Introduction

Chapter 1 introduces the Forecast Capacity Planner program, what you will need to run it, and who to contact if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions. At the end of this chapter is a list of references to other sources of information relating to Forecast, host collectors, and performance monitoring. This chapter contains the following sections:

Welcome to Forecast Capacity Planner

Forecast Capacity Planner is a performance, capacity-planning tool that allows system administrators and planners to answer questions about cost efficiency and system performance throughout the life of a computer system.

Forecast Capacity Planner (also referred to as Forecast) is a PC-based software tool that uses data gathered by a host-based collector program to calculate and report present and future system performance. Full-color graphs and reports allow system administrators and capacity planners to predict future hardware requirements, as well as determine the effect of application changes.

Capacity planning is an integral part of managing computer resources for future growth. By developing and maintaining a capacity planning strategy for your operation, you can ensure the efficient management of your organization’s computer assets.

System Requirements

The Windows-based Forecast Capacity Planner program requires the following system hardware and software.

Hardware

Personal computer with a 486/33 or higher processor (Pentium 166 recommended)

16 megabytes (MB) of RAM (32 MB recommended)

8 MB of free hard disk space (16 MB required for installation)

10X CD-ROM drive

256-color VGA or better video

Two-button mouse (a three-button mouse is recommended)

Connectivity to the host system

Software

Microsoft Windows 9X/NT 4.0/2000 operating system

Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x (or higher) Web browser

Internet Explorer should be installed on your system to enable specific system files to be updated.

A host data collector:

SOS/3000 Performance Advisor by Lund Performance Solutions

SOS/9000 Performance Advisor by Lund Performance Solutions

FTP (file transfer protocol) or terminal emulation software to transfer data log files from the host system to the PC

Product Support

When you purchase support from Lund Performance Solutions, you benefit from the knowledge and experience of our technical support team. We are glad to help you interpret data and resolve performance issues. Our contracted product support entitles you to receive timely updates, bug fixes, documentation and direct technical support.

Lund Performance Solutions Main Offices

Postal Address

Internet URL

Telephone Number

For customer and technical support, call (541) 812-7600, Monday through Friday during the hours of 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Pacific time, excluding holidays.

Fax Number

E-mail Addresses


Sales Team	info@lund.com
Technical Support Team	support@lund.com
Documentation Team	documentation@lund.com
Certified Trainers	lti@lund.com
Consulting Team	lcs@lund.com

Lund Performance Solutions Sales Team

Lund Performance Solutions’ professional sales team is available to answer your sales and customer support questions Monday through Friday during the hours 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Pacific time, excluding major holidays.

Please contact your sales representative for information about the latest Lund Performance Solutions products, the Lund Software Subscription Plan, upgrade options and prices, and more.

Lund Performance Solutions Technical Support Team

At Lund Performance Solutions, we are working hard to provide you with intuitive software products. Additionally, we try to provide superior online and printed documentation. However, should you find yourself with a technical question that you cannot answer with the tools provided, please contact our technical support team.

Our website also contains helpful information and FAQs for many technical support questions. Visit http://www.lund.com/support/documentation.html.


	NOTE You must be a registered user to access Lund Performance Solutions’ support services. Lund Performance Solutions’ support services are subject to Lund Performance Solutions’ prices, terms, and conditions in place at the time the service is used.

E-mail Tech Support

Ask questions and receive detailed answers from the technical support team by sending an e- mail message to support@lund.com. Please include the product version with your question. You will receive a reply by e-mail.

Telephone Tech Support

The technical support team is available by phone at (541) 812-7600, Monday through Friday during the hours 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Pacific time, excluding major holidays. Lund Performance Solutions also provides after-hours emergency support, seven days a week.

When you call, please be at your computer, have the product documentation in hand, and be prepared to provide the following information:

Product name and version number.

Type of computer hardware you are using.

Software version number of your operating system(s).

Exact wording of any messages that appear on your screen.

What you were doing when the problem occurred.

How you tried to solve the problem.

Lund Performance Solutions Documentation Team

Lund Performance Solutions makes every effort to produce the highest quality documentation for our products, and we welcome your feedback. If you have comments or suggestions about our online Help or printed guides, send an e-mail message to documentation@lund.com or contact your account manager.

Lund Training Institute Certified Trainers

Lund Training Institute (LTI) presents system performance training courses at their corporate training center in Oregon and at various locations across the United States and Canada throughout the year. The Certified Trainer Program is designed for trainers from all educational areas, including academia, consulting, and business.

For information about Lund Training Institute or to receive an application, please review the LTI Web site (http://www.lund.com/Training/index.html), send an e-mail message to lti@lund.com, or contact your Lund account manager.

Lund Consulting Services IT Consultants

Lund Consulting Services, a division of Lund Performance Solutions, offers strategic IT solutions and expert support to a wide range of businesses. Our team of experienced IT professionals provides onsite consulting, training, and project management services to help businesses optimize their computer resources and achieve long-lasting success.

For information about Lund Consulting Services, please review our Web site at http:// www.lund.com/Consulting/Index.html, send an e-mail message to lcs@lund.com, or contact your account manager.

Product Documentation

User’s Guide

This user’s guide accompanies the Forecast Capacity Planner software as a guide for the new user and as a quick reference for experienced users.

This guide assumes that you have a working knowledge of the Windows operating system.

Document Conventions

The user interface in Forecast is designed to accommodate a variety of work styles. Some users prefer using standard menu commands; others are more comfortable with shortcut menus, keyboard commands or toolbar buttons.

Generally, standard menu commands appear in the procedural sections of this document. Alternative methods of accessing menus, controls, and commands are discussed in "Keyboard Commands".

Online Help System

In the online Help system, you will find explanations of the many features of Forecast, as well as tips to guide you through the program’s basic functionality.

Reference Materials

Quantitative System Performance, Computer System Analysis Using Queueing Network Models, Edward D. Lazowska, John Zahojan, G. Scott Graham, and Kenneth C. Sevcik. Copyright ©1984 by Prentice-Hall, Inc.