© Copyright IBM Corp. 1988, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001 41Workload and PerformanceWorkload and PerformanceWorkload and performance are critical considerations in selecting an iSeries server. Thischapter discusses some of the tools and factors to take into account, including workloadratings and processor positioning. Detailed performance information is iniSeriesPerformance Capabilities Reference, SC41-0607, which is located on the Web at:• http://www.iseries.ibm.com/developer/performance/index.html• http://www.ibm.com/eserver/iseries/libraryFor sizing recommendations, consult with your IBM Marketing Representative and serviceprovider.Commercial Processing WorkloadWhen the AS/400 system was announced in 1988, the Relative Performance Rating (RPR) orRelative System Performance (RSP) of different models was measured using a RAMP-Cworkload. This workload is representative of general commercial processing. RPR figures forAS/400 models have been expressed relative to the 9404 Model B10, which was the initialentry model for the AS/400 range in 1988. It had a RPR rating of 1.0.The AS/400e product line continues to grow in power with the PowerPC RISC processors and24- and 12-way processors. With the increased processing power and more applicationsusing vital technologies, such as Web serving, client/server, and multimedia, the point wasreached when RAMP-C was no longer a valid means for measuring relative performance.Therefore, RAMP-C was replaced by a workload measurement called CommercialProcessing Workload (CPW) in the second half of 1996.Relative performance measurements are derived from commercial processing workload onthe AS/400e. CPW is representative of commercial applications, particularly those that dosignificant database processing in conjunction with journaling and commitment control.CPW contains a number of advantages over RAMP-C for measuring the iSeries and AS/400eservers, such as:• Inclusion of a batch component• Increased numbers of transaction types• Support for journaling and commitment control• Increased path lengths• More complex file and terminal I/OThese enhancements mean that CPW exercises hardware and software paths that moreclosely match the paths exercised by our customers' current installations.
