Service Response Monitor › Test Management › Create Tests › File I/O Tests

File I/O Tests

The File I/O test monitors the amount of time required to perform one of the following operations on an NFS or SMB file system:

• Reading a file
• Writing to a file
• Writing to a file and then reading it
• Comparing two files

File I/O tests are turned off by default. Enable SRM to run File I/O tests by editing the svcrsp.cf file to uncomment the "allow_fileio" line by removing the preceding pound sign (#). For instructions on editing the svcrsp.cf file, refer to Edit the svcrsp.cf File Manually.

You can create File I/O tests and associate them with agents before you modify the svcrsp.cf file to enable them. However, the tests are created in the "Not Ready" state on the agent and cannot be changed to the active state (able to run) until you enable the File I/O tests as just described. This configuration file directive "allow_fileio" exists as a security measure. Because SRM runs as the root user, a File I/O test could write to the /etc/passwd or boot.ini file and cripple a system. Use caution when enabling and creating these tests.

The size of the file you are testing can affect the performance of the test. A sample test file exists in the drive:/sysedge/plugins/svcrsp directory.

Options and Arguments

File I/O tests require the following test-specific options and arguments:

• File Operation – The type of operation to perform; one of the following:
  • Read – Reads a test file. The file must exist on a local or remote mounted file system. You specify the path to the file to read in the Destination Filename field.
  • Write – Writes the contents of a local file to a test file on a remote file system and then deletes the test file. You specify the path to the source file in the Source Filename field and the path to the test file in the Destination Filename field. The source file must exist, and the destination file must not exist.
  • Read/Write – Writes the contents of a local file to a test file on a remote file system, reads the test file, compares the test file to the original file, and then deletes the test file. You specify the path to the source file in the Source Filename field and the path to the test file in the Destination Filename field. The source file must exist, and the destination file must not exist.
  • Compare – Reads in one file and then another and compares their contents. If the contents do not match, the test fails. You specify the source file and destination file in the Source Filename and Destination Filename fields. Both files must exist.

  Note: If you are testing a local file operation (such as from and to c:\), it is not necessary to specify host/login info. Host/login information is only needed for connecting to remote machines.

• Destination Filename – The complete path and file name to the local or remote test file. For the write and read/write operations, this file must not exist before the test creates it. For the read and compare operations, it must exist before the test runs.

  Note: When you are specifying pathnames, be sure to use the correct type of slashes for the operating system on which the test will run. That is, use forward slashes (/) when you specify directories for tests that you intend to run on UNIX systems and backslashes (\) when you specify directories for tests that you intend to run on Windows.

  In addition, the files you specify must exist on a mounted file system. The SystemEDGE agent and SRM do not mount file systems.

• User Name (Windows only) – A valid user name for this FTP server.
• Password (Windows only) – The password for the specified user name. SRM stores the password in encrypted form.

  Note: You retype the password in the Verify Password field to verify that you have entered it correctly.

• Domain (Windows only) – The domain of the user logging in to the server.

Specify these options and arguments when you create or modify tests.

Examples

This section includes examples for the read, write, read/write, and compare operations. Each sample test runs every 30 seconds and times out after 10 seconds if the operation is not successful. Statistics for response and availability are calculated over 120-second intervals.

Example 1: Reading a File

This example creates a test that monitors the amount of time to read the file located at F:\Test\testfile.bin.

To create a new test in a policy

1. Click + (New) on the Test Monitors toolbar.

   The New test pane appears.

2. From the Test Type list, select File I/O.
3. In the Description field, specify testfile.bin.
4. In the Test Name field, specify Read Operation.
5. In the Test Interval field, specify 30.
6. In the Test Timeout field, specify 10.
7. In the Samples Per Interval field, specify 1.
8. In the Statistics Window field, specify 120.
9. In the File Operation field, select Read.
10. In the Destination Filename field, specify F:\Test\testfile.bin.
11. Accept defaults for the other values.
12. Click Save Test.

