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I'm Morten, I manage the PerformanceGuard help. I also run my own complete PerformanceGuard system in order to monitor the computers and servers that we use to create and deliver help articles like this one. To illustrate how PerformanceGuard works, I'd like to take you on a short tour of my system. We begin the tour on my computer, and then we follow some performance data from my computer as the data travels through the PerformanceGuard system:
How do the agents know which data to collect?  They get a configuration when they connect to the frontend server. PerformanceGuard administrators set up agent configurations in the PerformanceGuard web interface. You can set up anything from a single general agent configuration to multiple different configurations for agents on different computers.
Do I need separate frontend and backend servers?  No. Technically, the PerformanceGuard frontend server and backend server are services, so they can run on the same computer and use the same database server. For larger PerformanceGuard installations, however, you get a better load distribution if you use separate hardware. See our Hardware Recommendations.
Want to Know More About how PerformanceGuard Works?
For more detailed information, look in the table of contents, for example under Concepts & Terminology.
For the technical details, look in the table of contents under Technical Reference.
If you're a technical consultant or software developer who needs to integrate PerformanceGuard with other tools, look in the table of contents under API.
 
Anchorconcept45concept45PerformanceGuard Supports Decision Making
Lets have a look at how PerformanceGuard supports decision making on all levels of an IT organization:

Anchor_Ref-147429534_Ref-147429534 Anchorconcept46concept46Aggregation of DataAggregation means that you collect separate data in a summarized form. Aggregation can dramatically reduce the need for data storage space and the time it takes to query large sets of data.
PerformanceGuard aggregates the data that PerformanceGuard agents collect. Basically, this means that you will have very detailed performance data from recent points in time and more summarized data about historical performance.
Let's take a look at how PerformanceGuard aggregates data:
The following is based on the default data retention periods (called keep periods) in PerformanceGuard. You can adjust the keep periods to suit your organization's exact needs.

Agent Performs the Very First Aggregation

PerformanceGuard agents store collected data at regular intervals, determined by a setting called report interval. The report interval is 60 seconds, so an agent will store collected data once every minute. During those one-minute intervals there may be a lot of identical combinations of server IP address, port and protocol data. Such identical combinations of data are automatically summarized by the agent into one line of data that covers the average for the whole report interval.
This is the very first step in the aggregation of data.
Can I change the report interval?  If you change the report interval, it can have a significant impact on the size of your database. Because of this you can't change the report interval directly in the PerformanceGuard web interface. Contact a CapaSystems consultant if you want to change the report interval.
Note that the agent report interval isn't that same as the agent delivery interval. The report interval determines how often the agent stores its collected data, whereas the delivery interval determines how often the agent sends the data to the PerformanceGuard system. Unlike the report interval, you can change the delivery interval setting directly in the PerformanceGuard web interface (ADMINISTRATION > Setup > Parameters, then select the Status tab).

From Detailed Data to Trend Data

When the PerformanceGuard system receives data from agents, it keeps the data in three different levels of aggregation:
  1. as detailed data
  2. as aggregated data (in a more summarized form)
  3. as trend data (in an even more summarized form)

Keep periods determine how long data is kept on each of the three levels. The more summarized the data is, the longer it's kept. You can adjust the keep periods to suit your organization's exact needs.
PerformanceGuard keeps the detailed, aggregated and trend data side-by-side, not in a waterfall mode where data is summarized and transferred to the next level of aggregation at the end of each keep period:
Image Removed
Why is it good to have aggregation levels side-by-side?  Because PerformanceGuard keeps the three aggregation levels side-by-side, it's able to respond quickly even if you want to view trend data from a recent period of time, for example the last three days. If PerformanceGuard used the waterfall approach, it would have to go through all the detailed data (which typically has a resolution of one minute) and then remove a lot of unnecessary data in order to meet your trend data request (for which you only require a resolution of one hour) before it could dsiplay the data.
Let's take a closer look at the three aggregation levels:

  1. Image Removed Detailed data: Detailed data is kept in the form in which it was received from agents, that is with a resolution that corresponds to the report interval (see Agent Performs the Very First Aggregation in the previous). Data from individual agents is stored by agent ID, so you can view data from individual computers.

Detailed data is by default kept for 5040 minutes (that is a keep period of three and a half days), with the exception of protocol transaction data which is by default kept for 10080 minutes (that is a keep period of one week).
Can I change how long detailed data is kept?  Yes, but bear in mind that keep periods for detailed data are specified per agent configuration group: In the PerformanceGuard web interface, select ADMINISTRATION > Agent Configuration > Configurations, then click the Edit link next to the required agent configuration group, and then select the Advanced tab, and specify required keep periods in minutes for the various types of data. You can only do this if you're a PerformanceGuard administrator.

