Oracle7 Server Tuning
Goals for Tuning
Whether you are designing or maintaining a system, you should set specific performance goals so that you know when to tune. You can needlessly spend time tuning your system without significant gain if you attempt to haphazardly alter initialization parameters or SQL statements. The most effective method for tuning your system is the following:
1. Consider performance when designing the system.
2. Tune the operating-system hardware and software.
3. Identify performance bottlenecks.
4. Determine the cause of the problem.
5. Take corrective action.
When you are designing your system, set a specific goal; for example, a response time of less than three seconds. When the application does not meet that goal, identify the bottleneck causing the slowdown (for example, I/O contention), determine the cause, and take corrective action. During development, you should test the application to determine if it meets the designed performance goals before deploying the application.
When you are maintaining a production system, there is a quick and effective way to identify performance bottlenecks. This method is described in the section "Tuning a Production System" ![[*]](jump.gif)
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In any event, tuning is usually a series of tradeoffs. Once you have determined the bottlenecks, you may have to sacrifice some other areas to achieve the desired results. For example, if I/O is a problem, you may need to purchase more memory or more disks. If a purchase is not possible, you may have to limit the concurrency of the system to achieve the desired performance. However, if you have clearly defined goals for performance, the decision on what to trade for higher performance is simpler because you have stated which areas are the most important.