APPLICATION SOFTWARE PERFORMANCE REPORTS

Management will require reports that show whether the application software in use is performing as designed. Here are two items of information to include in these reports: l Average length of time any particular job

remains in the system; and

How long a priority job (priority 1, 2, and 3) waits to be run.

This information can be used to change your existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and aid in preparing schedules. For example, you might want to change the maximum time a priority job waits to be run.

HARDWARE UTILIZATION REPORTS

In addition to the application software performance reports, you will prepare the reports that cover hardware utilization. Your hardware utilization reports should include the following types of information:

The amount of system idle time;

The amount of system setup time;

The amount of system production time;

The amount of downtime, not only for the whole system but also for each particular piece of equipment. (This could help you explain why the idle time seems unusually high, if it does.)

This information can help you schedule the work for your system. Keep in mind that under-utilization of hardware can result in a loss of equipment and/or personnel. Equipment may be removed if it is not being fully used. If you aren't doing the amount of work for the number of people assigned, you may have billets taken away.

OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE REPORTS

Operating system software reports are primarily used for the AIS facility's research. They can cover such problems as hardware under-utilization and application software aborts.

Hardware under-utilization can be measured by excessive idle time. This can be caused by no jobs to be run or no users logged on. Also, constant or excessive downtime for a specific piece of equipment with no effect on production will be considered as a waste of hardware.

Some of the most common problems that result in application software aborts are as follows:

Wrong file specified. The wrong-file-specified abort can be caused by transposing the characters in the file name or inputting an old file instead of the new file.

Job run out of sequence. The job-run-out-of-sequence abort can be caused by the schedule being incomplete, not listing all the jobs, or the schedule not being turned in on time. Another cause might be an inexperienced operator running the wrong job.

File corrupted. The file-corrupted abort is normally caused by a system failure. This can be the result of a disk head crash, the loss of power, or a power fluctuation.

File not available. The file-not-available abort is caused when the input file was not received or when the job was run out of sequence and the input file has not been created yet.

Out of free disk space. The out-of-free disk-space abort is usually a result of poor housekeeping techniques. For example, files that are no longer needed have not been removed. Be sure housekeeping tasks are performed on a regular basis. This problem also can be remedied by using some of the performance-tuning initiatives discussed later in this chapter.

These operating system software reports are a good source of information for preparing the management reports and aiding in the performance-tuning initiatives. We also need these reports for background information for submitting trouble reports, which are covered later in this chapter.

EQUIPMENT INVENTORIES

With the ever-increasing need to trim the budget, AIS resources have become a critical area. This is causing a real need for accurate and complete computer hardware inventories. We must verify the accuracy of these inventories annually to ensure we can support our command's mission.

When new equipment is acquired, it is to be added to the inventory. The inventory will contain such information as: l Manufacturer; l Type of equipment; l Model number; l Serial number; Q Minor property number;

Location; and

custodian.

Normally, a complete inventory is conducted annually, with spot inventories conducted periodically throughout the year. All of this will be controlled by your local SOP.