Can you monitor Java performance w/o affecting the system itself?

The Conservative Way
Well, the popular way to monitor code performance and detect bottlenecks is using Profilers. However, profilers insert small portions of code into the code base in order to measure each function processing time. For functions that require relatively long time to complete, this issue can be neglected. In other cases, when a function requires a very short time to complete and its called many times, this behavior can lead to wrong conclusions.

Usually in order to overcome this issue, you should carefully tune your measurement period in order to avoid over measurements.



The Alternative Way
We at RockeTier, are discussing several business opportunities with IBM these days. During these discussions, we noticed a great tool by Jinwoo Hwang from IBM. IBM offers an alternative way. Its tool analyzes Windows (yes, they support only Windows) performance log and Java thread dumps and automatically detects Java threads that consume the majority of system resources.
It is even more interesting since this tool supports both system monitoring and Java thread monitoring. Each can be done separately. Therefore, you gain flexibility, detect the problematic code area and focus on it in your debug environment w/o affecting the production system at all.

You can download this tool from the IBM site.

Keep Performing,
Moshe Kaplan. RockeTier. The Performance and Cloud Computing Experts.

Managing Your Resources in the Cloud

One of the major issues while working in the cloud is managing your resources.

Why?
When you have your servers in your own data center, you can touch them, see them and count them. And of course you pay a lot of equity for them.
When migrating to the cloud your CapEx is finally zero, however, if you'll not manage your resources wisely, your OpEx will soon right and be larger than your old CapEx budget. Moreover, when working with a contractor (yes, your cloud computing provider is now your contractor), you should manage it as a contrator. meanning that you should monitor your resources and verify the service level.
Moreover, many cloud clients are soon will find themselves runing dozens of servers, which in enterprises usually require a significant effort including command and control systems, NOC, helpdesk and so on.

What should be my requirements?

So what can I do?
Well you have several options:
A. Develop your own managment consule based on the chosen cloud computing provider API, monitoring each server resources.
B. Use enterprise world command and control systems such as CA Unicenter, IBM Tivoli suite, HP OpenView suite, BMC or Microsoft.
C. Use cloud monitoring niche systems. The largest and most significant player in this field is RightScale which provides both monitoring and auto scaling service. Another new player in this market is cloudkick. This player backed by the VC botique Y Combinator, provides its monitoring, graphs and alerting system free of charge.

Bottom line:
Option A (Develop your own solution) is too tedious and will walk you out of your main course of business. Option B is nice, but most of these players are fouces in an on premise market, and it will take them time to get into the cloud market. Moreover, most cloud computing clients are start ups and SaaS providers, that these massive C&M systems will not fits their needs.
Option C in the current time seems to be the right one if you established your operations in the cloud. From our analysis cloudkick is a nice start for a free service, but there is way to go. For exmpale, it still missing the auto scalling feature (if my CPU is over 80%, provide me ASAP new EC2 instance). So our recommandations in the current is usign RightScale.

Keep Performing
Moshe Kaplan. RockeTier. The Performance and Cloud Experts.

Very large databases on the cloud: The Presentation

This time I include the presentation that I presented on Monday: "How your very large databases can work in the cloud computing world?". It was a great presentation and the place was loaded with industry experts from various companies such as Amdocs, Panaya, SAP, Superfish and SUN.

The presentation content can be found bellow as well as the slide show:

How your very large databases can work in the cloud computing world?

View more presentations from Moshe Kaplan.

Cloud computing is famous for its flexibility, dynamic nature and ability to infinite growth. However, infinite growth means very large databases with billions of records in it. This leads us to a paradox: "How can weak servers support very large databases which usually require several CPUs and dedicated hardware?"
The Internet industry proved it can be done. These days many of the Internet giants, processing billions of events every day, are based on cloud computing architecture such and sharding. What is Sharding? What kinds of Sharding can you implement? What are the best practices?

Keep Performing,
Moshe Kaplan. RockeTier. The Performance and Cloud Experts.

UPDATE: Very large databases on the cloud

Due to massive registration, the lecture will be held in SUN Offices, HaManofim 9, 8th floor, Hertzelia Ind. Zone, Israel: http://www.grid.org.il/?CategoryID=384&ArticleID=137&Page=1

Keep Performing,
Moshe Kaplan. RockeTier. The Performance and Cloud Experts

Very large databases on the cloud

This Monday, we'll present in the IGT cloud computing workgroup: "How your very large databases can work in the cloud computing world?". The presentation will be held along with other presentations by Nati Shalom and Haim Yadid, market experts in the field of performance and cloud computing. Therefore, it will be interesting being there.

