Chapter 6 Analyzing Garbage Collection Data

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HPjmeter allows you to process garbage collection (GC) data from Java virtual machines.

Separating the GC data collection step from the analysis step has the following advantages:

The data analysis can be done at a different time and on a different platform than was used to run the application. For example, it can be done on a desktop system or on a laptop.
A non-interactive agent will often impose less overhead than an interactive one.
The data files obtained naturally facilitate comparison of different runs or creation of a history of performance improvements.

For detailed analysis of the efficiency of garbage collection, it is useful to take a close look at garbage collection patterns. A study of patterns of garbage collection can help you determine whether or not the best GC type and heap size are being applied appropriately during the application run. You can also use detailed GC data to uncover problems in the application programming.

With the collection of -verbosegc data, HPjmeter is able to present extensive details about the memory usage and garbage collection (GC) exhibited when an application is running. Details are presented in a data summary and in graphic visualizers that can be adjusted to focus on particular aspects of the data.

Chapter 6 Analyzing Garbage Collection Data

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