  1. Image Removed Aggregated data: The data is also stored summarized into aggregated data. Basically, PerformanceGuard removes information about individual agents so that data is kept for groups of agents rather than for individual agents.

Agents are typically grouped based on the subnets that computers with PerformanceGuard agents are connected to. Because most computers at a location are typically on the same network, the agent groups will often reflect your organization's locations.
Even though aggregated data is kept for groups of agents rather than for individual agents, data is still kept with a resolution that corresponds to the report interval (see Agent Performs the Very First Aggregation in the previous).
Aggregated data is by default kept for 1488 hours, that is a keep period of two months.
Can I change how long aggregated data is kept?  Yes. In the PerformanceGuard web interface, select ADMINISTRATION > Setup > Parameters, then select the Status tab and adjust the KEEP_PERIOD_AGGREGATE_DATA setting. You can only do this if you're a PerformanceGuard administrator.
While PerformanceGuard automatically creates agent groups based on the subnets that computers with PerformanceGuard agents are connected to, you can manually create more groups as required. A computer can easily be a member of multiple groups, so you can create your own groups for computers at specific locations or for computers across locations, for example a group for all computers that use a particular ERP application. Read more in Grouping of Computers.

  1. Image Removed Trend data: The data is also stored even further summarized into trend data. Trend data is summarized per hour. With trend data you lose some amount of detail, but you are still able to identify trends in performance over time—hence the name.

Trend data is by default kept for 470 days, that is a keep period of a little less than one and a half years.
What happens at the end of the trend data keep period? Data that has exceeded the trend data keep period is deleted.
Can I change how long trend data is kept?  Yes. In the PerformanceGuard web interface, select ADMINISTRATION > Setup > Parameters, then select the Status tab and adjust the KEEP_PERIOD_TREND_DATA setting. You can only do this if you're a PerformanceGuard administrator.
PerformanceGuard uses more keep periods than those mentioned here. To view the full list of keep periods in the PerformanceGuard web interface, select ADMINISTRATION > Setup > Parameters, then select the Status tab.

Special Keep Periods for Custom Counters

Custom counters have their very own keep periods. You can specify five different keep periods for custom counters to suit the exact needs of your organization:
  1. A keep period for data with a resolution of less than 60 seconds. By default PerformanceGuard will keep such data for 120 hours (that is five days).
  2. A keep period for data with a resolution of one minute. By default PerformanceGuard will such keep data for 240 hours (that is ten days).
  3. A keep period for data with a resolution of 15 minutes. By default PerformanceGuard will keep such data for 720 hours (that is 30 days).
  4. A keep period for data with a resolution of one hour. By default PerformanceGuard will keep such data for 1440 hours (that is 60 days).
  5. A keep period for data with a resolution of one day. By default PerformanceGuard will keep such data for 17520 hours (that is a little less than two years).

To change the keep periods for custom counters, select ADMINISTRATION > Setup > Parameters, then select the Status tab and adjust the settings KEEP_PERIOD_CUSTOM_COUNTER_1 to KEEP_PERIOD_CUSTOM_COUNTER_5. You can only do this if you're a PerformanceGuard administrator.
What if I don't need so many keep periods for my custom counters? In that case simply specify a value of 0 for the keep periods that you don't require. You can only do this if you're a PerformanceGuard administrator


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titleMy Computer Has an Agent

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My Computer Has an Agent

My computer has a PerformanceGuard agent installed. It's a very small program that collects performance data about resource usage, response times, etc. from my computer.

As a computer user, I never see the agent or hear from it. It runs silently in the background. The important thing to note is that the agent doesn't monitor me. It monitors how well my computer works for me.

At regular intervals the agent sends the collected performance data to a PerformanceGuard frontend server. The amounts of data that the agent sends are so small that they don't affect the performance of my computer or the network.

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titleMy Frontend Server Listens and Stores Detailed Data

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My Frontend Server Listens and Stores Detailed Data

This is my PerformanceGuard frontend server. It's located under my desk. It continuously listens for data from my agent, as well as from agents on 11 other computers that I look after. The frontend server never contacts the agents. It's always the agents that contact the frontend server.

When my frontend server receives performance data from my agent, it stores the data in a database together with performance data from the other agents. Data from individual agents is labeled with individual IDs, so PerformanceGuardknows where each piece of data comes from.

The frontend server then sends a copy of the performance data to my PerformanceGuard backend server. Bigger PerformanceGuard systems than mine can have multiple frontend servers that each send performance data to the backend server.

