HP-UX IPFilter V18.0 Administrator Guide for HP-UX 11i v3

Figure 9 System operation
E.5 Performance monitoring
The performance of an IPFilter system depends primarily on four major factors:
• Number and length of rule searches (rule organization)
• Types of rules
• Network traffic
• System configuration
Monitor your system performance to ensure proper operation. HP recommends the following:
• Use ipfstat -ioh to monitor the rule searches. If a rule has a high hit count, this indicates
that the rule can be optimized.
• Use other ipfstat options to monitor IPFilter activities. If you know the normal operating
behavior statistics, you can diagnose issues during peak hours more easily.
• Use a performance tool, such as PerfView, to monitor system usage.
Most performance problems can be resolved by changing the system configuration and the IPFilter
rule configuration. In some instances, systems may be overwhelmed by network traffic. In these
cases, you can implement other traffic-sharing alternatives, such as APA, cluster, and load balancer.
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