How long a priority job (priority 1, 2, and 3)
waits to be run.
This information can be used to change your
existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and aid
in preparing schedules. For example, you might want
to change the maximum time a priority job waits to be
run.
HARDWARE UTILIZATION REPORTS
In addition to the application software performance
reports, you will prepare the reports that cover hardware
utilization. Your hardware utilization reports should
include the following types of information:
The amount of system idle time;
The amount of system setup time;
The amount of system production time;
The amount of downtime, not only for the whole
system but also for each particular piece of
equipment. (This could help you explain why
the idle time seems unusually high, if it does.)
This information can help you schedule the work for
your system. Keep in mind that under-utilization of
hardware can result in a loss of equipment and/or
personnel. Equipment may be removed if it is not being
fully used. If you aren’t doing the amount of work for
the number of people assigned, you may have billets
taken away.
OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE
REPORTS
Operating system software reports are primarily
used for the AIS facility’s research. They can cover
such problems as hardware under-utilization and
application software aborts.
Hardware under-utilization can be measured by
excessive idle time. This can be caused by no jobs to
be run or no users logged on. Also, constant or
excessive downtime for a specific piece of equipment
with no effect on production will be considered as a
waste of hardware.
Some of the most common problems that result in
application software aborts are as follows:
Wrong file specified. The wrong-file-specified
abort can be caused by transposing the characters
in the file name or inputting an old file instead
of the new file.
Job run out of sequence. The job-run-out-of-
sequence abort can be caused by the schedule
being incomplete, not listing all the jobs, or the
schedule not being turned in on time. Another
cause might be an inexperienced operator
running the wrong job.
File corrupted. The file-corrupted abort is
normally caused by a system failure. This can
be the result of a disk head crash, the loss of
power, or a power fluctuation.
File not available. The file-not-available abort
is caused when the input file was not received or
when the job was run out of sequence and the
input file has not been created yet.
Out of free disk space. The out-of-free disk-
space abort is usually a result of poor
housekeeping techniques. For example, files
that are no longer needed have not been
removed. Be sure housekeeping tasks are
performed on a regular basis. This problem also
can be remedied by using some of the
performance-tuning initiatives discussed later in
this chapter.
These operating system software reports are a good
source of information for preparing the management
reports and aiding in the performance-tuning initiatives.
We also need these reports for background information
for submitting trouble reports, which are covered later
in this chapter.
EQUIPMENT INVENTORIES
With the ever-increasing need to trim the budget,
AIS resources have become a critical area. This is
causing a real need for accurate and complete computer
hardware inventories. We must verify the accuracy of
these inventories annually to ensure we can support our
command’s mission.
When new equipment is acquired, it is to be added
to the inventory. The inventory will contain such
information as:
l Manufacturer;
l Type of equipment;
l Model number;
l Serial number;
Q Minor property number;
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