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titleMy Backend Server Stores the Less Detailed Data

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My Backend Server Stores the Less Detailed Data

This is my PerformanceGuard backend server. It's located in a server room. My backend server aggregates the data it receives from the frontend server.

Aggregation means that PerformanceGuard stores the data in different resolutions: My frontend server stores the very fine-grained data from individual agents. That's the data resolution I use when I view detailed performance information about a specific computer. My backend server then stores the less detailed data resolutions for when I just want to view trends or information about groups of computers.

The detailed data about individual computers takes up far more space than the other data resolutions. That's why my frontend server by default only keeps it for some days, but I can view the less detailed data from my backend server for a long time. If I want to view monthly trends, for example, I have data from more than a year.

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titleI View Performance Information in the Web Interface

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I View Performance Information in the Web Interface

This is my PerformanceGuard web interface. I use it when I want to view performance data from my system. Here I'm comparing CPU usage on three of the computers that I look after.

When I use the web interface, it gets the information from my frontend and backend servers. Because PerformanceGuard stores data in several resolutions, I get the information fast. For example, if I want to view trend data from the last few days, PerformanceGuard doesn't have to sort through all the detailed data first.

I'm the administrator of my own PerformanceGuard system, so I've got the full set of user rights, which means that I can also use the web interface to set up and manage my system.

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titleLet's Recap ...

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Let's Recap ...

So, agents Image Added send data to my frontend server. My frontend server Image Added stores the detailed data about individual computers.

My frontend server sends a copy of the data to my backend server Image Added, which stores the data in less detailed resolutions.

I view data in the web interface Image Added. When I view detailed data, the web interface gets it from my frontend server. Less detailed data comes from my backend server. Detailed data takes up a lot of space, so my frontend server only keeps it for a few days. My backend server keeps its less detailed data for much longer.

Got it? Then let's look at three useful features that I've set up on my PerformanceGuard system ...

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titleI Use Reports to Keep People Informed

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I Use Reports to Keep People Informed

One of the things I've set up in the PerformanceGuard web interface is a report that my boss and I automatically get as a PDF in our mailboxes every Monday. The report outlines the past week's performance of the computers that I'm responsible for.

We also get another report on a monthly basis. That one shows whether performance on my computers lives up to Key Performance Indicators, and whether our service levels have gone up or down in the past months. My boss likes that report, because he gets all the information he needs as an executive summary.

You have great flexibility when it comes to reports: I've interviewed many PerformanceGuard customers. They especially liked the fact that they can set up a report template, and then use it to automatically generate reports that contain the same type of information, but for different departments or geographical locations.

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titleI Get Notified if Something Happens

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I Get Notified if Something Happens

Another thing I've set up in the PerformanceGuard web interface is e-mail notifications that I can read on my computer as well as on my smartphone.

Now I get notified instantly if something happens, for example if a process on one of the computers I look after uses too many resources or if one of our servers responds slowly.

Personally, I use the notifications reactively: When I get a notification, I fix the problem. However, many PerformanceGuard users I've spoken with use notifications proactively: They've set up notifications to get warned about potential problems, so they can look into them before they become real problems and begin to affect users.

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titleDashboards Show Me System Status

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Dashboards Show Me System Status

When I'm in my office, I often look up at a large monitor on the wall opposite my desk.

The monitor displays my PerformanceGuard dashboards. I've set up the dashboards to show the status of my team's applications, servers and office locations (I have colleagues abroad). The dashboards give me excellent overviews of the entire team's IT performance at a glance.

Even in my small-scale setup I find the dashboards useful, but they're of course most often used by IT operations teams, helpdesks, support centers, etc.

This is how my PerformanceGuard system looks. What would yours look like?


How do the agents know which data to collect?

They get a configuration when they connect to the frontend server. PerformanceGuard administrators set up agent configurations in the PerformanceGuard web interface. You can set up anything from a single general agent configuration to multiple different configurations for agents on different computers.


Do I need separate frontend and backend servers?

No. Technically, the PerformanceGuard frontend server and backend server are services, so they can run on the same computer and use the same database server. For larger PerformanceGuard installations, however, you get a better load distribution if you use separate hardware. See our Hardware Recommendations.


Want to Know More About how PerformanceGuard Works?

For more detailed information, look in the table of contents, for example under Concepts & Terminology.

For the technical details, look in the table of contents under Technical Reference.

If you're a technical consultant or software developer who needs to integrate PerformanceGuard with other tools, look in the table of contents under API.


Virus Scanning

If it's allowed in your organization, we recommend that you don't do any real-time virus scanning of any your PerformanceGuard installation folders.

The reason is that virus scanning locks each file while it scans it, and that can affect the performance of the system.

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