System Center Capacity Planner can help you discover over-utilized resources in your capacity model. Resource utilization is measured against values that you specify for resource types on the threshold Update settings page of Simulation Results. For more information, see Simulation Results - Thresholds.
When over-utilization occurs in your model, you can use the Capacity Planner Model Editor to apply the following solutions:
- You can add capacity by replacing hardware with devices that
offer additional capacity; for example, devices with increased
speed, throughput, or both.
- You can add similar devices to further distribute the load of
the capacity model. For example, if you have a single CPU that is
over-utilized, you might increase capacity by adding additional
CPUs.
- You can divert under-utilized devices to areas where
over-utilization occurs. The same principle applies when you
distribute the load on an overloaded server and share that load
with another server in the same site. For example, assume you have
two servers: an Exchange mailbox that is over-utilized and a hub
transport server that is under-utilized. You can add an additional
mailbox application role to the under-utilized hub transport server
to share some of load from the over-utilized server.
- You can change the Exchange Server client type, which changes
the workload of the capacity model. For example, if you are using
Microsoft Outlook 2007 in Online Mode, you might consider using
Outlook 2007 in Cached Exchange Mode to try to reduce the load on
the network.
NoteThis option might not be possible if your organization must upgrade clients to Outlook 2007.
When a more exhaustive solution is required, you can use Capacity Planner to reorganize your entire capacity model. This might include making significant changes, such as moving hardware from one site to another and by moving or sharing application roles.
For example, assume your infrastructure consists of a central site with a remote office and both are connected by a single WAN connection. Now suppose you have recently added many new client computers to the remote office, causing the WAN to become over-utilized. The increase of network traffic along the WAN link causes over-utilization because your new clients must communicate with the domain controller in the central site using the WAN. You can easily discover the increased utilization of the WAN link by viewing the Utilization of WAN links Simulation Results page.
In the preceding scenario, you can now use the Capacity Planner Model Editor to adjust your capacity model by adding a domain controller to the client location to help reduce network traffic that uses the WAN link. Alternatively, if you have an under-utilized server at the central site, you can move it to the remote office.