Industry Standard Response Times
07:31, 2006-Jul-3 .. Posted in General .. 1 comments .. Link
Do industry standards of performance exist? No.
What are industry standards response times? There are none.
What is the industry standard response time for downloading a web page? There is no industry standard.
Is it true that the industry standard response time for a web page request is eight seconds? No. There is no industry standard.
These questions and variations of them are often asked in the context of performance testing. If a response time specification exists for an application or elements of applications (such as specific web pages or searches), they are mostly likely found in system specifications and/or service-level agreements - pertinent to the application or system architecture. These then would be key items of performance validation interest.
What might a web page performance specification look like if it exists?
EXAMPLE: Assumption: This specification applies to all end-users in the 48 contiguous United States, only. Specification: The new credit application demographic information capture web page shall upon submit, return a response** (see note) within four seconds of the end-user pressing submit - for 92% of user submissions between the hours of noon GMT through midnight GMT. All other submissions shall have a guaranteed response time of 45 seconds or less. Batch processing shall not impact those response times. ("45 seconds" is based upon current production worst-case/heaviest load processing demand measurements and is subject to change.) This specification shall be validated yearly or according to the below, whichever comes first:
Growth of end-user community by 1,200 concurrent users, or
Database space growth of two-gigabytes.
The credit check response time is a separate entity and subject to the terms of the service level agreement with the partner credit bureaus.
** Note! Response means a simple web page that either instructs the user to correct errors or a statement acknowledging receipt.
Granted, this example is not all encompassing but it does give some insight into the necessary level of specification.
Why aren't there industry performance standards? Quite simply, the www is jittery and subject to spikes in demand as well as outages due to any number of things caused by humans or nature. Consider your internet service provider agreement. It does not guarantee the advertised speeds. Notice the fine print in your agreement.
Is there a tolerance standard? Yes. Each of us has our own tolerance level for how long we will wait for web sites to respond. That is not the point of discussion however, as we have all various levels of tolerance relative to both our internet provider and web site performance.
Related:
Performance specifications do exist throughout the spectrum of computing and can be very precise. The world of timing-critical software is chock-full of such precise specifications. From real time tactical systems to gaming, to wave form analyses, these specifications are bountiful. Meeting these specifications often require the efforts of both hardware and software developers (application and operating system).
Reminder:
Bear in mind that many performance issues can begin in the specification phase or anywhere in the development life cycle, and after deployment. This should be a message to the reader that all are responsible for performance and all can influence performance.
The reason...
11:29, 2006-Jul-3 .. Posted by whollymindless As Einstein proved - it's all relative. Hard response times, although a valid target are very difficult to establish in production. (see your previous article on being able to generate enough volume in test). This is what measurement and monitoring are all about. If the response comes back in 46 seconds is it less valid? If it's a stock trading app, yeah, that's too long. The most useful thing that I found during releases was to look for changes in performance. If a query returns in 5 seconds today, alarm if it goes to 10. Although not as useful as hard targets, it can help focus on how performance changes over time. If your regression suite runtime goes from 1 hour to 2 hours, I'm thinking it's time to be worried. I'd like hard production response times and have it be a "requirement" that would automatically trigger a "work" request. But generally our systems run on a "is it working" basis. Today response time accptance is opinion rather than measured and everyone has an opinion. Thanks Jake!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Great Lessions
Tags: Life Great Lessons
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1 - Most Important Lesson - “Remember my name”
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a onscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.
Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All aresignificant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘hello’.
I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
2 - Second Important Lesson - ” Pickup in the Rain”
One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and shedesperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.A special note was attached. It read: “Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.”Sincerely,Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3. - Third Important Lesson - “Always Remember Those Who Serve.”
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress wasgrowing impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.”The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson - “The Obstacle in Our Path”
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the road clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.
After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many of us never understand.Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - ”Giving When it Counts”
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying,” Yes, I’ll do it if it will save her.” As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?”Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
You see, after all, understanding and attitude, are everything.
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Add Tag:
1 - Most Important Lesson - “Remember my name”
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a onscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.
Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All aresignificant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘hello’.
I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
2 - Second Important Lesson - ” Pickup in the Rain”
One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and shedesperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.A special note was attached. It read: “Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.”Sincerely,Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3. - Third Important Lesson - “Always Remember Those Who Serve.”
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress wasgrowing impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.”The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson - “The Obstacle in Our Path”
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the road clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.
After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many of us never understand.Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - ”Giving When it Counts”
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying,” Yes, I’ll do it if it will save her.” As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?”Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
You see, after all, understanding and attitude, are everything.
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