Installing T4 Version 4.3
18 May 2008



WELCOME TO T4 VERSION 4.3

Thank you for downloading the latest T4 kit from the public web site located at:  

http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/products/t4/index.html

To get maximum benefit from the T4 data you will be able to collect with this kit, 
you will want to download the TLViz and CSVPNG kits which are available from 
the same web site.  TLViz and CSVPNG are specifically designed to save you 
time when you are analyzing the CSV (Comma Separated Value) files that the T4 
collector creates.

If you have questions about T4, TLViz, CSVPNG or other Friends of T4, or if 
you would like to be on the mailing list, please send mail to T4@hp.com.

This document contains the following sections to help you get started with T4

INSTALLING THE KIT
   THE T4 V4.3 KIT
   PRIVILEGES REQUIRED FOR T4 INSTALLATION
   RESET FILE ATTRIBUTES
   DEASSIGN T4$SYS LOGICAL NAME
   INSTALL THE LATEST T4 KIT
   MAKING THE T4 LOGICAL NAMES PERMANENT
   CREATING A T4$DATA STORAGE AREA 
   SET UP A LOCAL BATCH QUEUE TO RUN T4

RUNNING T4
   QUOTAS REQUIRED  TO RUN THE T4 COLLECTION
   PRIVILEGES NEEDED TO RUN T4 COLLECTION
   
DISK SPACE
   ESTIMATING DISK SPACE REQUIREMENTS
   RUNNING A T4 V4.3 TRIAL SESSION 
   LAUNCHING T4 IN LONG-TERM HISTORY MODE
   TYPES OF FILES CREATED IN T4$DATA

T4 V4.3 RELEASE NOTES

TERMS & CONDITIONS FOR USE OF T4 V4.3



INSTALLING THE KIT

   THE T4 V4.3 KIT

Your zipped up T4 kit includes the following files:

1)  HP-VMS-T4-V0403--1.PCSI$COMPRESSED  - The T4 V4.3 PCSI kit.
2)  T4_README.TXT - The text file version of this document.


   PRIVILEGES REQUIRED FOR T4 INSTALLATION

You will need the SYSNAM privilege to establish the logical names required to 
successfully install T4 and make it ready to run.  


   RESET FILE ATTRIBUTES

Once you have moved this PCSI kit to your OpenVMS system, you may need to 
RESET the FILE ATTRIBUTES.  These can sometimes be altered in transit 
depending on how the transfer was accomplished.  If necessary, the appropriate 
reset can be accomplished with the following command:

$ set file/att=(rfm:fix,lrl:512) HP-VMS-T4-V0403--1.pcsi$compressed 

   DEASSIGN T4$SYS LOGICAL NAME

If you are already running a version of T4, be sure you DEASSIGN your 
current T4$SYS system wide logical name before installing the new kit.
 
         $   DEASSIGN  T4$SYS /SYS


   INSTALL THE LATEST T4 KIT

You can now install the latest T4 V4.3 kit using:

	$ PRODUCT INSTALL T4

This installs the kit to the [.T4$SYS] subdirectory beneath
SYS$SYSDEVICE:[VMS$COMMON] (that is, SYS$SYSDEVICE:[VMS$COMMON.T4$SYS])

To install to a different directory, use the /DESTINATION option as follows:

	$ PRODUCT INSTALL T4/DESTINATION=disk$somewhere:[dir.tree]

This installs the kit to the [.T4$SYS] subdirectory beneath the destination directory
(that is, disk$somewhere:[dir.tree.T4$SYS])

The T4 kit must be installed separately on each node where you expect to run it.

Once you have installed the T4 V4.3 kit, you will find many more files of 
additional reference material.

   MAKING THE T4 LOGICAL NAMES PERMANENT

This is a very important step that helps make sure you get full use out of T4 on 
your systems.  By making key T4-related logical names permanent, you enable 
interrupted T4 sessions to restart following a system reboot and make sure that 
you do not miss any vital data. The logical names of interest are T4$SYS and 
T4$DATA, which are discussed in the following sections. 

