Sun Microsystems Portal Server 6 2005Q1, Planning Manual

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Portal Sizing
Chapter 4 Pre-Deployment Considerations 69
When you calculate transaction time, size your Portal Server so that processing
time under regular or peak load conditions does not exceed your performance
requirement threshold and so that you can sustain processing time over time.
Workload Conditions
Workload conditions are the most predominantly used system and JVM software
resources on a system. These conditions largely depend on user behavior and the
type of portal you deploy.
The most commonly encountered workload conditions on Portal Server software
affect:
• System performance
Portal Server performance is impacted when a large number of concurrent
requests are handled (such as a high activity profile). For example, during peak
hours in a business-to-enterprise portal, a significant number of company
employees connect to the portal at the same time. Such a scenario creates a
CPU-intensive workload. In addition, the ratio of concurrent users to
connected users is high.
• System capacity
Portal Server capacity begins to be impacted when large numbers of users log
in. As more users login, users use more of the available memory, and
subsequently, less memory is available to process requests made to the server.
For example, in a business-to-consumer web portal, a large number of
logged-in users are redirected to external web sites once the initial Portal
Desktop display is loaded. However, as more users continue to login, users
create the need for more memory, even though the ratio of users submitting
requests to Portal Server and the users merely logged-in is low.
Depending on the user’s behavior at certain times of the day, week, or month,
Portal Server can switch between CPU-intensive and memory-intensive
workloads. The portal site administrator must determine the most important
workload conditions to size and tune the site to meet the enterprise’s business
goals.
Customize the Baseline Sizing Figures
Establishing an appropriate sizing estimate for your Portal Server deployment is an
iterative process. You might wish to change the inputs to generate a range of sizing
results. Customizing your Portal Server deployment can greatly affect its
performance.