space, as well as the following indicators: Total number of file groups Total number of files Total volume of occupied disk space, in gigabytes Workload the workload graph for the SQL Server instance, plotted over the specified time range (by default: last 60 seconds). Components Shared by all Foglight for SQL Server Screens The tables customizer button and the toolbar s upper right buttons are common to all Foglight for SQL Server screens, as detailed below. Useful links Refresh now Agent settings Customizer Figure 3 The Customizer button found on the upper right corner of most tables and allows inserting additional fields to grids and creating a custom filter. The filter is created by clicking Customizer and specifying the criteria that the various values should meet in order to be displayed in the table (having a specific name, exceeding a certain size, and so on). For detailed instructions and examples, see Foglight > Working with Dashboards > Working with Tables.

28 28 Foglight for SQL Server Agent settings clicking the Agent settings button opens the relevant screen in the Global Administration view, where available (for example: clicking this button from within the Databases > Locks panel opens the Locks global administration screen). Refresh now clicking this button retrieves the most recent data sample. Useful links allows carrying out further investigation via several external sources, as follows: Performance Analysis if Performance Analysis was installed and configured as part of the Foglight for SQL Server installation, launching this application allows utilizing the enhanced performance monitoring capabilities it provides. SQLServerPedia a free, interactive resource, powered by Quest Software and edited and administered by SQL Server professionals. This site provides abundant content, well-categorized and easy to reach, about topics such as SQL Server architecture and configuration, monitoring SQL Server, and performance tuning. Quest communities on database management a central knowledge base about all of Quest Software s SQL Server monitoring products.

29 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage 29 Viewing the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage Viewing the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage The following image displays C - SQL the Processes main elements of the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage B - Sessions window. pane pane The table that G follows - Background the image E - identifies Physical I/O each Operations element, and H - provides Alarms a link to display more information, Processes corresponding pane to the logical dataflow pane within Foglight I for - StealthCollect SQL Server Instance Homepage. configuration indication Part ID Part Name Explained in Section A Instance identification Identifying the Instance on page 30 B Sessions pane Monitoring general sessions statistics on page 32 C SQL Processes pane Monitoring total activity on page 34 D SQL Memory pane Monitoring the SQL memory management on page 36 E Physical I/O operations Tracking physical I/O activity on page 39 F Disk Storage pane Monitoring the disk storage on page 41 G Background Processes pane Monitoring Background Processes on page 43 H Alarms pane Monitoring Alarms on page 44 I StealthCollect configuration indication Reviewing the Connection to StealthCollect on page 45 The main groups (panes) of gathered icons and gauges, which represent the main activity areas in the SQL connection process, are as follows: Instance identification used for identifying the instance, its type, and operation time. See Identifying the Instance on page 30.

30 30 Foglight for SQL Server Components representing instance data flow the main activity area in the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage includes several panes and flows that represent the data flow in the SQL Server operation. The dataflow is described in this guide in a top-down design, namely: from the session to the physical disk storage. See Tracking the Instance Data Flow on page 31. Background Processes pane indicates the status of the SQL Server replication agent and the SQL Server support services. See Monitoring Background Processes on page 43. Alarms pane displays summarized alerts about metrics or workloads, defined in the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage, which have exceeded their preconfigured threshold. If Performance Analysis Agent is installed, this pane displays also alarms regarding this agent s operation and status. See Monitoring Alarms on page 44. Identifying the Instance The Instance identification indicators allow identifying the currently monitored instance, its type and its operation period. Instance name Instance pane Figure 4 These indicators are as follows: Instance Name identifies the currently monitored instance. Instance pane contains the following indicators: DB Type identifies whether the monitored database is SQL Server or Oracle. Version identifies the database version number, along with the most recently installed service packs. Up Since identifies the date and time when the instance was last started.

31 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage 31 Viewing the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage Collation defines how the database engine stores and operates on character and Unicode data. Note In Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage, the only possible time range is the last 60 minutes. All values shown on the homepage screen display data collected during the last snapshot (20 seconds), while drilldowns display the data of the last hour. Tracking the Instance Data Flow SQL Memory pane Disk Storage pane Sessions pane Flow of data packets from the Client to SQL Server and back SQL Processes pane Dataflow to the logical memory (logical reads and compiles) Physical I/O operations The following screen components represent the data flow in the SQL Server operation, from the session to the physical disk storage: The Sessions pane allows examining user sessions only (excluding system and SQL Server Agent sessions). This pane displays the activity on the Client side, including number of Client computers that run SQL Server sessions and the flow of data (packets and batches of SQL Statements) from the Client to the Server and (in the case of packets) back. For details, see Monitoring general sessions statistics on page 32.

