Configuring Groove Server Relay bandwidth usage statistics

 

Applies to: Groove Server 2010

Topic Last Modified: 2010-02-16

This article describes how to control bandwidth usage reporting on Groove Server Relay. The Groove Relay service reports SharePoint Workspace client bandwidth usage statistics to the Relay server administrative Web interface by default. Bandwidth usage statistics include the simple bandwidth in bytes per second used by a SharePoint Workspace client during a specific interval, as well as bandwidth usage details that show the average, maximum, and minimum bandwidth used for enqueuing and dequeuing client messages. You can disable this bandwidth reporting service, to conserve Relay server resources, or configure it by setting three Windows registry keys that control bandwidth data collection and calculations, as described in the following procedures.

These procedures require that Groove Server 2010 Relay is installed as described in Install and configure Groove Server 2010 Relay.

In this article:

  • Disabling or re-enabling bandwidth reporting

  • Changing the bandwidth polling interval

  • Changing the bandwidth sample size

Disabling or re-enabling bandwidth reporting

The reporting of Groove Server Relay bandwidth usage statistics is enabled by default. When the bandwidth usage reporting feature is enabled, the Groove Relay service polls the bandwidth at regular intervals, sampling each SharePoint Workspace client that enqueues or dequeues at the Relay server. The value reported for each client represents the bytes per second of bandwidth used between the last poll and the time of the last lookup query. The Groove Relay service also calculates average, maximum, and minimum values for each client from samples collected during the polling interval.

Calculating bandwidth is an added burden on the Relay server, competing with the server’s primary function of servicing SharePoint Workspace clients. This is an important factor to consider when setting parameters that affect CPU resources. You can disable the bandwidth reporting service (and re-enable it) as described in this procedure.

To disable or re-enable bandwidth reporting

  1. From the Relay server on which you want to enable bandwidth reporting, click Run from the Start menu, and type:

    regedit.exe

  2. Navigate to the following registry location:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office Server\14.0\Groove\Groove Relay\Parameters

  3. Add a new registry REG_DWORD value:

    ReportBandwidthEnabled

  4. To disable bandwidth data collection, assign the key a value of 0.

    To re-enable bandwidth data collection, assign the key a value of 1.

  5. Restart the Groove Relay service so that it will read the registry. Note that the Groove Relay service does not poll the registry for changes.

Changing the bandwidth polling interval

The Groove Relay service polls bandwidth usage at regular intervals, sampling each SharePoint Workspace client that is enqueuing or dequeuing at the Relay server. The BandwidthDataPollInterval key in the Windows registry determines the bandwidth polling interval. This value specifies the number of minutes between bandwidth polls. The default polling interval is two minutes.

Average, maximum, and minimum values are calculated over this interval. The smaller the interval, the more accurately the average, maximum, and minimum bandwidths represent the actual bandwidth usage. However, as more data is collected, more calculation is required. This additional calculation reduces the CPU resources that are available for the Relay server’s primary function of processing SharePoint Workspace client messages. To change the polling interval, you add a new value to the windows registry, as described this procedure.

To change the bandwidth polling interval

  1. From a Relay server that has bandwidth reporting enabled, click Start->Run, and type regedit.

  2. Navigate to the following registry setting:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office Server\14.0\Groove\Groove Relay\Parameters

  3. Add a new registry REG_DWORD value:

    BandwidthDataPollInterval

  4. Assign the key a value of 1 to 30. This value represents the number of minutes in the bandwidth polling interval, with a default value of 2.

    Note

    Entering a value outside the valid range generates a warning in the event log.

  5. When you have finished editing the registry, restart the Groove Relay service to process the registry changes.

Changing the bandwidth sample size

Groove Relay service bandwidth reporting includes detailed as well as general statistics. Detailed statistics include average, maximum, and minimum bandwidth usage values. These are calculated values, based on samples collected at regular intervals. The BandwidthSampleSize key in the Windows registry determines the bandwidth sample size, that is, the number of seconds that define a sample. The default sample size is five seconds.

The Groove Relay service calculates the average bandwidth for a SharePoint Workspace client, by adding all samples and dividing the sum by the number of samples within the interval. The maximum and minimum bandwidths are the two samples within the polling interval with the largest and smallest values. The smaller the sample, the more accurately the maximum and minimum bandwidths represent actual spikes in bandwidth usage. However, as more data is collected, more calculation is required. This additional calculation reduces the CPU resources that are available for the Relay server’s primary function of processing SharePoint Workspace client messages. To change the sample size, you add a new key to the Windows registry, as described in this procedure.

To change the bandwidth sample size

  1. From a Relay server that has bandwidth reporting enabled, click Run from the Start menu, and then type regedit.

  2. Navigate to the following registry location:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office Server\14.0\Groove\Groove Relay\Parameters

  3. Add the following new registry REG_DWORD value:

    BandwidthSampleSize

  4. Assign the key a value of 1 to 30. This value represents the number of seconds in the bandwidth sample size, with a default value of 5. Entering a value outside the valid range generates a warning in the event log.

  5. When you have finished editing the registry, restart the Groove Relay service to process the registry changes.