1.1 Methodology

The following sections outline the methodology that Novell Testing used to measure activity workload against Filr capacity.

1.1.1 The Methodology in a Nut Shell

To test Filr’s workload-handling capacity, Novell Testing did the following:

  1. Created an expandable Large Filr Deployment, meaning that the /vashare mount point was on NFS, with an Open Enterprise Server file server on the back end.

    No L4 switch was used. Instead, SSL termination was on Filr

  2. Defined three test user profiles:

    • Filr-Active Desktop

    • Filr-Active Mobile

    • Filr-Idle Desktop

  3. Estimated the type and frequency of activities (tasks) that users in each profile would typically do.

  4. Generated a workload by creating test scripts that leveraged the three test user profiles, their associated tasks, and the frequency of execution associated with them.

  5. Ran the workload on the system for several hours to populate the testbed with files and folders so that the system reached a normal state.

  6. After the system reached a normal state, began actively monitoring the CPU, RAM, and Network bandwidth utilizations for the OES file server, the Filr VA, and the database server (MySQL).

  7. Manually adjusted the task load frequency to discover the point at which CPU utilizations began to exceed an 85% average and system response times begin to lag behind the acceptable four-second-or-less threshold.

1.1.2 A False Assumption About the Number of Users and Files

Some assume that Filr’s load capacity is constrained by

  • The number of users that Filr serves

    And/or

  • The number of directories and files on the system

This is not true.

The number of users and files affects the requirements for a Filr deployment only as the users and files generate a workload.

1.1.3 Users and Files Are Not Critical Factors

A Hypothetical Comparison

Organization A

Organization B

Files: 100,000

Files: 10,000

Users: 5,000

Users: 500

Filr Role: Reference Library

Filr Role: Primary Workspace

Activities: Users access Net Folders only when they have policy or other questions. They only read the files, never modify them.

Activities: Users regularly update files that are shared with other users.They occasionally rename, create, and delete files in their assigned Net Folders.

Activity Workload Details: One Filr activity per user every 10 minutes

Activity Workload Details: One Filr activity per user per minute

Total Activity Workload:

500 Filr activities per minute

Total Activity Workload:

500 Filr activities per minute

Conclusions

  • Organization A has 10 times as many users and files as Organization B.

  • The workloads are identical.

Affect on Filr Deployment Planning

The deployment requirements are the same for both organizations, except for disk space requirements.

1.1.4 Why 496 Test Users?

The sole purpose for having 496 users in the testbed was to create an activity workload that could be easily manipulated and controlled.

From all other standpoints, the number of users in the test bed is irrelevant because, as stated in A False Assumption About the Number of Users and Files, the number of users does not directly affect Filr’s workload. Filr’s workload capacity is determined by its ability to handle the number of activities that users perform.

1.1.5 Test User Profiles and Activities

In order to produce workload capacity results that help administrators plan a Filr deployment, Novell Testing did the following:

  1. Created 496 test users in eDirectory

  2. Modeled three profile types to be randomly assigned to the test users

  3. Identified the top ten activities that each profile type would typically perform

The three profiles are the Filr-Active Desktop, Filr-Idle Desktop, and Filr-Active Mobile profiles.

Filr-Active Desktop Profile

This represents users who are logged in to Filr and actively working in their assigned Net Folders and/or My Files (Home Folders).

Of the 496 total users, 128 are assigned to the Filr-Active Desktop Profile at any given point in time.

NOTE:In Table 1-1, My Files activities are separated from the same activities on Net Folders because My Files activities do not involve sharing.

By contrast, the two Net Folders in the testbed are shared by everyone. Therefore, when a change by one user requires a synchronization, the other 495 users will need to perform a Net Folder synchronization when they are assigned to the Filr-Active Desktop Profile and their 15-minute sync cycle comes around.

For this reason, the Filr-Active Desktop Profile activities workload is defined so that only 18% of the tasks affect other users. 82% of the tasks happen in My Files.

