USER EXPERIENCE: 5 ESSENTIAL MONITORING METRICS Network teams are increasingly being told by management to track and manage the end user s experience without any clear guidance as to its meaning. In this IT Brief, we will answer the following questions: What metrics best reflect end-user experience? How do you configure monitoring solutions to assess what users are really encountering?
USER EXPERIENCE METRICS In a recent Network World article, network consulting firm NetForecast surveyed 364 IT managers to identify the most valuable metrics for monitoring end-user experience. The following list identifies top metrics and considerations for monitoring each metric with your performance monitoring solution. 1) END-USER PAGE RESPONSE TIME 2) SERVER QUERY RESPONSE TIME 3) TRANSACTIONS PROCESSED 4) TRAFFIC FLOW DATA (BY APPLICATION) 5) SERVER ERRORS
1 END-USER PAGE RESPONSE TIME Identifies how long it takes for the client to process information related to the original request. Place an Observer Probe close to the client to measure turn time and validate the client has processed the request in a timely manner. In addition, monitor system behavior using regular polling via Windows Interface Management (WMI).
2 SERVER QUERY RESPONSE TIME Similar to monitoring page response time, except that the turn time is being monitored from the application-server side. It s critical to have access to applicationspecific details to view transaction errors and query response times.
3 TRANSACTIONS PROCESSED The total amount of transactions processed during a specific time period. If the volume of transactions is too high, transactions can sit in the queue for too long. This creates error conditions and causes the client to reprocess the request.
4 TRAFFIC FLOW DATA (BY APPLICATION) Breaking down each conversation by application and collecting performance information regarding that specific flow. Typically flow data by application will be offered in an aggregated or per conversation basis providing details including packets, bytes, connections, and request details.
5 SERVER ERRORS Access to long-term packet captures and application-transaction details are key to obtaining transactions and packets associated with server error conditions. In addition, having access to infrastructure details would indicate whether errors are related to a higher volume of requests than the server can handle.
MONITORING BEST PRACTICES ADDITIONAL METRICS In addition to the top five, other key metrics for tracking end-user experience include network latency (RTT), server utilization, network availability, and bandwidth utilization. BASELINING Baselining is critical to proactively managing performance problems, allowing IT teams to understand long-term whether network health and application delivery is improving or worsening.
MONITORING BEST PRACTICES INCORPORATING INFRASTRUCTURE MONITORING Having only application and network health data means that you are missing a large part of the picture. It s important to also track the underlying infrastructure components supporting applications, as they are essential for solving problems or verifying application delivery is taking place in an efficient manner.
BRINGING IT TOGETHER Typically network teams rely upon multiple performance tools to track various components related to overall end-user experience. It s important to have all these metrics aggregated and accessible within a single dashboard view and underlying reports to understand the relationship between metrics. This view allows the engineer at a glance to not only identify problems but quickly get to the root cause.
ABOUT NETWORK INSTRUMENTS Network Instruments, a JDSU Performance Management Solution is an industry leader in application and network management. It provides products that optimize performance and speed problem resolution, helping ensure delivery of critical applications for businesses worldwide. Network Instruments delivers these benefits through a seamlessly integrated line of precision-engineered software and hardware systems for exact network monitoring and analysis. For more information about End-User Experience monitoring, visit: www.networkinstruments.com/eue Corporate Headquarters 10701 Red Circle Drive Minnetonka, MN 55343 USA Toll Free: (800) 526-7919 Voice: (952) 358-3800 2014 Network Instruments. All rights reserved. Network Instruments and all associated logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Network Instruments, a JDSU Performance Management Solution. ITB-140929-V17