AGENDA

7:45-8:15	Registration & Coffee
8:15-8:30	Introductory Remarks & Business Agenda
	Capacity Planning Track	Open Systems Track
8:30-9:45	Getting Started with Capacity Planning Part 1 Ray Wicks – IBM	Beyond the Hypervisor Hype Michael Salsburg – Unisys
9:45-10:15	Break – Refreshments - Vendor Area Open
10:15-11:30	Getting Started with Capacity Planning Part 2 Ray Wicks - IBM	Understanding the AIX performance data in an IBM APV Partition Pete Weilnau – ISM
11:30-12:45	Lunch → Vendor Area Open for Dessert and Coffee
	Combined Sessions
12:45-2:00	Death to Dashboards: Alarming, Performance Management Based on Variance, System Prioritization and Other Thoughts on Data Visualization Peg McMahon – Sprint Nextel Justin Martin - Sprint
2:00 - 2:30	Break – Refreshments - Vendor Area Open
2:30 – 3:45	Mainframe Virtualization and Network Management Catherine Liu – Applied Expert Systems
3:45	Closing Remarks

Connecticut Computer Measurement Group
Spring CCMG Membership Meeting Agenda
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cromwell - Friday, April 18, 2008

About the Speakers

Ray Wicks* has spent most of his career at IBM in the performance analysis and capacity planning end of the business in Poughkeepsie and at the Washington Systems Center. He is the major contributor to IBM’s internal PA & CP tool zCP3000. This tool is used extensively by the IBM services and technical support staff world wide to analyze existing z/OS configurations (Processor, storage, and I/O) and make projections for capacity expectations. Ray has given classes and lectures worldwide. He won the prestigious CMG A.A. Michelson award in 2000.

*Albert Abraham Michelson was known for his technical accomplishments in measuring the speed of light and for his role as teacher and inspirer of others. CMG presents this prestigious award to recognize and encourage the same combination of technical excellence and professional contribution found in only an exceptional few.

Michael Salsburg** is the chief architect for Unisys Corporation’s Software Technology Providers organization, with a current focus on Real Time Infrastructures, which is a strategic program for Unisys.  Michael received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Pittsburgh in Mathematics in August 1972, his Masters of Science from the University of Delaware in Computer Science (Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence) in 1982 and his Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics from Drexel University (Probability and Statistics) in 1992. He has been awarded two international patents in the area of infrastructure performance modeling algorithms and software.  Michael’s current activities are focused on business-driven infrastructure management.

Pete Weilnau is an architect with over 25 years of industry experience.  Pete has held a number of positions with significant management responsibility. Over the past 18 years he has been involved in the development and support of ISM’s solutions for performance management and capacity planning.

Peg McMahon** has been part of the Capacity and Performance Management team at Sprint, a wireless telecommunications company for the past 7 years. Her primary focus is on performance, concentrating on best practices, modeling, pre-production application tuning and system sizing. Before joining Sprint, Peg consulted in Disaster Recovery for Sprint and for AT&T. As a coder, she developed web-based applications for the United States Department of Agriculture. She survived Y2K as a COBOL programmer for Payless Cashways. Her mainframe expertise came from more than 15 years as a Large Systems Customer Engineer with I.B.M. She is the Chair of the Kansas City Computer Measurement Group.

**The J. William Mullen award is given in memory of past CMG president Bill Mullen. This award recognizes his contributions to CMG and the profession of information technology. The award recipient is an individual who exhibits both technical excellence and an engaging presentation style.

Catherine Liu is President and co-founder of Applied Expert Systems. Catherine has over 20 years experience in performance and capacity management. She is active in the performance and capacity management field, having published and presented papers at many major domestic and international industry conferences. Since receiving her Masters in Statistics from Stanford University, she has spent over 20 years managing software product development, with companies such as the Institute for Software Engineering and Boole & Babbage, Inc., where she was responsible for directing expert system software product development. At AES, her focus has been on network performance solutions to empower performance analysis supporting eBusiness initiatives.

Connecticut Computer Measurement Group
Spring CCMG Membership Meeting Agenda
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cromwell - Friday, April 18, 2008

Agenda

07:45-08:15 Registration and Coffee

08:15-08:30 Introductory Remarks

Capacity Planning Track

08:30-9:45  Getting Started with Capacity Planning Part 1

Ray Wicks – IBM

This two part session, introduces some of the basic concepts in Capacity Planning. Getting started begins with some basic views of performance data. The performance data is organized by a data model (a conceptual structure). The data model identifies data to track over time (some trending analysis), thus leading to the first step towards a capacity plan. Included in the session is a set of definitions (performance metrics), a very quick view of expectations from queuing theory, and a simple capacity plan.

9:45–10:15  Break

10:15-11:30 Getting Started with Capacity Planning Part 2

Ray Wicks - IBM

Open Systems Track

8:30-9:45 Beyond the Hypervisor Hype

Michael Salsburg - Unisys

This session provides a simple model of today’s hypervisors.  It then discusses a set of benchmarks that have been published by VMware and XenSource.  The performance implications of the benchmark results are discussed.  Newly emerging virtualization enhancements are appearing on processor vendor roadmaps.  The motivation for these, plus some insights into the announced enhancements are discussed.  Finally, the impact of server virtualization on the role of capacity planning is discussed.

