Analyzing Your Current System
Analyzing your current system configuration can help you better understand how it affects overall system performance. After you analyze your site, you can use the information that you gather to tune and scale all areas of your site. For example, you may want to change the configuration, adjust the way the software works, or improve the hardware.
As you tune and scale your site, you may have to change your current configuration. You must know the current configuration of your system in order to accurately determine the effect a change in configuration has on performance. Analysis of the baseline configuration of your system should include an assessment of the following:
Hardware. Inventory each computer configuration. This includes boards, peripherals (excluding mouse or keyboard), and network devices. Create a system diagram to show how parts are logically connected and what purpose they serve. For example, indicate whether a server is a Web server or a database server. For a sample system diagram, see Building an Enterprise Deployment.
Network configuration. Your network configuration inventory should include the following:
CPU type, speed, quantity, cache size, and cache settings
Memory type, quantity, and size
Disk subsystem controller card
Disk speed and drive type
SCSI protocol and Fiber protocol
Software. Describe the software that each computer uses and how it interacts with software on other computers. When documenting the software installed on each computer, include the following:
Build numbers.
Logical interface between applications. For example, if an application is retrieving data from a table in a database, describe that relationship.
Service packs.
Setup options used when you install the software.
System settings. For example, document your virtual memory configuration, such as /3GB switch. Document your Internet Information Services (IIS) isolation level, and your IIS Server Manager settings, for example, session state caching (off/on), ASP debugging (should be off), and ASP buffering (should be off).
In addition to describing your software configuration, create a software diagram.
Content. Describe the content you added to each type of server since you installed Commerce Server 2007. For example, you should document each file and the directory structure in which files are stored on Web servers and database servers. You should also document information, such as permission settings, for the file system, database scripts, configuration files, data files, and so on.
Load balancing. Describe any locations where you are using Network Load Balancing (NLB). For example, have you scaled your site across multiple servers that use NLB or hardware load balancing?
Document your management practices. Describe how you archive log files when you back up databases. Describe how you distribute databases across disks.