Novell Tips, Tricks, and How To's

Problem: A lot of people don't understand how to correctly read CPU utilization on a Novell Netware server. This is especially true in multi-processor systems.

ISSUE: Most people look at the main MONITOR.NLM screen to see the CPU utilization of their server. While this is okay in single CPU systems, the reading is not accurate with multi-cpu systems. In fact, what you are actually seeing is the average of all processors. If a server is experiencing performance issues, it's possible to miss the CPU utilization if you rely solely on the main MONITOR.NLM screen.

Furthermore, depending on the particular NetWare version and applications running, it's possible that the secondary processors are not being utilized at all. Usually, the load is entirely on the first processor (Processor 0). It's very common to see one processor running at 100% while the other three processors are at 0%. Since the utilization displayed is the average, this can lead you to believe the server is running just fine, when in reality, something is causing the main processor to max out.

SOLUTION: To get an accurate picture of your Novell Server's CPU utilization, you need to go to the "Processor Information" screen. The processor screen is hidden a couple levels down. The following steps show you how to get there.

	The main "MONITOR.NLM" screen shows you an average of the CPU utilization, which can be misleading.
	To find the "Processor Information" Screen , navigate to "KERNEL" on the menu and press the <ENTER> key.
	From the Kernel Information screen, select PROCESSORS and press the <ENTER> key.
As you can see from the Processor Information screen below, the first processor is actually running at 80%, while the second processor is hardly being used at all. When you understand how to correctly read CPU utilization, you can better troubleshoot a system when it is malfunctioning. For example, on the system below, 80% utilization seems high. So the next step would be to find out what is causing the CPU to spike to 80%.
Note: Typically, NetWare versions 3.1x, 4.x, and 5.x do not utilize multiple processors. In fact, purchasing more than one processor could be considered an unnecessary expense. Despite this, NetWare is extremely efficient and can run on a single CPU better than some other systems run with multiple processors. Novell Netware 6.0 and NetWare 6.5 are much better at handling multiple CPU's. In the screen shot below of a NetWare 6.5 system, you'll see that the system load is balanced across both processors.

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