Menus and Commands
Overview
Forecast Capacity Planner has a total of seven main menus. (The Edit, Forecast, and Window
menus will not display until a collection or model is loaded.)
21.gif)
Figure 8.1 Forecast Menu Bar (validated model)
The Forecast Capacity Planner menus and their contents change as you proceed through the
loading, validation, and forecast graphing processes, depending on the current open window and
the status of the current model. There are three main windows in the program:
Logo screen
Main Program window (unvalidated model)
Main Program window (validated model)
File Menu and Commands
The File menu (shown in
Figure 8.2) lists commands to:
Create, load, save, close, and delete models
Print and send reports
Load and save resources
Load, save, and restore a desktop
Recall a recently-used file
Exit the program
Figure 8.2 File menu before and after loading a collection
New Model
The New Model command enables you to create a blank model and enter the data manually
without the use of a data collection file. If you plan to use this option, please contact Lund
Performance Solutions for assistance (see
"Lund Performance Solutions Technical Support
Team").
To open a new model:
On the File menu, click New Model.
On the File menu, click Save Model As....
In the Save As dialog box, click Save to save the model to the default location on your computer.
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NOTE When creating a new model, it is possible to populate the new model from an existing one. Open an existing model and a new model, select a workload group from the existing model and drag the workload group to the Workloads pane of your new model.
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Load/Validate Model
The Load/Validate Model command opens an existing model file (*.mdl) or a new collection file
(*.col).
To load and validate a new model:
On the File menu, click Load/Validate Model. The Open dialog displays.
9.gif)
Figure 8.3 Open dialog box
In the Files of type list, select Collections (*col).
Click once on the collection file to select the file.
Click Open to load the collection file. If naming conventions between the host system and the PC differ, the Choose CPU dialog box will appear (see Figure 8.4).
Figure 8.4 Choose CPU dialog box
Once you have found and selected the appropriate CPU, click OK. If you can not find your
CPU by name, then you can choose a CPU that closely resembles your CPU based on the
following settings:
Type: the type of system (i.e. MPE or HP-UX).
Adj: relative performance factor. This number is produced by Hewlett-Packard.
CM Adj: Compatibility Mode performance factor. Certain CPUs have a more difficult time running software that is written in CM mode rather than Native mode.
CPUs number: how many CPUs are contained within the system.
As the loading process runs, a list of warnings and informational messages appear in the Validation Messages dialog box.
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Figure 8.5 Validation Messages dialog box
Review the messages presented in the Validation Messages dialog box and decide what, if any, influence they have on your model. Consider the following examples.
Table 8.1 Example validation messages
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Validation Message
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Description
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Workload NETBASE contains multiple process priorities
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"Multiple process priorities" means that there are processes defined in the NETBASE workload group with different queues. Therefore, the NETBASE workload group may not be homogeneous. (See "Identifying and Characterizing Workload Groups" for information on homogeneous workload groups.) In these cases, the program assumes the highest priority for all processes.
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Workload LA contains both jobs and sessions
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The workload group LA contains both jobs (batch processes) and sessions (interactive processes). Batch and interactive processes use system resources differently. (See "Identifying and Characterizing Workload Groups" for information on mixing batch and interactive processes in single workload groups.)
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In both examples, it may or may not be necessary to redefine the workload groups and
repeat the collection and reduction processes on the host system. For instance, if the
workload group NETBASE accounts for only a small percentage of total CPU utilization on
the host system, the effect on the model and your forecast may be negligible.
You can print the contents of the Validation Messages box for reference. (See "Print Notes".)
Once you are satisfied that the messages in the Validation Messages dialog box will not affect the model, click OK to close the box and complete the loading process.
Save Model
The Save Model... command saves the active document to the current name and directory. If you
want to change the name or directory before saving the model, choose the Save Model As...
command instead.
To save a validated model: On the File menu, click Save Model....
Save Model As...
The Save Model As... command enables you to save and name a validated model using a
standard Windows Save As dialog box. (Refer to your Windows documentation for instructions.)
To save an active document without changing the name or directory, choose the Save Model
command instead.
Close
Use the Close command to close all active windows in the document and return to the Logo
screen. When you close an unnamed document, the Save As dialog box will display so you can
name and save the document.
Delete
The Delete menu item has four submenu commands that enable you to delete the forecast model
or specific components of the model:
Model
Collection
Desktop
Resources
Delete Model
The Delete Model command enables you to delete a model.
On the File menu, click Delete.
From the Delete submenu, click Model.
In the Delete model file dialog box, select the model file (*.mdl) to delete.
Figure 8.6 Delete model file dialog box
Click Delete to delete the file, or click Cancel to abort the deletion process.
Delete Collection
The Delete Collection command enables you to delete a collection file.
On the File menu, click Delete.
From the Delete submenu, click Collection.
In the Delete collection file dialog box, select the collection file (*.col) to delete.
Click Delete to delete the file, or click Cancel to abort the deletion process.
Delete Desktop
The Delete Desktop command enables you to delete a desktop file.
On the File menu, click Delete.
From the Delete submenu, click Desktop.
In the Delete desktop file dialog box, select the desktop file (*.dsk) to delete.
Click Delete to delete the file, or click Cancel to abort the deletion process.
Delete Resources
The Delete Resources command enables you to delete a resource file.
On the File menu, click Delete.
From the Delete submenu, click Resources.
In the Delete resource file dialog box, select the resource file (*.dat) to delete.
Click Delete to delete the file, or click Cancel to abort the deletion process.
Print Setup...
The Print Setup... command opens the Print dialog box.
On the File menu, click Print Setup....
Select the pages to print, the number of copies, the destination printer, and other standard Windows print options.
Click OK.