9:45 – 10:15  Break

10:15-11:30  Understanding the AIX performance data in an IBM APV Partition

Pete Weilnau – ISM

IBM's Advanced POWER Virtualization introduces a powerful virtualization layer to the POWER platform. This presentation covers information learned while spelunking through the documentation and real world experimentation in AIX environments running in various configurations of APV partitioning. Specifics include how to interpret specific data values provided by performance tools like: iostat, lparstat and topas.  

11:30-12:45 Lunch – followed by Dessert and Coffee served in the Vendor Area

Combined Sessions

12:45-2:00 Death to Dashboards: Alarming, Performance Management Based on Variance, System Prioritization and Other Thoughts on Data Visualization

Peg McMahon – Sprint Nextel

When does the light on the executive dashboard turn from yellow to red?  When do you order new hardware?  Traditionally, these decisions are handled by setting thresholds — picking some number to use as an upper or lower limit.  Thresholds might have worked well in the days of a handful of beloved systems.  But for today’s complex environments, thresholding is not only painful to manage but conceptually bankrupt.  Let’s talk about the problems with thresholds and dashboards and work to identify some practical alternatives.  Vendors, put on your iron underwear and attend this session.  

02:00 – 2:30 Break - Vendor Area Open - Raffle Drawings for Prizes (Be there to win!)

02:30 – 3:45  Mainframe Virtualization and Network Management

Catherine Liu – AES

Both mainframe and open systems virtualization environments require on-going network management, from diagnosing network connectivity to setup of service level objectives and monitoring. The increasing use of virtual servers running Linux Systems requires ongoing monitoring, reporting and alerting of the availability and performance of specific services.

 

The non-stop monitoring and reporting on network Service Level performance, response times, and application workload are essential for z/OS-hosted TCP/IP activity and/or guest z/OS’s under z/VM. A well managed z/OS TCP/IP environment will return growth in the virtualization infrastructure, providing more sub-capacity for other z/OS LPARs or Linux guests.

The speaker will discuss the challenges and demonstrate sample solutions. 

Connecticut Computer Measurement Group

Old State House Square, P.O. Box 230453, Hartford, CT 06123-0453

Spring 2008 CCMG Membership Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel & Conference Center / Cromwell

Friday, April 18, 2008

REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS

We will again utilize an e-mail registration, in addition to the regular mail registration. Pre-registration fee is $55.00, which includes lunch.

**** If you use the email pre-registration process, normal pre-payment is not required until Friday, April 18 *****

Simply e-mail your intention to attend, to ctcmg@yahoo.com no later than April 11, 2008, to qualify for the pre-registration fee. You should receive an acknowledgement within 24 hours. Remember payment is required at the door. On-site registration fee is $65.00. PLEASE NOTE: We will once again be at the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Conference Center in Cromwell, CT. This was formerly known as the Cromwell Radisson. Directions can be found on the attached Directions Sheet or on our web site http://www.cmg.org/regions/ctcmg .

If you choose to mail-in registration the deadline is Friday April 11^th , 2008. Make check or money order payable to Connecticut CMG.

Mail registration and payment to:

Connecticut CMG

Old State House Square

P.O. Box 230453

Hartford, CT 06123-0453

If you have any questions at all, please call Program Chair Jane Shipman (860)-636-6492 or Chairperson Patrick Cyr (860) 547-4701.

______________________________________________________________________

Connecticut Computer Measurement Group

Old State House Square, P.O. Box 230453, Hartford, CT 06123-0453

Spring 2008 CCMG Membership Meeting, Crowne Plaza (formerly Radisson) Cromwell

Friday, April 18, 2008

REGISTRATION FORM

Name: ________________________________________________________________

Company: ________________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Phone: ____________________________ E-mail address: ____________________________

• Occasionally, CCMG shares our mailing list with other organizations. Please check this box if you DO NOT wish to have your name released to other computer related groups.

Connecticut Computer Measurement Group

Old State House Square, P.O.Box 230453, Hartford, CT 06123-0453

Spring 2008 CCMG Membership Meeting

Crowne Plaza Hotel & Conference Center

Cromwell, Connecticut

Friday, April 18, 2008

MEETING PLACE

Crowne Plaza Hotel & Conference Center / Cromwell

100 Berlin Road

Cromwell, CT 06416

Phone: (860) 635-2000

Message Center: (860) 635-2000 specify CCMG meeting

DIRECTIONS

( FREE PARKING )

Traveling North: (From New York City)

Interstate 95 North to Interstate 91 North (junction in New Haven, CT).

Interstate 91 North to Exit 21 - Rte 372. Turn Left.

Traveling South: (e.g. from Boston)

Interstate 90 Massachusetts Turnpike to Interstate 84 West.

Follow I-84 West to Interstate 91 South (Junction in Hartford, CT).

Interstate 91 South to Exit 21 - Rte 372. Turn Left.

Traveling East:

Follow Interstate 84 East to Interstate 91 South (Junction in Hartford, CT).

Interstate 91 South to Exit 21 - Rte 372. Turn Left.

Traveling West:

Follow Interstate 84 West to Interstate 91 South (Junction in Hartford, CT).

Interstate 91 South to Exit 21 - Rte 372. Turn Left.

From the airport:

Follow signs to Hartford - Route 20 East to I-91 South.

Follow southbound directions above.

Web Enabled – Please Bookmark us in your browser’s “Favorite Sites”

http://regions.cmg.org/regions/ctcmg/index.html