The Dynamic LPAR Tuner is an advanced iSeries resource optimization tool, designed to automate resource management (including CPU, Memory and IO) to prevent wasted resources.  The Dynamic LPAR Tuner automates resource movement from partition to partition without the need of an iSeries operator. The Dynamic LPAR Tuner continuously monitors your system’s resources and automatically moves resources (both batch and interactive CPW) from where they are needed least to where they are needed most using real time work load demands (not set intervals) and user defined rules.

IBM LPAR is great, but LPAR change and tuning is complex. Workloads change constantly, and resources are wasted when they are idle in one partition while needed desperately in others. This happens many times a minute, making it impossible for even the fastest operator to monitor, react, and change resources accordingly.

One of the Dynamic LPAR Tuner’s distinguishing features is that it can move resources extremely fast (down to one optimization every ten seconds).  Not much any of our competitors can say about that… Most iSeries IBM LPAR tuning tools provide tuning based on a fixed interval basis (e.g. 2-5 minutes); this philosophy doesn’t take into account your real time work load demands.

Flexible and simple to customize CPU tuning
The Dynamic LPAR Tuner allows you to customize and change each partition’s dynamic tuning policies at any time and will take effect immediately, without having to restart the product, based on the following attributes:

Importance – Each iSeries partition can have its own priority level based on the following 6 descriptive options (Very High, High, Normal, Low, Very Low, and Extremely Low).
Stability – Each iSeries partition can have its own priority based on the following 6 descriptive options (Very High, High, Normal, Low, Very Low, and Extremely Low).
Speed – Each iSeries partition can have its own priority based on the following 6 descriptive options (Very High, High, Normal, Low, Very Low, and Extremely Low).

In addition, the Dynamic LPAR Tuner allows you to define a Minimum and Maximum amount of (interactive and batch) CPU for each iSeries partition in which dictates how much CPU can be shared with other partitions and how much must remain in each partition at any given time. The Dynamic LPAR Tuner also allows you to distinguish which type of CPU tuning should be moved from each partition (just Interactive, just Batch or Both).

Automatic Memory Distribution based on shedules
The LPAR Tuner DOES NOT move memory automatically among partitions based on workloads, but rather it reallocates memory resource between partitions on a scheduled basis. This is a conscious design decision, not a product failure. The reason for this is that continuously moving memory from one partition to other is extremely resource consuming, and can even be counterproductive.  On top of this, memory tuning usually requires a different tuning interval, usually much higher than the optimum interval required for CPU tuning; settling for a common interval would make the CPU tuning less responsive, making the tuning of the most expensive system component, the CPU, more inefficient.

The LPAR Tuner allows for memory movement between partitions on a scheduled basis and provides commands that can be used interactively from any 5250 session, CL program, or be submitted and scheduled using the integrated OS/400 job scheduling or any third party scheduling product.  This is an important feature since in some cases you know before hand that memory will be needed in one partition and not used in another. In these scenarios, you can manually or automatically schedule the changes to happen every day, and reverted back when needed.

Detailed Reports
The Dynamic LPAR Tuner comes with a simple to use and understand graphical reporting system that can generate general graphical summaries or very detailed reports with a click of a button to help you understand trends in CPU, interactive CPU, PU and IC resource allocation.  The LPAR Tuner keeps a historical record of all changes made, and generates performance data to track resource allocation and workloads inside each partition.  The Reporting System shows each partition’s assigned resources and the usage of that resource, as well as graphs the minimum and maximum limits set for a particular resource.

Additional tuning via Inter-Partition Tuning
With the addition of Tango’s performance tuning solutions, Visual Control for Pools can dynamically resizes memory pools based on priority and current work load memory requirements which will reduce page faults and ensure your critical job’s memory pools always receive the maximum resources available at all times.  With the addition of Visual Control for Jobs, non-urgent abusive jobs can be controlled to minimize their affects on other processes and increase response times for more important jobs by dynamically balancing the CPU allocation among all the jobs, where as priority is given to those jobs which require the best response times within that partition.

Real Time Monitoirng
With the addition of Visual Control for Windows, Tango’s solution offers real-time monitoring of (more than 2,000) performance metrics of all your systems and partitions, providing real-time details in a graphical format allowing you to instantly spot any performance bottleneck and send alerts when necessary (as specified thresholds are met).  The Visual Support module can provide an in depth view of any identified performance bottleneck, allowing your operators to take corrective actions of any active jobs without having to cancel them, minimizing any affects that might have other wise occurred..

Other advanced features of the Dynamic LPAR Tuner include a centralized management console that masks the technical LPAR complexity. It also creates a historical record of all changes made, and generates performance data to track resource allocation and workloads inside each partition in which the Dynamic LPAR Tuner's Reporting System generates easy to understand graphical, summarized and detailed reports out of that data. LPAR Tuner is very flexible and lets you set your own policies, or Business Rules, to control the movement of resources during the day.

LPAR Tuner automatically optimizes every partition for better response times and more reliable operations, without the need for operator intervention, using an advanced, powerful decision-making mathematical algorithm. That means happier users, complete optimization of your resources, and more efficient processing with a lot less stress and money.

Tango/04's Dynamic LPAR Tuner can be used in conjunction with Visual Control Center providing you with the real time graphical "cock pit" performance statistics and "root cause analysis" drill down capability needed to identify bottlenecks and even automate alarms and corrective measures to correct bottlenecks before they affect your operations. VISUAL Control for Windows gives you automated real time performance monitoring of multiple partitions or iSeries servers, collecting and analyzing thousands of performance metrics many times a minute and reacting to any potential problems. It features a unique graphical performance console which displays all key performance parameters onscreen, in living colors: a "cockpit" for your iSeries systems.

Alarms can be set to immediately notify you of potential critical performance problems on your system or partitions. For example, an email or SMS alert can be sent when disk use passes 90%, or when there are excessive page faults, or when response times have surpassed the SLA threshold. Actions can also be automated to correct problems - e.g. a high CPU consuming job can be held to prevent it from bringing the whole system to it's knees.