Define the T4$SYS logical and make it permanent by adding the definition to the 
system startup SYLOGICALS.COM command procedure.  For example, try the 
following command.

$ DEFINE /SYSTEM /EXEC T4$SYS SYS$SYSDEVICE:[VMS$COMMON.T4$SYS]


   CREATING A T4$DATA STORAGE AREA 

When you run T4 collections you will need a convenient and suitably sized disk 
location to store the T4 generated performance data.  Set up your data disk in 
advance and point to it with the T4$DATA logical name.  It is equally important 
to make this logical name permanent by adding the definition to the system 
startup code SYLOGICALS.COM command procedure which allows T4 sessions 
to resume following system reboots.

$ DEFINE /SYSTEM /EXEC T4$DATA   Your_Data_Disk:[000000.T4$DATA]

You can establish a separate T4$DATA area for each OpenVMS system or you 
can set up a single T4$DATA disk that is available to all nodes on your 
OpenVMS cluster.  

WARNING:  Do not use your system disk for T4$DATA.

   SET UP A LOCAL BATCH QUEUE TO RUN T4

For each OpenVMS node that you will want to monitor with T4, you will need to 
use a local batch queue to run the T4 jobs on that node.   This can be an existing 
queue (assuming it has available job slots) or you can set up a special T4 batch 
queue for that node as shown below.  

First, start the queue manager if not already started

          $ start/queue/manager/new

Create and start up a new batch queue 

          $ init/que/start/batch T4$batch /job=10

          $ sho queue/batch/full

Batch queue T4$BATCH, idle, on NODEX::
  /BASE_PRIORITY=4 /JOB_LIMIT=10 /OWNER=[SYSTEM] 
     /PROTECTION=(S:M,O:D,G:R,W:S)

You will need one batch queue and one T4 collection session for each OpenVMS 
node you are interested in.  As noted above, all the collected and processed data 
from these sessions will be saved to the T4$DATA directory. 

RUNNING T4


   QUOTAS REQUIRED TO RUN T4 COLLECTION

The User Account (e.g. T4_USER) that you plan to use to run T4 will require the 
following QUOTAS.

PRCLM must be at least 20.
TQELM must be at least 100.
PGFLQUOTA must be at least 500000.

$ mc authorize
UAF> mod T4_USER /prclm=20/tqelm=100/pgflquota=500000
UAF> exit


   PRIVILEGES NEEDED TO RUN T4 COLLECTION

For the user who will be launching T4 history creation sessions, the ALTPRI 
privilege is needed so that the OpenVMS Monitor Utility can run at the 
recommended process priority of 15.



DISK SPACE



   ESTIMATING DISK SPACE REQUIREMENTS

For your most important and performance sensitive systems, we suggest that you 
launch T4 in long-term history mode by answering yes when asked the 
question:
 
      Re-Submit data collection job daily   [N] : Y

This way it will build up a detailed performance history for you day by day.

The actual size you will need for your T4 history area depends on several key 
factors: 
	* the number of nodes under measurement, 
	* the number of hours of measurement each day, 
	* the number of devices to be measured
	* the number of processes on each system, 
	* the sampling rate (default = 60 seconds)
	* the OpenVMS version

To gauge the amount of disk space that you will require, we suggest you start with 
at least 500,000 blocks.  Run a trial session (see quick instructions below) of 1 to 
2 hours and determine how much disk space is needed for that run.

Then adjust the size of the T4$DATA storage area as necessary to meet your 
needs.

WARNING:  Do not use your system disk for T4$DATA


T4 includes some rudimentary capabilities for assisting you in the management of 
your T4$DATA performance history area.  Since the data that T4 helps you 
collect may prove invaluable to you in the future, you will want to think through 
and apply your standard local site policies for backing up, archiving, and 
preserving this potentially priceless historical system information. 


   RUNNING A T4 V4.3 TRIAL SESSION 

Once you have installed T4, set up your T4 user account with the appropriate 
privileges and process limits, established a T4 Batch queue on each node you will 
be monitoring, and created a T4$DATA area, you are now ready to launch your 
first T4 V4.3 collection session.  

