System metrics provide a source of performance and load information. Each logical node generates its own metrics. Some of the metrics listed correspond to those saved in the metrics-nodename.txt log files, where nodename is the name of a logical node.

In Ariba Buyer, to learn the status of a node that is not listed in the pull-down menu, use the administrative tools that come with the application server in which Ariba Buyer runs. For information on the application server administrative tools, see the Ariba Buyer Installation Guide.

In the default configuration, the permissions required to view system metrics are defined in the workspace configuration files. Permissions can be customized. For more information, see the Ariba Buyer Administrator Customization Guide.

In Ariba Buyer, view system metrics for each logical node.

• To view system metrics for a logical node, select the node from the pull-down menu. To view system metrics for a catalog administration node or catalog search node, select the node that has been assigned one of these server roles.
• To refresh the screen with current values, click Refresh.
• If a node goes down, is taken offline, or is being restarted (and it is not the node you are logged in to),
  • If it is the currently selected node, the next time you click Refresh, a message is displayed that the node is unavailable.
  • If it is a node you select from the pull-down menu, a message is displayed that the node is unavailable.
  • If it is a different node, after you refresh the screen or make a selection from the pull-down menu, the pull-down menu is updated to show only the available nodes.
• If the node you are currently logged in to goes down, is taken offline, or is being restarted, the next time you click Refresh or make a node selection from the pull-down menu, a browser error message is displayed.

Current values of the following metrics are displayed:

• Up Time: The amount of time, in hours and minutes, that a logical node has been running since the last time it was started.
• Total User Connections Since Server Start: The cumulative number of user connections for each logical node since Ariba Buyer was started.
• Concurrent User Connections At This Moment: An instantaneous reading of the number of concurrent user connections for each logical node at the moment this metric is obtained.
• Number of Objects in Server Cache: An instantaneous reading of the number of objects being held in memory at the moment this metric is obtained. This is the number of objects in the global (non-session) cache at that time and is specific to each logical node.
• Total Memory (Kb): An instantaneous reading of the memory being used by Ariba Buyer at the moment this metric is obtained. This is the total amount of memory in the Java Virtual Machine. This value is specific to each logical node.
• Free Memory (Kb): An instantaneous reading of the reserved memory that is not currently in use at the moment this metric is obtained. This is the amount of free memory in the system, which is an approximation to the total amount of memory currently available for future allocated objects, measured in bytes. This value is always less than the total memory.
• Number of Threads: An instantaneous reading of the number of Java threads in existence at the moment this metric is obtained. This value is specific to each logical node.
• BackgroundQueue: The number of worker threads that Ariba Buyer is using for the background queue. Background worker threads are used by non-HTML background events, such as the processing of an approval request to recreate the approval graph.
• CXMLObjectCreateQueue: The number of worker threads that Ariba Buyer is using to handle objects that are created from cXML when an Ariba Enterprise Sourcing user connects to Ariba Contract Compliance to create a contract request (CR).
• ForegroundQueue: The number of worker threads that Ariba Buyer is using for the foreground threaded queue. Foreground worker threads are used by RPC requests, such as node-to-node notifications and calls from the servermonitor command.
• WorkflowQueue: The number of worker threads that Ariba Buyer is using for the workflow queue. Workflow worker threads are used by Ariba Buyer workflow events.
• Number of Catalog Searches Since Server Start: The number of catalog searches issued since the server was started.