HP StorageWorks SAN Virtualization Services Platform Best Practices Guide (5697-0935, May 2011)

◦ The Diagnostics panel in the DPM Management GUI may be used to monitor the
performance of a DPM.
◦ Perfmon is an SNMP-based performance monitoring tool. It may be used on the VSM
servers to provide insight into events and performance of the servers.
◦ License and capacity should be checked periodically to ensure they provide what is
expected.
• Health monitoring SAN—Monitor all switches within the SAN for CRC errors, dropped frames,
BB credits exhaustion, and other indicators of congestion using the performance monitoring
tools that come with the switch. Make adjustments to resolve any issues with congestion or
faulty fabric components. Pay close attention to fabric statistics for interswitch links, since these
are often the first areas where congestion will show up.
• Setup virtual disk access and performance—The setup virtual disks are used by the SVSP
database and slow access to these virtual disks is another area that may cause performance
issues with SVSP. Remember that these disks are mirrored three or more times and the slowest
response from any of the volumes will drive the command completion.
Monitoring for errors
This section describes various tools and best practices for observing the SVSP environment. Some
tools, such as the Health Check service can be provided as part of proactive services. The most
important tool for monitoring errors is the SVSP event log and alerting mechanisms. There is a
detailed section in the HP StorageWorks SAN Virtualization Services Platform Administrator Guide
that describes how to set up this monitoring.
Tools
HP Services health check
• HP interviews an administrator to identify the role of SVSP in the environment and how it has
been implemented.
• HP uses onsite data collection tools to collect configuration data and log files for your SVSP
SAN.
• HP analyzes the SVSP configuration and log files. Several design elements are examined:
adequate paths are verified between VSMs, DPMs, and hosts; VSM event logs are examined
for alerts that need attention; configuration design limits are checked from hosts, HBAs, SAN
switches, arrays, and virtual disks; licensing is verified on the VSMs and DPMs; and the
operating system, HBAs, VSM, and DPM versions are checked to determine if any updates
are needed.
• HP presents a report highlighting where the SVSP configuration does not conform to best
practices for operating efficiency, availability, or performance. Specific recommendations
and implementation planning assistance are provided.
Event logs
When specific events occur, the VSM client can automatically send event notification e-mails to
specific users. To configure the specific events that trigger event notification e-mails, and the specific
users who receive event notification e-mails, you can configure event log notification groups. Before
you configure an event log notification group to receive notifications, ensure that there is a common
e-mail address or Microsoft Outlook contact group for the members of the group.
54 Monitoring the SVSP environment