Let me add my two cents. There are as Ron said two kinds of context switches. One kind occurs when the processor switches between two user mode tasks. So, if Ron and I are both running an application on the same server when the CPU switches between doing work for Ron and work for me, that causes a context switch. That is a GOOD context switch, because it is indicative of the CPU doing what it is suppose to do, which is move so rapidly between doing work for different users that each user never notices. The second type of context switch occurs when the CPU goes from user mode to kernel mode, and then back again (two Context Switches). These are BAD context switches, because when the CPU goes into Kernel mode it blocks user mode operations and slows everything down. So, you need to find out what kind of context switches you are getting. Since MS does not do us the favor of breaking them out, the only way to find out is to look at other indicators of heavy Kernel Mode operations and see if they are pegged as well. Try looking at pages/sec and page faults/sec. If you see a heavy correlation between these and the context switches you may have an indicator that it is kernel mode related. If it is, call me, because I have something new that I cannot talk about on the list that we might want to discuss. Cheers, Bernd Harzog CEO RTO Software 678-455-5506 x701 bernd@xxxxxxxxxxx www.rtosoft.com -----Original Message----- From: Ron Oglesby [mailto:roglesby@xxxxxxxxxxxx]=20 Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 12:30 PM To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [THIN] Re: Context Switches Well context switches are really the processor switching between tasks or going between user mode and kernel mode tasks. A lot of time I think this can be due to the TYPE of application and what it does. I have a document imaging/managing software at a client that will get the context switches up in the 30 - 35,000 range with a low proc queue and proc utilization at about 60%. This software uses a tome of different types of databases (SQL, Oracle, and something else) as different backend servers and is a little graphic intense. The NICs, Memory, Disk, Proc all are still ok, but every time we get these things up to 30,000 performance starts to degrade. Now of course this is 30,000 steadily, not spikes. And only 27-30 users on DL 360 G2's Of course on the same hardware and builds I am hosting Office apps for like 50 and 60 users with context switches not a problem. Anyway, haven't found a relief for it yet. Hoping hyper threading has an effect on this. Ron Oglesby Senior Technical Architect =3D20 RapidApp Office 312.372.7188 Mobile 312.961.2380 email roglesby@xxxxxxxxxxxx =3D20 -----Original Message----- From: Schneider, Chad M. [mailto:CMSchneider@xxxxxxxxx]=3D20 Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 11:20 AM To: 'thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx' Subject: [THIN] Re: Context Switches I know one really spiked, as the chart now shows the 125,000 marker. -----Original Message----- From: Ron Oglesby [mailto:roglesby@xxxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 11:02 AM To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [THIN] Re: Context Switches 100,000... Cooooool What type of hardware. DL 360s start to get slow at like 30,000 Ron Oglesby Senior Technical Architect =3D3D20 RapidApp Office 312.372.7188 Mobile 312.961.2380 email roglesby@xxxxxxxxxxxx =3D3D20 -----Original Message----- From: Schneider, Chad M. [mailto:CMSchneider@xxxxxxxxx]=3D3D20 Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 10:50 AM To: 'thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx' Subject: [THIN] Context Switches Any way to tell which app/apps are causing my large context switch usage? My servers run high all day, some spikes over 100,000. Chad M. Schneider Technology Analyst II Curwood, Inc. 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