We suggest you run a trial session to help calculate the disk space that you will 
require to run T4 in its recommended long term history mode (see the OpenVMS 
Technical Journal Article at 

http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/journal/v3/t4.pdf 

for a full explanation of the benefits of long term performance histories

To help estimate the amount of disk space you will require, run the following 
command and respond to the questions you are asked following the guidelines 
shown below.

      $  @T4$SYS:T4$CONFIG.COM

Start Time -- pick a time that is 5 minutes in the future as this will give you 
enough time to work your way through all the questions.  That way the T4 
collection session will be launched prior to the time you specify and you can 
make sure that you get a full hour of data.

End Time -- pick a time that will give you a total run time of one hour.

Batch queue -- remember to use your T4$BATCH queue that is local to the node 
you are measuring

Network Interface Device -- Enter a question mark to get a list of all available network 
interface devices.  Then, highlight that list, and paste it in as the answer to the 
question.  This will cause T4 to monitor each and every one of your Network 
adapters.  Note that you can also provide the string ALL in order to monitor
all your network adapters.

Sampling Interval -- use the default 60 seconds

Data Directory -- use T4$DATA


Re-submit data collection job daily -- answer NO to this question as 
you are using this run to help you determine storage needs before launching T4 in 
long term history collection mode.

Email Address -- if you can send email from the VMS node being measured, fill 
this in so it sends email notifying you that the data has all been collected and 
processed.  

Once the run is complete, check the sizes of the files created in the T4$DATA 
directory to discover the approximate storage costs per hour for this OpenVMS 
node.    See the sections below describing the types of files created during a T4 
session and the suggested retention periods of each type of data.


   LAUNCHING T4 IN LONG TERM HISTORY MODE

Having established a reasonable size for your T4$DATA area by following the 
steps outlined above, you are now ready to launch T4 in long term history mode.  
Long term history mode for T4 is explicitly designed to help you maximize the 
benefits that T4 can provide.  At the same time it helps to minimize how much 
time you will have to spend and keep that down to an absolute bare minimum.

Here are some recommendations for parameter values to use in response to the 
questions triggered by running the following command

      $  @T4$SYS:T4$CONFIG.COM

Start Time -- use the default which will be tomorrow at one minute after 
midnight.

End Time -- use the default which will be tomorrow at 23:59.  These settings for 
Start Time and End Time mean that you will have round the clock performance 
data for the systems that are most vital to you.
 
Batch queue -- remember to use your T4$BATCH queue that you created and 
that is local to the node you are measuring.

Network Interface Device -- type in the names of the devices that are a regular 
part of your production environment.  You can enter a question mark to get a list of all 
available network interface devices.  If you want to measure all of them, you can 
highlight that list, and paste it in as the answer to this question.  

Sampling Interval -- use the default 60 seconds.  This has proved to be an 
excellent default compromise value for long term history creation.

Data Directory -- use T4$DATA


Re-submit data collection job daily -- answer YES to this 
question.  When you do this, each time T4 runs, the first thing it will do is submit 
a new batch job for the following day.  If you have established T4$DATA and 
T4$SYS as system wide logical names in your SYLOGICALS.COM file, then 
this single launch operation will create a full long term history for this node.

Email Address -- using this or not using this feature is your call.  

Your T4 collections will start tomorrow at one minute after midnight and continue 
collecting and saving vital performance data for you until the batch jobs are 
deleted.  

Welcome to the world of T4.  We look forward to hearing of your experiences in 
using these handy tools.


   TYPES OF FILES CREATED IN T4$DATA

T4 produces a composite CSV file daily for each node being monitored.  The 
names of these files are of the form:

 T4_<nodename>_<Collection_Date>_<start_time>_<end_time>_COMP.CSV

For example, a one hour run on node PRFE40 might look like:

 T4_PRFE40_28JUN2005_1400_1500_COMP.CSV

These *COMP.CSV files are normally the first thing that we look at.

The output of a T4 collection session includes

	CSV files
	ZIP files
	LOG files
	DAT files (for OpenVMS MONITOR and for T4FCMON)

Please note that, after the CSV and DAT files are ZIPped, T4
will delete them, leaving only the ZIP files.