How your very large databases can work in the cloud computing world?
Moshe Kaplan, RockeTier, a performance expert and scale out architect
Cloud computing is famous for its flexibility, dynamic nature and ability to infinite growth. However, infinite growth means very large databases with billions of records in it. This leads us to a paradox: "How can weak servers support very large databases which usually require several CPUs and dedicated hardware?"
The Internet industry proved it can be done. These days many of the Internet giants, processing billions of events every day, are based on cloud computing architecture such and sharding. What is Sharding? What kinds of Sharding can you implement? What are the best practices?

Date: Apr 20, 2009 14:00-17:00
Location: IGT Offices, Maskit 4, Hertzelia Ind. Zone, Israel.
Confirmation at: info@grid.org.il

Keep Performing,
Moshe Kaplan. RockeTier. The Performance and Cloud Experts.

MySQL Sharding

A few weeks ago we had a presentation in the Israeli MySQL User Group, where we presented "How Sharding turned MySQL into the Internet de-facto database standard?"
This presentation dealt with the common belief in the enterprise software world that MySQL cannot scale to large databases sizes. The Internet industry proved it can be done. These days many of the Internet giants, processing billions of events every day, are based on MySQL. Most of these giants were able to turn MySQL into a mighty database machines by implementing Sharding.
In the attached presentation from SlideShare we answer the following questions: What is Sharding? What kinds of Sharding can you implement? What are the best practices?

"How Sharding turned MySQL into the Internet de-facto database standard?", Moshe Kaplan, RockeTier

View more presentations from RockeTier.

Keep Performing,
Moshe Kaplan. RockeTier. The Performance Experts.

Migrating to the Cloud and Staying Connected to the Enterprise...

Integrating SaaS software with enterprise infrastracture software
One of the major issues enterprise software companies are facing off, when migrating their product from On-Premise approach to SaaS model, is the tight integration that is required between the software and the the enterprise infrastructure software.

For example, most software systems require some kind of integration to the LDAP directory. HR software usually need to sync its organizational tree with the LDAP, and knowledge management systems require authentication and authorization based on the LDAP directory as well.

In most Microsoft oriented organizations the LDAP directory is implemented using Active Directory. This tight integration prevented large organizations from consuming web based software services and forced them to keep their old habits.

Microsoft Federation Gateway
However, things are changing as SaaS gets mainstream. Microsoft with its Azure initiative provided a solution for part of this challenge: Microsoft Federation Gateway. This service enables several Active Directory functionalities using stack of web services. These web services were built on the Web service (WS-*) specifications such as WS-Trust and WS-Security so they are fully complient to major standards and can be used easily in the web environment.
The Federation Gateway enables authentication using a 3rd party directory, retrieving and updating the user profile. Therefore, it can be used as a first step to provide SaaS customers full integration with their existing infrastracture.

I would like to thank Idan Plotnik who is heading a new exciting startup these days for notifying me regarding this solution

Keep Performing,
Moshe Kaplan. RockeTier. The Performance Experts.

Recent Cloud News

Hi,

This time I enclose a short update regarding the cloud:

1. IGT Cloud Investment Summit for Virtualization and Cloud/SaaS Based startups
This one should draw some interest in companies that strive for money these days. The IGT is organizing an investment conference for startups in the cloud/SaaS niche market. This one will take place in Tel Aviv at June 1st 2009.

2. Are games as a Service getting mainstream?
We get used to interactive casual gaming instead the good old solitaire. However, this time several startups (OnLive, Galkai) and larger firms (Sony, AMD) claim that even the most resource demanding games can be run using the cloud... Meaning that we should no more upgrade to the latest graphic cards and CPUs but consume the best games thorough the web. They are using new compressing methods and get advantage of the NGN networks (50Mbit to the home is almost here). Read more Here (hebrew) and in every blog regarding CES 2009

3. The standards battle has just began
As in every new emarging market, those who lag behind or feel threathned by the new trend, are merging into a standard group. This time players such as SUN, IBM, Cisco and HP merged forces to close the gap using the Cloud Computing Manifesto. This group is making its best to keep the cloud open and interoperable between cloud providers.
The leading cloud computing providers such as Amazon (leader), Microsoft (Open... Linux... usually not), Google (PaaS closed environment) and SalesForce (same) oppose this move.

Keep performing,
Moshe Kaplan. RockeTier. The Performance Experts.