When you commit your changes, SRM adds an entry similar to the following to the svcrsp.cf file:

{ 
index=11 
type=fileio
desc="Performing a read operation for testfile.bin." 
destination=F:\Test\testFile.bin
args="op=r" 
interval=30 
samples=1 
timeout=10 
window=120 
tos=0 
limit=0 
status=active 
name="Read Operation"
class=""
context=""
flags="1"
loglevel=3
}

Example 2: Writing a File

This example reads the C:\sysedge\bin\saFileIOTest.bin file and then writes the contents to F:\Test\WTest.bin.

To create a new test in a policy

1. Click + (New) on the Test Monitors toolbar.

   The New test pane appears.

2. From the Test Type list, select File I/O.
3. In the Description field, specify WTest.bin.
4. In the Test Name field, specify Write Operation.
5. In the Test Interval field, specify 30.
6. In the Test Timeout field, specify 10.
7. In the Samples Per Interval field, specify 1.
8. In the Statistics Window field, specify 120.
9. In the File Operation field, select Write.
10. In the Destination Filename field, specify F:\Test\WTest.bin.
11. In the Source Filename field, specify C:\sysedge\bin\saFileIOTest.bin.
12. Accept defaults for the other values.
13. Click Save Test.

When you commit your changes, SRM adds an entry similar to the following to the svcrsp.cf file:

{ 
index=22 
type=fileio
desc="Performing a write operation for WTest.bin." 
destination=F:\Test\WTest.bin
args="op=w&local=C:\sysedge\bin\saFileIOTest.bin" 
interval=30 
samples=1 
timeout=10 
window=120 
tos=0 
status=active 
name="Write Operation"
class=""
context=""
flags="1"
loglevel=3
}

Example 3: Writing and Reading a File

This example reads the C:\sysedge\bin\saFileIOTest.bin file, writes the contents to F:\Test\RWTest.bin, and then reads F:\Test\WTest.bin.

To create a new test in a policy

1. Click + (New) on the Test Monitors toolbar.

   The New test pane appears.

2. From the Test Type list, select File I/O.
3. In the Description field, specify RWTest.bin.
4. In the Test Name field, specify Read-Write Operation.
5. In the Test Interval field, specify 30.
6. In the Test Timeout field, specify 10.
7. In the Samples Per Interval field, specify 1.
8. In the Statistics Window field, specify 120.
9. In the File Operation field, select Read/Write.
10. In the Destination Filename field, specify F:\Test\RWTest.bin.
11. In the Source Filename field, specify C:\sysedge\bin\saFileIOTest.bin.
12. Accept defaults for the other values.
13. Click Save Test.

When you commit your changes, SRM adds an entry similar to the following to the svcrsp.cf file:

{ 
index=33 
type=fileio
desc="Performing a read/write operation for RWTest.bin." 
destination=F:\Test\RWTest.bin
args="op=rw&local=C:\sysedge\bin\saFileIOTest.bin" 
interval=30 
samples=1 
timeout=10 
window=120 
tos=0 
status=active 
name="Read-Write Operation"
class=""
context=""
flags="1"
loglevel=3
}

Example 4: Comparing Two Files

This example reads the C:\sysedge\bin\saFileIOTest.bin file, reads the F:\Test\CompTest.bin file, and compares their contents.

To create a new test in a policy

1. Click + (New) on the Test Monitors toolbar.

   The New test pane appears.

2. From the Test Type list, select File I/O.
3. In the Description field, specify CompTest.
4. In the Test Name field, specify File Compare.
5. In the Test Interval field, specify 30.
6. In the Test Timeout field, specify 10.
7. In the Samples Per Interval field, specify 1.
8. In the Statistics Window field, specify 120.
9. In the File Operation field, select Compare.
10. In the Destination Filename field, specify F:\Test\CompTest.bin.
11. In the Source Filename field, specify C:\sysedge\bin\saFileIOTest.bin.
12. Accept defaults for the other values.
13. Click Save Test.

When you commit your changes, SRM adds an entry similar to the following to the svcrsp.cf file:

{ 
index=44 
type=fileio
desc="Comparing files." 
destination=F:\Test\CompTest.bin
args="op=cmp&local=C:\sysedge\bin\saFileIOTest.bin" 
interval=30 
samples=1 
timeout=10 
window=120 
tos=0 
status=active 
name="File Compare"
class=""
context=""
flags="1"
loglevel=3
} 

For information about errors you may encounter when running File I/O tests, see File I/O Test Error Codes.