The key CSV files are:
	*COMP.CSV
	*DISK.CSV
	*SCS.CSV
	*T4FCMON.CSV

The remaining CSV files are what we refer to as intermediate files and they can 
be deleted after a few days.

We recommend that you retain all the ZIP files which contain CSV's for at 
least eighteen months.  We recommend retaining the ZIP files which contain
DAT's for at least 45 days.

Even beyond eighteen months,  if you find you must remove the older CSV files, 
we suggest you send these to a permanent archival storage location that you can 
access as needed.  You'll never know when you will have a need to search back 2 
or 3 years to compare what is happening right now to how things used to be.  You 
will only be able to do this if you carefully guard all of these invaluable 
performance timeline files.   


T4 V4.3 RELEASE NOTES

T4 V4.3 contains a number of changes to the previous release (T4.2), as follows:

1) Commented out MONITOR no-drift image in T4$COLLECT.COM. This had the potential to
	create MONITOR .DAT files which were unuseable.

2) Included a newer version of CSVPNG (V1.0-145).

3) Made 2 slight changes to CSVPNG commands in T4$COLLECT.COM, as follows:

   a) Change the /p qualifier to /para. CSVPNG now has
   	multiple qualifiers that begin with the letter "p",
   	so, we must specify more letters for uniqueness.

   b) Remove the parentheses around the value list for the
   	/para qualifier. The syntax of /para does not allow
   	for parentheses.

4) Upgraded ZIP and UNZIP as follows (from OpenVMS Freeware site): 

	Alpha ZIP:   from V2.3 to V2.32
	Alpha UNZIP: from V5.41 to V5.52

	IA64 ZIP:    from V2.3 to V2.32
	IA64 UNZIP:  from V5.42 to V5.52

5) In T4LCK73_MON.EXE, fixed the problem causing "Average Request Time" and
	"Busy %" to always be zero. Problem existed since the change to use
	floating point numbers. With the fix, the numbers now match those
	obtained from the LCK SDA extension (LCK SHOW LCKMGR command).

6) Provided T4$LCK73_MON.EXE and T4$XFC_MON.EXE images for each different
	VMS release. Since these are linked with /SYSEXE, they are designed
	to work only on the release on which they were linked. They can
	potentially fail if linked on one release and run on another.

7) Eliminated the Rdb Monitor, as it does not seem to be working right now.

8) Eliminated the "automatic management of T4 data storage" feature, as it
	is not working properly.

9) Added this file (T4_README.TXT) to the T4$SYS directory.


TERMS & CONDITIONS FOR USING T4 V4.3

T4 V4.3 is provided to you, subject to the following terms and conditions.  Any 
comments or questions regarding T4 V4.3 or its terms and conditions can be 
directed to T4@hp.com.  
 
(a) T4 V4.3 is supplied 'as is.' without warranties, either expressed or implied.

(c) T4 V4.3 is not a Commercial 'Off-The-Shelf' software product.

(d) T4 V4.3 is neither freeware nor shareware, and cannot be freely distributed 
other than by Hewlett-Packard Company, subsidiaries, successors and assignees.

(e) T4 V4.3 remains the sole intellectual property of Hewlett-Packard Company, 
subsidiaries, successors and assignees.
 
(f) T4 V4.3 may not be redistributed or supplied to any third party, either for 
commercial gain or otherwise without the prior written consent of Hewlett-
Packard Company.

(g) T4 V4.3 is deemed to be supported *only* by consulting services purchased 
directly from Hewlett-Packard Company, subsidiaries, successors and assignees, 
specific for this purpose and by prior agreement.

(h) The recipient must not request any kind of support from any other Hewlett-
Packard Company entity, such as any Customer Support Center or Engineering 
group.   This support restriction also applies to any issues of coexistence or 
interoperability with any other software or hardware, including (but not limited 
to) supported Hewlett-Packard Company products.




WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION

If you have questions, suggestions, comments, or if you want to be on the T4 & 
Friends mailing list, then please send mail to T4@hp.com.