Table 1-1 Filr-Active Desktop Profile Activities

Task

Frequency of Execution

Check for Net Folder synchronization flag

Every 15 minutes

Update a file in My Files (Home Folder)

The update frequency was set 50% higher than the upload frequency because testers assumed that users edit and update files more frequently than they create and upload them.

By the same token, testers assumed that it’s far more common for users to edit and do other work in their My Files/Home Directory areas than it is in Net Folders.

45%

Upload a file to My Files

30%

Delete Random File from My Files

5%

Comment on a file in My Files or a Net Folder

Comments logged in a Net Folder flag the folder for synchronization, thus affecting all users assigned to the Net Folder.

5%

Rename a file in My Files or a Net Folder

Renaming a file in a Net Folder, flags the folder for synchronization at the next sync interval, thus affecting all users assigned to the Net Folder.

3%

Update a file in a Net Folder

Updating a file in a Net Folder, flags the folder for synchronization at the next sync interval, thus affecting all users assigned to the Net Folder.

3%

Upload a file to a Net Folder

Uploading a file to a Net Folder, flags the folder for synchronization at the next sync interval, thus affecting all users assigned to the Net Folder.

3%

Delete a file from a Net Folder

Deleting a file from a Net Folder, flags the folder for synchronization at the next sync interval, thus affecting all users assigned to the Net Folder.

2%

Share a file with a user

Sharing a file in a Net Folder, flags the folder for synchronization at the next sync interval, thus affecting all users assigned to the Net Folder.

2%

Syncronize Now*

This accounts for user-initiated manual syncs.

2%

Filr-Idle Desktop Profile

This represents users who are logged in to Filr but are not actively working in their assigned folders. They might be doing other activities on their workstations, or they might be away from their desks.

Of the 496 total users, 240 are assigned to the Filr-Idle Desktop Profile at any given point in time.

Automatic Net Folder synchronizations by Filr-Idle connections amount to ~32 tasks per minute.

Table 1-2 Filr-Idle Desktop Profile Activities

Task

Frequency of Execution

Check for Net Folder Synchronization flag

Every 15 Minutes

~32 total per minute for all Filr-Idle users

Filr-Active Mobile Profile:

This represents users who are actively using a Filr App on a mobile device.

Of the 496 total users, 128 are assigned to the Filr-Active Mobile Profile at any given point in time.

Table 1-3 Filr-Active Mobile Profile Activities

Task

Frequency of Execution

Get directory list

This is set at a relatively high frequency because it happens each time the mobile device’s screen refreshes.

25%

Download a file

25%

Search for file

20%

View file info

10%

Share file

5%

View file comments

5%

Comment on a file

4%

Upload a file

2%

Rename file

2%

Delete file

2%

1.1.6 Preparing an Appropriate Test Bed

To ensure that the test bed was appropriate for testing Filr’s workload capacity, testers did the following things:

  1. Set up two Net Folders and a Home directory for each user.

  2. Started the system with zero files in Filr in order to match these best practice recommendations:

    • Deploy a separate Filr VA that is dedicated to Net Folder Synchronization.

    • Add users to the Filr system incrementally over time.

  3. Established a robust flow of user activities against the Filr system.

    Every 45 to 90 seconds (60-second average), the Filr-Active desktop profile checks whether it’s time to sync. If so, then it syncs. Otherwise, it picks another task according to its associated task frequency percentages.

    All 496 users cycle through the three profiles, following the frequency percentages as they go.

  4. Populated the Filr system with directories and files that approximate normal usage.

    With a relatively high activity rate of total activities per minute, it didn’t take too long before the system contained a substantial number of files.

  5. Let the system run for several hours to ensure that the system reached a test-ready state.

1.1.7 Gauging the Load

After the system had reached a test-ready state, testers did the following:

  1. They logged in to the test bed Filr VA.

  2. They performed tasks for the device type they were using, while also monitoring CPU usage and response times.

  3. They balanced the test load on the system until CPU utilization averaged about 85% and response times were 4 seconds or less.

    The optimal test load was determined to be about 256 activities per minute.