Transcript Project Server Database

Project Server 2003 – Performance
Scenario

EPM Architecture - Starting Point that
would provide future flexibility for scaling
up/out

Assumptions for starting point:

One SQL Server 2000 with quad
processor and 4 GB of RAM (get the
best hardware you can afford)

Optional: One Project Server 2003
single or dual processor server
installed as a single node cluster

When performance problems arise – what
to do and how to scale up/out from this 2
server initial architecture? What are the
options available?
Project Server 2003 – Performance Scenario

Starting Point:


One server with quad processor and 4 GB of
RAM (all components running on the single
machine)
Possible problems/symptoms:


Server CPU Usage constantly above 75%
Client systems less responsive (for example
project open/save slow)
Project Server 2003 – Performance
Scenario
1
2
4
3
Project Server Project Server Project Server
Project Server
SQL Server
Analysis Services
WSS
Session Manager
Views Processing
Project Server
WSS Server
Project Server
WSS Server
Project Server
Views Processing
WSS Server
Project Server
Session Management
SQL Server
Analysis Services
WSS
Session Manager
Views Processing
Anaysis Services
SQL Server
(Analysis)
SQL Server
WSS
Session Manager
Views Processing
SQL Server
(Views)
SQL Server
(Project)
SQL Server
(Web, WSS)
Performance Monitoring - Best Practices

Most critical measure of performance is the "user
perception" of the performance

As much as possible, identify the peak usage
scenarios and track their growth over time

Put in place a consistent set of user performance
testing so we can see trends over time

Augment this testing with monitoring of specific
performance bottlenecks so we can determine
which of the performance areas are being impacted
Performance Monitoring - Best Practices

Simplest way to initially implement this kind of testing is to
directly gather user input

Two typical pain areas:

Project Professional (ProjPro) open/save times

Project Web Access (PWA) Project Detail view times

To monitor Project Pro open/save times create a specific
test project that represent the general complexity in the
database

To monitor PWA Project Detail view times, use a separate
test project to gather display time information from the
users

Request that the users perform their testing at off peak
times as well as peak times
Performance Monitoring - Best Practices

System Component Performance:

Companies may monitor everything or nothing
At a minimum it is useful to monitor the following:

IIS Servers: CPU/Memory/Disk

SQL Servers: CPU/Memory/Disk/SQL locking
activity
The PS Health Monitor can be used to report on the
performance of the Views Notification process
Remember to log the "Availability Range Window"
configured in PWA Admin along side the Views
Notification performance statistics
Ongoing collecting and analysis of this information
can be invaluable in keeping a production system
healthy




Additional Project Server 2003 Administrative
And Maintenance Tools
NLB Cluster
Array
Testing And Monitoring Tools

Can help you with answering the following question:

As performance levels go down, what should you do to get
back to expected service levels?
25.1.2 Smoke Test Utility

Performs a series of tests to verify
the basic functionality of a Microsoft
Office Project Server 2003
installation and reports the results
and performance timings of each
test that is run
Caution: It may appear at times as if Smoke Test is not
executing – this is not correct: it is just waiting on resources
Smoke Test Tool

Use to verify the basic functionality of a Project Server
2003 installation

Generates results and performance timings from each
test that it performs

This test was designed to be used over time to track
performance changes:

As hardware changes

As network traffic changes

As number of Project Server users change

As the EPM Solution architecture changes
SmokeTest Tests











Navigate – time required to direct Internet Explorer to the
server login page
Login – time required to login
TasksView – time required to go to the Tasks View page
ViewPortfolioOpen – time required to open all views for a
portfolio
ViewHomePage – time required to go to the Home page
ViewResourcesOpen – time required to open all views for
Enterprise resources
ViewResourceAvailabilityOpen – time required to open
views for availability for all Enterprise resources
ViewProjectOpen – time required to open an enterprise
project in Project Professional
EnterpriseProjectOpenReadWrite The time it takes to
open an enterprise project read/write in Project
Professional
EnterpriseProjectSave The time it takes to save an
enterprise project in Project Professional
Logout The time it takes to log out of Project
Professional
Smoke Test - Results Page
Results stored in Results.xml in
installation directory

Loads automatically
when Utility has
executed

Access Results Page –
select File command,
View Results option
from set-up
Smoke Test - Analyzing Results

Single Run - unless some value is
extremely high compared to what was
expected then a single run will not
give much information

Multiple Runs (some things may have
changed) – very valuable as it shows
the effect on performance of changes
made

Keep track of all changes or chances
to solve problems are not great
ConnInfo Utility

Project Server 2003 stores information in
the registry about the location of the Project
Server database and which accounts are
associated with Project Server roles

If you change your configuration by moving
all or part of the database to a new
computer, you must update the information
in the registry

