IBM REDP-4285-00 User Manual

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4285ch01.fm
Draft Document for Review May 4, 2007 11:35 am
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Linux Performance and Tuning Guidelines
We can tune the I/O subsystem for weeks in vain if the disk subsystem for a 20,000-user 
database server consists of a single IDE drive. Often a new driver or an update to the 
application will yield impressive performance gains. Even as we discuss specific details, 
never forget the complete picture of systems performance. Understanding the way an 
operating system manages the system resources aids us in understanding what subsystems 
we need to tune, given a specific application scenario.
The following sections provide a short introduction to the architecture of the Linux operating 
system. A complete analysis of the Linux kernel is beyond the scope of this Redpaper. The 
interested reader is pointed to the kernel documentation for a complete reference of the Linux 
kernel. Once you get a overall picture of the Linux kernel, you can go further depth into the 
detail more easily.
In this chapter we cover:
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Note: This Redpaper focuses on the performance of the Linux operating system.