Print Preview
The Print Preview command opens the report document for the active model in the Print
Preview window as it will appear when printed. Use the Print Preview toolbar to view pages in
the document, zoom in or out, and begin the printing process.
On the File menu, click Print Preview....
Use the Zoom In button to examine the page in closer detail, then click the Zoom Out button to view the entire page.
Use the Next Page and Previous Page buttons to view multiple pages, one page at a time.
Use the Two Page button to view two consecutive pages, side by side.
When you finish previewing the chart(s), either click Close to return to the program window, or choose the Print... command button to send the chart(s) to the printer.
Print
The Print command, with the exception of the Print Resources submenu command, is not
available in the Logo screen or the Main Program window of an unvalidated model.
The Print command has four submenu commands that enable you to print a forecast model,
graph, validation notes, the current screen, or resources associated with the current model.
Print Model
The Print Model command sends the forecast report for the active model to your default printer.
Print Graph
The Print Graph command creates a graph for the active model and sends it to your default
printer.
Print Notes
The Print Notes command sends the validation notes for the active model to your default printer.
Print Screen
The Print Screen command sends a graphic representation of the current screen to your default
printer.
Print Resources
The Print Resources command sends the complete listing of all the available CPUs and disks
listed in Forecast to your default printer. This listing also includes the CPU adjustment factor for
HP-UX systems, the Native Mode and Compatibility Mode factors for MPE, and the Access Time
for each disk. This command is available from the Logo screen and the Main Program window of
an unvalidated model.
Send...
The Send command enables you to send the active model as an e-mail attachment file using the
Microsoft Exchange Setup Wizard. (Please refer to your Windows documentation for information.)
Load Resources
The Load Resources command loads a new resource file.
On the File menu, click Load Resources.
In the Load Resources From dialog box, select the resource file (*.dat) to load.
Click OK.
Save Resources
The Save Resources command saves the currently-loaded resource file using the same file
name and directory location. To change the file name or directory location, choose the Save
Resources As... command.
Save Resources As
The Save Resources As... command enables you to save the currently-loaded resource file with
a different file name or directory location using the Save Resources As dialog box.
Load Desktop
A desktop is the current state of the Forecast Capacity Planner display area, which includes the
size and position of the Main Program window, saved to disk as a desktop file (*.dsk).
The Load Desktop command loads a previously-saved desktop file (*.dsk).
On the File menu, click Load Desktop.
In the Open dialog box, select the desktop file to open.
Click Open to load the file or Cancel to abort the process.
Save Desktop
At any time during the validating and forecasting processes, you can save and rename the current
desktop to preserve any changes to the model. This can be useful if you plan to generate
multiple-performance projections from your baseline model.
The Save Desktop command saves all of your current settings, links to currently-opened files,
and window layout options, as a named file using the Save As dialog box.
Restore Layout
The Restore Layout command restores all settings from a previously-saved desktop, without
opened files or layout options.
On the File menu, click Restore Layout.
From the Open dialog box, select the desktop file (*.dsk) to restore.
Click Open to restore the file or click Cancel to abort the process.
Recently Used Files
The File menu contains a list of the four most-recently-used Forecast Capacity Planner files. On
the File menu, click the file name to open the file.
Exit
The Exit command ends the current session of Forecast Capacity Planner. If the current model is
not saved, the Save As dialog box displays so you can name and save the document.
Edit Menu and Commands
The Edit menu commands (
Figure 8.7) are described in the following sections.
Figure 8.7 Edit menu
Undo
The Undo command cancels the last operation executed in the program. It is only available in the
Main Program window of a validated model.
Redo
The Redo command restores the last operation cancelled by the Undo command. This command
is only available in the Main Program window of a validated model.
Cut
The Cut command removes selected text or data from the document and places it in temporary
memory so that the cut portion of the document can be inserted (pasted) elsewhere. This
command is only available in the Main Program window of a validated model.
Copy
The Copy command duplicates selected text or data from a document and places it in temporary
memory so that the copied portion of the document can be inserted (pasted) elsewhere (either in
the same document or in another document). This command is only available in the Main
Program window of a validated model.
Paste
The Paste command inserts selected text or data that has been cut or copied from one document
into a different location in the same document or a different document. This command is only
available in the Main Program window of a validated model.
Edit
The Edit command opens the Edit dialog box associated with the selected item:
Add
The Add command adds a new disk drive or workload group to the end of the disk drive or
workload group list that contains the selected item. CPUs cannot be added.
The Add command is only available in the Main Program window of a validated model.
Insert
The Insert command inserts a new disk drive or workload group following the selected like item
on the screen. CPUs cannot be added.
This command is only available in the Main Program window of a validated model.
Delete
The Delete command eliminates the selected text or data from a document permanently. This
command is only available in the Main Program window of a validated model.
Options Menu and Commands
The Options menu commands (
Figure 8.8) are described in the following sections.
Figure 8.8 Options menu
Report Fonts
The Report Fonts command opens a standard Windows Font dialog box (
Figure 8.9). The
options selected in the Font dialog box affect the fonts in all reports and possibly the first graph
display. (See also,
"Fonts Options".)
Figure 8.9 Font dialog box
View Options
The View Options command opens the View Options dialog box, which contains two tabs:
General and View Background.
General View Options
To set general view options:
On the Options menu, click View Options. The View Options dialog box will display (Figure 8.10).
Figure 8.10 View Options dialog box: General tab
From the list box in the General tab, select the component of the model to which the option will apply.
From the General tab in the View Options dialog box, enter or select new options as described in Table 8.2.
Table 8.2 General View options
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Option
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Instructions
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Label text color
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From the Label text color drop-down list box, select a color to apply to the model component:
Select Automatic to apply the default color.
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