32 32 Foglight for SQL Server The SQL Processes pane displays total activity (both system and user sessions) that is carried out on the SQL Server. This pane also contains other indicators of issues that may affect the transaction process, such as CPU usage and lock request rate, and allows accessing the error log. In addition, this pane allows tracking the rate of the data flow that would preferably be used by SQL connections - logical page reads, namely: referencing pages in the buffer cache. For details, see Monitoring total activity on page 34. SQL Memory pane displays the size of the total SQL memory (both physical RAM and buffer pool), and allows ensuring that the SQL Server appropriately uses its dynamic memory management. The SQL Memory pane s indicators may point out inefficient memory management, which leads to unnecessary use of physical I/O operations. For details, see section Monitoring the SQL memory management on page 36. Physical I/O operations displays graphical representations of physical I/O activity. While such activity is necessary to carry out certain operations (for example, accessing a new table), a very high level of physical I/O activity may indicate poorly coded SQL or inadequate indexes, which prevent logical reads. For details, see Tracking physical I/O activity on page 39. Disk Storage pane displays the state of the physical disk storage, namely: databases and their backup, data files, and log files. This pane features indicators that refer either to lack of disk space (when a data file is close to reaching its predefined storage ceiling), or performance issues such as high disk queue length. In addition, the Disk Storage pane displays the Log Flush wait time alarm, which may indicate an issue with the logical disk activity. For details, see section Monitoring the disk storage on page 41. Monitoring general sessions statistics The Sessions pane monitors only the user sessions, namely: all sessions that are not system or SQL Server Agent sessions. Using this pane allows viewing the response time compared with the number of user sessions and the instance s level of activity. A high response time value may result from a long queue, that is: an overly high percentage of active users. Long queues can indicate one of the following issues: A massive workload the system handles more users than it was initially designed to do.

33 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage 33 Viewing the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage A bottleneck lack of system resources prevents users from carrying out their transactions, resulting in wait events and an increasing number of sessions that remain active for prolonged periods. The Sessions pane displays the following parameters: Parameter Response (ms) Sessions Computers Active Sessions Active Users Percentage Description The time (in milliseconds) that elapses from the moment a query, which is supposed to represent the general workload, is submitted, until the application indicates that the query was executed. The number of SQL Server user (non-system) sessions, excluding SQL Server Agent sessions. The number of Client computers that currently run at least one SQL Server session. The number of non-system sessions that are actively processing in SQL Server, or are waiting on locks (blocked). The percentage of SQL Server sessions that are active (executing), or waiting on locks (blocked). Issues indicated by this pane are mainly investigated in the SQL Activity drilldown. As the response time is usually the starting point for investigation, the Response parameter leads to the SQL Instance Summary panel in the SQL Activity drilldown, while the other parameters in this pane lead to the SQL Activity > Sessions panel. For details, see sections Reviewing the SQL Server Instance Activity on page 78 and Viewing Detailed Sessions Data on page 88, respectively, in the chapter Reviewing SQL Activity on page 75. The Client applications represented graphically in the Sessions pane communicate with the SQL Server by sending and receiving network packets and by submitting SQL statements for execution by SQL Server. The flows, detailed in the following table, help indicate performance issues if their values are too low.

34 34 Foglight for SQL Server Flow Network packets sent Network packets received Batches Description The rate at which network packets are being sent from SQL Server to Client applications. When this icon s color is yellow, clicking it displays text that describes the deviations that triggered this display, along with a graphic representation of the rate at which SQL Server is encountering network packet errors. The rate at which network packets are being received by SQL Server from Client applications. When this icon s color is yellow, clicking it displays text that describes the deviations that triggered this display, along with a graphic representation of the rate at which SQL Server is encountering network packet errors. The rate at which batches of SQL statements are being submitted to SQL Server for execution. Monitoring total activity The SQL Processes pane allows monitoring the following phase of the data flow within the SQL transaction operation flow: processes run by the SQL Server, both system and user sessions. This pane also features other performance indicators, such as total number of lock requests per second and CPU usage, and allows accessing the error log. The SQL Processes pane displays the following parameters: Parameter Total System Description The total number of SQL Server processes, comprising both user and system processes. The total number of current SQL Server System processes, namely: all background and foreground processes run by the SQL Server, the SQL Agent services or any other non-user session. This includes also processes that carry out physical disk-related operations, such as Checkpoint and Lazy Writes.

