STATS Introduction




            The program supplied by DEC for monitoring the operation of
       VMS, MONITOR, is fine for instantaneous observation of the system.
       However, when it comes to long term information, MONITOR stinks.  To
       that end, STATS and MOUSE were born to be what MONITOR is'nt.  MOUSE
       stands for Monitor Usage Evaluator.  It is a detached process that
       periodically wakes up, gathers information, puts it away for safe
       keeping, and goes to sleep again.  STATS is the program that
       "formats" this kept information into various forms.

                        Generating STATS and MOUSE

            1) Since MOUSE periodically wakes up to sample the system, you
       must decide how often it is to sample.  The default sample period is
       5 minutes.  At this rate, MOUSE consumes about 141 disk blocks/day
       and 14.7 cpu sec/day.  I have found this a very satisfactory
       sampling period.  Also you must select a place for the file that
       MOUSE creates and STATS reads to reside.  The standard name is
       MKL$TEST:RATSNEST.NST.  This is also subject to your test.  Since
       people organize their help librarys in different ways, you must also
       select the place STATS help file is to reside.  These changes are
       effected by editing two files.  To change the sample period of
       MOUSE, edit the file MOUSESUBS.FOR.  Change the paramter
       ASCIIDELTATIME to suit your taste.  To change the name of the
       performance file that STATS and MOUSE use, change the value of
       parameter STANDARDNESTFILE to your taste.  To change the location of
       the help file STATS will use, edit the file STATSUBS.FOR.  Change
       the parameter STANDARDHELPLIB to your taste.

            2) Execute the COM file, AS.COM.  Then execute the COM file
       MOUSEGEN.COM.  Next execute the COM file, STATSGEN.COM.  You have
       now created the a custom STATS and MOUSE for your system.

            3) Copy the executeables in EXE:  to a suitable place on your
       system, such as SYS$SYSTEM:.  Edit your SYSTARTUP.COM file to run
       MOUSE as a detached process when the system has come up and become
       fully functional.  Please note that MOUSE needs the privs GROUP and
       WORLD to function effectively.  STATS requires no privs at all.
       Please note that the file created by MOUSE has WORLD read access.
       Be sure the directory tree it resides under also has world access.
       Edit your master login file that sets up symbols to reflect the
       location of STATS so it can be executed from a simple invocation.
       Copy the file STATS.HLB to the location pointed to by the parameter
       STANDARDHELPLIB in STATSUBS.FOR.

            4) Sit back and wait for MOUSE to "do its thing".