MCS publishing delivers a range of services specifically designed to extract test result metrics while applying the means to collate, analyze and format the data. The ability to integrate the intelligence to interpret results delivers a solution that exposes problems and can document the explanations, reasons and actions for change.
MyConnection Server delivers a integrated publishing system in version 11 that compliments the MCS 10 standard tabular reporting system. The purpose of the publishing system is:
"To collect accurate network measurement data from any size of network and provide the services to collate, analyze and distribute the data to those who need it, in a format that ensures the information presented addresses the business purpose for which the data was collected".
MCS 10 integrated 3 core service objects. Test objects, provide the container for the test specifications and the parameters that will be applied. Satellite Work Order (SWO) objects, provide the container for the runtime processing instructions to be applied to the test objects. Satellite objects, provide the vehicle for remote distribution of the work order and the subsequent execution and collection of the test measurements which are returned to the MCS database.
MCS 11 adds a fourth service object into the MCS service framework. Publication Work Order (PWO) objects provide a container for MCS automatically and on-demand create and distribute reports.
The MCS 11 Publishing Work Order (PWO) combines the services required to establish the report publishing process. The purpose of the PWO is threefold..
MCS publishing is not unlike a business shareholder report. Such reports allow a board of directors to present meaningful information relating to the performance of a public company. To be successful a such reports must present the key business metrics in a format that clearly demonstrates how well (or not) the business is doing and why.
MCS publishing delivers a range of services specifically designed to extract test result metrics while applying the means to collate, analyze and format the data. The ability to integrate the intelligence to interpret results delivers a solution that exposes problems and can document the explanations, reasons and actions for change.
MCS 11 Published reports can combine multiple report objects such as graphs, tables and text. All report objects can combined in any order (including multiple locations) to deliver a required report. The PWO PPF description file is designed to contain only the individual presentation objects which also includes text. This allows text content to have access to expressions, conditions etc.. All report objects are independent of each other and the report design. This means one PPF definition can create multiple report designs.
RDS supports the ability to extract multiple sources of test results in real-time, for any time period, using multiple aggregation specifications.
Expressions allow analysis processes to be applied to the data automatically during report production. This is to allow expert knowledge and business centric knowledge to be applied during the reporting process.
Conditions allow all PWO objects in the report framework to be dependent on external conditional events. These events allow the publishing process to dynamically select and change what is reported and also how it is reported. For example Metric failures (bad results) can be automatically assessed in order to establish the results, text and graphic objects to clearly articulate and show the problem(s) that require resolution.
Multiple threshold databases can be applied to different presentation objects to highlight the pass/fail assessment of test results. For example latency local connection can be assessed differently to latency for overseas connections.
Presentation objects provide a solution to described test results in different formats. This allows data to be presented in views that expose the purpose of the data in more understandable format. For example graphs show trends and congestion patterns whereas tabular views, indicators can show threshold values.. The inclusion of image and text assets delivers the flexibility to integrate informative that can change in context to the results reported. For example stating Test FAILED versus PASSED.
Symbol values allow text objects to be automatically changed during the publishing process. The symbol object is provided to allow report definitions to be reused for more than one publication. For example the recipient company name can be changed for different report targets. Equally placeholders for copyright and other legal statements can automatically be inserted as standard text in all reports for all recipients.
The MCS 11 calendar provides the ability for conditions and symbol values to be changed depending on the day of the week or the month of the year. More importantly the Satellite Work Order also has access to the calendar. This allows any test process to record a conditional event that data collection is complete
MCS publishing allows any document to use any of the PWO report service. Combining the real-time data services to generate a report that comprises only graphic and indicator views provides the ability to publish multiple real-time dashboards of important performance metrics. Additionally, combining expressions to incorporate result analysis provides the ability to escalate and prioritize important changes and variances to baseline and trends.
Reports can be distributed to the MCS 11 integrated publishing reporting portal as part of the standard MCS 11 publishing system. Additionally, reports can also be published to one or more commercial remote web servers. Publishing to a remote web server requires an MCS publishing satellite to be installed on the remote web server and an additional MCS license to support publishing satellites is required.
Every data (TCP) packet that goes out onto the network is given a fixed amount of time to reach its destination.
If that packet fails to reach its destination another packet will be sent out onto the network, which is called a retransmit event.
When a retransmit event occurs the sender of the packets assumes it's the cause of the problem so it dramatically reduces the flow of packets, even though it may not be the problem.
The problem doesn't end here. If the reason for the retransmit event was packet loss then all the packets after the loss can't be processed.