Identifying the Busiest Logical Drives

To identify the logical drives that generate the most traffic on the storage unit, use the DiskReadByteRate, DiskWriteByteRate, ReadByteRate and WriteByteRate parameters of the SEN_I68_VOLUME class.

The ReadByteRate and WriteByteRate parameters represent the overall traffic on each volume while the DiskWriteByteRate and DiskReadByteRate parameters only represents the amount of data that is read off and written on the physical disks. The difference between theses parameters illustrates the various caching mechanisms in place.

IBM DS6000, DS8000 Series KM for PATROL offers you two methods to visually represent traffic on a logical drive .

Create a multi-parameter graph to compare two logical drive activity

1.In the console, double-click the DiskReadByteRate parameter of the logical drive you are interested in. A graph is automatically displayed in the graph pane.

2.Then drag and drop the DiskReadByteRate parameter of the other logical drive in the graph window.
Repeat the operation for the DiskWriteByteRate parameters of both logical drives to obtain a graph showing four parameters. You will then be able to easily evaluate which drive is the most used in your storage unit.

Use the Reporting…Command

Should you need to compare more than two logical drives, the KM provides a report to facilitate the reading of the ReadByteRate and the WriteByteRate of multiple volumes as well as the DiskReadByteRate and the DiskWriteByteRate parameters. However, these two set of parameters cannot be viewed in the same report.

1.Right-click the Volumes container > KM Commands > Reporting > Volumes Activity

2.Select the parameter for which you wish to generate a report for; in this case, select the read/write byte parameter.

KMCmd_Report_Volume

Configuring the Report Settings

3.Select the report range and interval

4.Press the Volumes Selection button to select the volumes you wish to include in your report. By default, all the monitored volumes are selected.

5.Click Show Report.

Once you have identified the busiest logical drives, check the infobox of the suspected logical drives to find their storage groups and the hosts that generate such traffic.