Chapter 1 Introduction

The tuning process

Tuning requires extensive testing to isolate bottlenecks and fix them. You must be systematic and test each potential fix as it is applied. Trying to fix multiple issues at once may introduce new problems. Use the tools described in this chapter to test and tune as described below.

The tuning process

Load test under expected peak load conditions, using a tool configured to mimic the typical request timings expected in production.
Find and fix any memory leaks and deadlocks. These problems may be discovered now if you have not load-tested before.
Identify problem areas in your code or configuration.
Focus efforts on tuning the relevant EAServer settings or application code. After each code or configuration change, repeat your functional tests to verify that the application still returns correct results, then repeat the performance test to check for improvement.

Try to identify where your tuning efforts will yield maximum gain. If tuning business logic or Web components, focus on the components and methods that are invoked most often. For example, it is better to shave .1 second from a method that is called twice a second than to shave 1 second from a method that is called once a minute. The latter optimization saves 60 seconds an hour, while the former saves 720.