5. DATABASE FILES › 5.2 SNT Information Area › 5.2.15 CA NetSpy Virtual Route Activity File (SNTNVR) › 5.2.15.3 Usage Considerations

5.2.15.3 Usage Considerations

This section identifies special considerations or techniques
related to using the SNTNVR File.  In addition, we provide a
retrieval example to facilitate the use of this file.


In the examples, a SAS macro variable is used to specify the
DDname part of the CA MICS file name. These macro variables
are a standard part of CA MICS and are available for all
files. The macro variable name has the form &diiit, where d
is the database identifier, iii is the information area
name, and t is the timespan.  For the examples, a database
identifier of P is used.  The identifier is installation
dependent, so you should find out what the identifiers are at
your installation.

Special Considerations/Techniques

1. Exercise care in using the special date and time data
   elements contained in each CA MICS file.  As file
   granularity increases in higher timespans, certain fields
   lose significance and should not be used in those cases.

   o HOUR should not be used in MONTHS.
   o DAY and DAYNAME should not be used in WEEKS or MONTHS.
   o WEEKS should not be used in MONTHS.

2. The following data elements are user-defined.  The value
   in each depends on user-selected options or user-supplied
   SAS code:

   o NETWRKID--Network Identifier.  A one to eight-character
     descriptive name for each network represented in the
     data.  NETWRKID is set in the Network Identifier Exit
     Routine, SNTNIDRT, discussed in Chapter 7 of this guide.

   o TMOFFSET--TIME OFFSET applied to the data in the file.
     The user can associate a TIME OFFSET with each unique
     NETWRKID/SYSID combination.  This offset is used to
     adjust data times when data from multiple time zones is
     brought together in the CA MICS database.  To determine
     the original time at which the data was recorded,
     subtract TMOFFSET from the value.  TIME OFFSET is
     assigned in the SNTOPS member of prefix.MICS.PARMS,
     discussed in Chapter 7 of this guide.

3. The following data elements lose significance once
   summarization has been performed.  Reference these data
   elements only when the last observed value in a
   summarization interval is significant.

   NSPYVER  - CA NetSpy Version and Release ID
   TMOFFSET - TIME OFFSET

4. User selection of CA NetSpy options determine what
   terminal information is contained in the source data and
   what is omitted.

Retrieval Example

Assume that complaints about poor response time have been
received from a group of end users.  After examining
information from the CA NetSpy Terminal File (SNTNSS), you
determine that there is excessive delay in the network and
identify virtual route 1 between subareas 1 and 27 as being
the virtual route traversed by the problem sessions.  You are
now interested in determining whether the excessive network
delay is occurring in the backbone or the boundary portion of
the network.

The following example will list the average backbone response
times for virtual route 1 between subareas 1 and 27 for each
CA NetSpy monitor interval during the previous day. From this
information, you will be able to determine whether the
excessive delay is occurring in the backbone network.  If it
is not, then you have to focus your attention on the boundary
segment of the network.

DATA WKFILE;
  SET &PSNTX..SNTNVR01;
  IF NVRHSA EQ 1 AND NVRDSA EQ 27 AND NVRVRRTE EQ 1;

PROC PRINT DATA=WKFILE;
  ID NVRHSA NVRDSA NVRVRRTE;
  VAR NVRAVNTM NVRNRESC NVRNRBYS NVRNRTOP;