Use the ConnInfo tool to update this
information

ConnInfo tool can be used for single as
well as partitioned database update
Project Server Health Monitor Tool

Designed to provide detection and notification of
specific system components that are responding
slowly or not at all in a Microsoft Project Server
2003 deployment

This tool will monitor the number of files in the
ViewDrop folder and the response time for
Project Data Service (PDS) calls

You can configure thresholds for the number of
files in the ViewDrop folder - If any of these
thresholds are exceeded, the Project Server
Health Monitor can record this information in a
log file or notify you by email
Project Server Health Monitor Tool

To run Project Server Health Monitor:

Run the PSHealthMon.exe file
Administrative and Maintenance Tools

Well Known Utilities: (may be used during the initial setup and
configuration of Project Server)



PSCOMPlus Tool
PROXYCFG Tool
Other Tools Available:








Project Server Cleaner Utility
EditSite Utility
Rename Project Utility
Restore Single Project Utility
Project Server Set Tracing Utility
View Backup and Restore Tool
View Effective Rights Tool
View Populator Utility
NLB Cluster
Array
Project Server Cleaner Utility

Tool that can be used by project
managers, resource managers, and
administrators to bulk delete unwanted
enterprise projects and enterprise
resources from the Microsoft Office
Project Server 2003 database

Administrators will be able to delete any
enterprise project or enterprise resource
in the Project Server database

Also allows bulk check-in of projects and
resources
Project Server
Database
Project Server Cleaner Utility

Download and run the file
PSCleanerDownload.exe from the Microsoft
Download Center

Run the file Setup.msi to install Project Server
Cleaner
Project Server
Database
EditSite Utility

Create a Project Server hosted deployment
and to edit the properties for existing hosted
sites

In a Project Server hosted deployment, a
single installation of Project Server hosts
multiple instances of Project Web Access,
each with its own SQL Server database
Edit Site
EditSite Utility

Download and run the file EditSiteDownload.exe from
the Microsoft Download Center

You must run Edit Site on the computer on which
Project Server is installed, and you must be an
administrator on the computer running Project Server
and the computers running the Project Server Views
Notification Service and Windows SharePoint Services,
if applicable
Edit Site
Rename Project Utility

Enables Project Server 2003 administrators to
rename a project, or multiple projects, stored in
the same SQL Server database

Tool combines a PDS extension with an
application

Using this tool requires three steps:

Downloading the file package from the Microsoft
Download Center

Installing the PDS extension

Preparing the application

Rename Project Utility
Running the Application:




Double-click Renameproj.exe from the download
location, and then click Login
Enter the URL for the Project Server, and then enter
your user name and password
Select a project from the list of available projects, and
then click Rename
In the Rename Project To dialog box, type a new
name, and then click OK
Restore Single Project Utility

Restore a single project to an earlier state
using the restorep.exe utility

You will need to restore a backup of the
Project Server database under a different
name to the same server where your main
Project Server database is located

If you are using Windows SharePoint
Services as part of your Project Server
deployment, you may want to restore a
backup of Windows SharePoint Services to a
point consistent with that of your Project
Server backup
Restore Project
Database
Restore Single Project Utility

To restore a single project:


Restore Project
Download the file RestorePDownload.exe
from the Microsoft Download Center
Install RestoreP.exe
Database


Restore the databases containing the project
you want to restore
When you have restored the project and
verified the desired functionality, you can
remove the restored databases and the
Windows SharePoint Services virtual server
Restoring a single project takes a lot of effort – make sure that
the project you are restoring is worth all the effort !!
Project Server Set Tracing Utility

Uses the Project Server Tracing Service
to log application errors to the Event
Viewer

Allows you to redirect the tracing output
to a log file, or to the Event Viewer and a
log file
SetTracing Utility
View Backup and Restore Tool

Command line tool that will back up and
restore the views you create in Project
Web Access

Use this tool to move views to a different
Project Server

The following types of views can be
backed up and restored to another
server:





Project views
Project Center views
Assignment views
Resource Center views
Time Sheet views
View Effective Rights Tool

Enables Project Server 2003
administrators to more easily
troubleshoot issues with
security settings and access
control by combining a PDS
extension with a Project Web
Access ASP page

Enables administrators to
identify the projects or
resources to which users have
access
View Effective Rights Tool

Create an effective rights query by selecting the following dropdown options:
View Populator Utility

Useful in the following scenarios:



Disaster recovery of your Project Server
deployment
Publishing projects that did not publish
properly
Troubleshooting the Views Notification
Service
View 2
Places XML files in your Project
Server ViewDrop folder for each
project you publish
View 3

View 4
Publish projects without using Project
Professional
View 5

Questions ?????????