Presentation Slides

Thanks to Eric and Robert for their excellent technical presentation on managing, measuring, and diagnosing J2EE performance. Despite the leaps in processor power, network bandwidth, and inexpensive RAM, testing performance is still absolutely critical. Eric discussed measuring performance using the Vantage product from CompuWare. Unlike a profiler, this tool assesses the impact of network latency via a packet sniffer and ties this information back into remote method calls and database transactions. Network latency can wreak havoc on application performance by slowing down database transaction. Vantage instruments a java codebase, development, testing, or production and also provides statistics on memory usage among other metrics. The 'profiling' can be disabled but turned on immediately when application performance drops - thus allowing on to identify long transaction, memory leaks, etc. without having to restart and attempt to simulate the problem. While J2EE was the focus of the presentation, the tool can easily be used with a J2SE Swing application and can collect data from machines distributes across the net. This was a very interesting and educational vendor presentation!

Abstract

Managing the performance of enterprise Java applications in a pre-production / production environment has become a difficult problem that challenges IT organization's traditional tools and processes.  When these critical Java applications perform poorly or become unavailable, it has a negative and immediate impact on business operations and a longer-term effect on company image and reputation.  To ensure success and meet business goals, organizations developing Java applications need to also consider the management of Java applications and services once they are deployed.  This presentation will focus on the ways IT staff can proactively manage J2EE applications in a way that meets service levels and contributes to business goals.  This presentation will help in:

• Identifying performance issues inside the J2EE black box
• Understanding infrastructure dependencies and their effects on performance
• Identifying and fixing memory leaks that lead to costly downtime
• Establishing a basis for realistic service levels

With effective management tools and processes, IT managers can analyze performance, prioritize problems and effectively solve them according to the impact on the business.  The net result is a more efficient IT operation that successfully incorporates leading-edge technologies such as J2EE into business-critical systems.

Speaker

Robert Bongo is an account manager for Compuware Corporation, a recognized industry leader in enterprise software and IT services that helps maximize the value of technology investments.   Mr. Bongo’s career includes various roles in IT consulting, Account Management and Sales for notable companies such as CW Costello and Associates, BearingPoint (formerly KPMG Consulting) and Akamai Technologies. 

Eric Chaves is a Compuware engineer focusing on end-to-end application monitoring.  He has been with Compuware for seven years and consults with key clients on effective ways to manage the performance and availability of key applications.  Prior to Compuware he worked with SAIC as a systems analyst.

Raffles