What are performance archives and how are they triggered?

How to upload a Performance Archive?

1. Confirm the AutoSupport transport is HTTP or HTTPS:
   • Cluster::> autosupport show -fields transport
node            transport
--------------- ---------
node1           https
   • Performance archives are typically 50 MB or bigger when compressed so ONTAP is hard coded to not transmit if transport is SMTP.
   • To switch to HTTPS from SMTP, which does allow larger file sizes to be transferred, use the command: system node autosupport modify -node * -transport https
   • If the transport is SMTP and the other methods do not work or are not allowed in the environment, use the manual method with 7zip files or OneCollect to gather the data.

2. Run the system node autosupport invoke-performance-archive command:
   • Cluster::> system node autosupport invoke-performance-archive -start-date "11/31/2022 06:00:00" -duration 4h -case-number 2008123456 -node *
   • The following are the options for the command:
     • -start-date <"MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS">
     • -duration <[ h][ m][ s]> (or -end-date)
     • -node *
     • -case-number

Notes:

• It is important to note that the maximum duration for any single collection is 6 hours and the recommended sample period is 4 hours.
  • Anything less than 2 hours will miss some hourly counters.
  • The time entered in -start-date should reflect the time in the filer's time zone.
  • The -start-date must be at least the specified -duration hours in the past, otherwise complete time-frame will not be collected.
  • No error message will be displayed indicating that complete -duration was not collected.
• It is best to start on the top of the hour and end on the top of the hour to capture the hourly counters.
  • The whole cluster must be triggered since workload statistics are measured across the cluster.
  • Ideally getting the hour before and after the performance event is recommended.
  • It is recommended for the Date format to be in quotes.

3. Use the following commands to view the progress of the Performance Archive upload:

::> autosupport history show-upload-details -node <node name> -seq-num <seq-num>

• The performance archive will show up on Active IQ for the node on the AutoSupport page.
• Once the performance archive is uploaded and appears on Active IQ, it will be available after a period of time for Support to review.

What if performance archive does not work?

• Troubleshoot Autosupports using the ONTAP AutoSupport Resolution Guide.
• Verify if Performance Archive is enabled and the date of the archive you're requesting is less than retention period (28 days by default):

::> set diagnostic
::*> statistics archive config show

verify field:
Is the Performance Archive Enabled?: true

if false, enable it by running the following command:
::*> statistics archive config modify -is-enabled true

Note: EMS events will also report the following message when the Performance Archive is disabled:
::*> event log show  -event perf*
Time                Node             Severity      Event
------------------- ---------------- ------------- ---------------------------
INFORMATIONAL perf.ccma.off: Performance archiver is not enabled.

Why would perfstat be needed?

• Support will request a perfstat.
• On ONTAP releases up to 9.5, some data may be missing and Support will ask for a perfsat.
• Only gather if requested by Support.
• Sometimes the sales team may request to gather performance data for sizing.

How can a storage administrator look at the content within a performance archive?

• Active IQ Unified Manager utilize the underlying data set that is stored within a Performance Archive
  • Documentation for Active IQ Unified Manager
  • Knowledge Base article on Active IQ Unified manager performance troubleshooting examples
• Other tools such as Harvest and Cloud Insights also pull the same data and may be used
• The data is a binary file that cannot be viewed manually and one of the above tools must be used