35 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage 35 Viewing the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage Parameter User Blocked Processes Description The number of SQL Server user (non-system) processes, excluding SQL Server Agent sessions. Number of processes that are waiting for another process to release a resource that the process is currently locking. Blocked processes can sometimes lead to bottlenecks. The Blocked Process indicator changes its color when one or more processes become blocked. For details, see Blocking Alarm on page 229 and Deadlocks Alarm on page 230. Error Log The SQL Server and SQL Agent error logs (in SQL Server 2000, SQL Agent error logs are not enabled). When scanning is enabled, Foglight for SQL Server scans the SQL Server logs and raises alarms upon finding error messages that contain any of the error log alert rules. These rules can be specified for all connections or for the current connection via the Log Scanning screen in the Global Administration. For details, see Defining Error Log Filtering on page 208. Hovering over this icon displays the number of errors that were recorded in the SQL Server error log during the selected time range (by default, last 60 minutes). For details about the error log alarms, see Error Log Alarm on page 232. CPU Usage The CPU Usage spinner represents the total percentage of CPU resources being used on the currently monitored computer. Figure 5 The display indicates CPU consumption by all Windows processes, not just SQL Server. This component spins faster as CPU consumption increases. CPU overload significantly degrades the system s performance, and may indicate excessive physical I/O operations.

36 36 Foglight for SQL Server For further details, see Reviewing the SQL Server Instance Activity on page 78. To communicate with the SQL memory, the SQL processes use logical reads and compiles, graphically represented as flows in the homepage. Tracking logical reads The flow from the SQL Memory pane to the SQL Processes pane indicates the rate at which pages in the buffer cache are being referenced by SQL connections (logical page reads). Normally, the majority of logical reads is satisfied from the cache, but if the required page is not yet in the cache, it is read from disk. For details, see section Viewing the SQL Server I/O activity on page 79. Tracking compiles The Compiles section displays the rate of SQL compilations and re-compilations per second. Preferably, the most frequently used executable query plans should be retrieved from the procedure cache, thereby saving the need to compile, significantly reducing the utilization of CPU resources, and speeding up the response time of SQL Server queries. Re-compiling, which is a CPU-intensive process that may degrade performance, can in certain cases be avoided through sound coding practices. When many recompiles take place, the SQL Server s CPU can become overloaded, thereby slowing down everything running on that computer. As a result, the Recompiles alarm is invoked. For details, see Recompiles Alarm on page 231. The Call Rates chart, displayed in the SQL Instance Summary panel of the SQL Activity drilldown, details the use of compiles and re-compiles during the last 60 minutes. For details, see Monitoring the call rates on page 82. Monitoring the SQL memory management The SQL Memory pane allows monitoring the SQL Server s dynamic memory management and ensuring its proper handling of the buffer pool. Each page of memory used by SQL Server is assigned to one of several caches. Each cache grows and shrinks in size as required. The main caches are the Buffer Cache, which stores a copy of the SQL Server s most recently used database pages, and the Procedure Cache, which holds recently compiled query execution plans. Both these cache types should satisfy I/O requests and save the need for physical reads from the

37 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage 37 Viewing the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage disk. The Buffer cache s efficiency also affects the Page Life Expectancy, another indicator displayed in the SQL Memory pane. The SQL Memory pane displays the following parameters: Parameter Total Max Memory Usage Description Text displaying the total amount of memory, either fixed or dynamically allocated, which the SQL Server is currently using. When the amount of SQL Server memory available for immediate reuse drops below a threshold, the Free Buffers alarm is invoked. For details, see Free Buffers Alarm on page 234. Text displaying the amount of memory currently being used by SQL Server as a percentage of the maximum amount of memory that the SQL Server is configured to use. The maximum memory is the lower of two values: either SQL Server's max memory setting or the amount of physical RAM on the server. A gauge displaying the total amount of memory, either fixed or dynamically allocated, which the SQL server is currently consuming, scaled against the maximum amount of memory it can use. By default, SQL Server manages its total memory automatically, adjusting it to the varying memory requests of both SQL Server processes and Windows processes. Clicking this gauge allows accessing the page in the Memory drilldown that provides an in-detail view of SQL Server s memory management. For details, see section Viewing the Memory Summary on page 63. Buffer Cache Section

38 38 Foglight for SQL Server Parameter Size Hit Rate Page Life Expectancy Description Text displaying the amount of memory currently allocated to the buffer cache, including database, free, and stolen pages. The buffer cache, which is an in-memory copy of recently used database pages, is normally the largest memory cache used by SQL Server. The value of this metric is calculated as follows: <pages> * 8K / 1024 A gauge displaying the percentage of database page I/O requests that were satisfied from the buffer cache a memory area used by SQL Server to hold recently accessed database pages. If an SQL process needs to access a database page, finding this page in the buffer cache spares the SQL Server the need to read the page from disk, thereby significantly reducing the amount of disk I/O and speeding up queries. High buffer cache hit rate indicates that SQL Server efficiently uses the memory allocated to its buffer cache. Low buffer cache hit rate, on the other hand, indicates that SQL Server is finding fewer pages already in memory, resulting in the need to perform more disk reads. When low buffer cache hit rate is indicated, the Buffer Cache Hit Ratio alarm is invoked. For details, see Buffer Cache Hit Ratio Alarm on page 233. Text displaying the current Page Life Expectancy, namely: the length of time in seconds that a database page stays in the buffer cache before it is flushed out. Small values indicate that the buffer cache retains pages for short periods, as a result of high data cycling, and that the buffer cache is not being effective. Microsoft recommends 300 seconds as the minimum value for this metric; any less is indicative of a shortage of memory. For details, see section Page Life Expectancy Alarm on page 235.

39 The Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage 39 Viewing the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage Parameter Description Procedure Cache Section Size Hit Rate Text displaying the amount of memory currently allocated to the Procedure Cache, a memory area used by SQL Server to hold recently compiled query execution plans stored procedures, triggers, ad hoc SQL, and so on. The value of this metric is calculated as follows: <pages> * 8K / 1024 A gauge displaying the percentage of procedure cache lookups that found the required plan already in the cache. If a matching plan is found, SQL Server does not need to compile the query/stored procedure. This can save a significant amount of CPU resources, and can speed up SQL Server queries. A low Procedure Cache hit rate may lead to performing extra compilations, thereby degrading SQL Server performance by causing extra CPU load. In a such situation, the Procedure Cache Hit Ratio Alarm is invoked. For details, see Procedure Cache Hit Ratio Alarm on page 235. The procedure cache hit rate is the average hit rate for all procedure cache object types, except for ad hoc SQL. This rate is calculated using a differential sampling method, which gauges only the last few sampled periods. Tracking physical I/O activity The physical I/O Operations section of the Foglight for SQL Server Instance Homepage displays graphical representations of the number of pages physically read from and written to disk by SQL Server.

40 40 Foglight for SQL Server In addition, this section allows viewing the SQL Server processes Checkpoint and Lazy Writes. Parameter Physical Reads Physical Writes Read Ahead Checkpoint Description A flow representing page reads from the disk per second. Physical reads are used when a connection requests a page that is not already in the buffer cache. Physical read operations are necessary when accessing new table or index pages. Nevertheless, these operations should be avoided when possible, as requested pages should reside in the SQL Server buffer cache. A flow representing data/index pages written to disk per second. Normally SQL users do not have to wait for database write operations to complete. Most modifications to database pages are made in the buffer cache. A flow representing pages per second being read from disk before they are requested, using the Read Ahead process. Read Ahead can improve queries performance when accessing a new table or an existing table with a new filter. However, a high level of Read Ahead activity may indicate poorly coded SQL statements or inadequate indexes. For details, see the glossary definition of Read ahead on page 276. A flow representing the number of log pages per second being written to disk by the Checkpoint process, which periodically flushes all modified pages from the buffer cache out to disk. Checkpoint writes are carried out at intervals, which are defined by the recovery interval parameter. If this parameter s value is too high, the Checkpoint process may run infrequently, thereby overloading the lazy writer process. High value of checkpoint page writes can result from issues such as the database being in log-truncate mode. In addition, poorly tuned checkpoint duration parameter can adversely affect the response time. For details, see the glossary definition of Checkpoint process on page 257.