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ROB
FARRARI is Support Director at MCPS/PRS: "I have worked with Metron since the mid-80s.
I know of their pedigree, the standard of
their work and the quality of their products.
This most recent project has been no exception.
Although it is probably the most complex
modeling job that Metron's consultants
have ever undertaken, they really grasped
all the issues, and provided us with a
meticulous and very well thought through
report."
The MCPS/PRS are
two separate 'collecting
societies' who came together with a more
formal alliance in October 2000. The formation
of the Alliance was the principal reason
for Metron's latest project with the Society,
requiring the migration of data from an
existing ICL system to a VMS-based solution.
The data, which contains information on
a multitude of different pieces of music,
and the often extensive and complex agreements
which accompany them, lies at the heart
of the everyday business of the MCPS/PRS.
About one thousand
MCPS staff need to access and use the
data on a regular basis, together with
the Society's membership, numbering
about 6,500. In the future it is also planned
to allow access to the 30,000 plus members
of the PRS.
Rob Ferrari: "We
commissioned Metron to undertake a preliminary
assessment of the proposed migration last
year, with the plan that we would ask them
to come back and revalidate once the work
was underway. It is essential that we maintain
a high quality service for our users and
we believe that the detailed and accurate
information provided by Metron is a key
element in achieving this. We don't have
a dedicated department within house to tackle
these issues, so the 'on demand' consultancy
service provided by Metron is an ideal
solution."
The report indicated that MCPS/PRS will indeed
encounter problems within a fairly short space
of time, and they will need to upgrade their
CPU.
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Metron's work
for the MCPS/PRS involved measuring current
workload and assessing future requirements.
Predictive models were built, which indicated
when CPU saturation would occur, as well
as providing advice on how to balance the
workload more effectively to extend the
'life' of the current CPU configuration.
An I/O bottle-neck was also identified in
the 'future workload' model, and recommendations
on better load distribution were provided
by Metron to MCPS/PRS.
THE
ANALYSIS was undertaken using Metron's
Athene Performance Management software,
with Custom DB as the tool to import data
into the performance database. The Athene
Explorer and Automatic Reporter modules
were used to derive the analyzes. Athene
Planner, an analytical modeling tool based
on queuing network theory, was used to
derive performance predictions.
Rob Ferrari continued: "Based
on the information provided by Metron, we
can plan precisely when we need apply for
funding and then ordering the upgrade to
the CPU before there is any degradation
of service. We have been very satisfied
with Metron's work and will, no doubt,
be working with them again."
Their new web-based
APR service is also very interesting, and
we will be subscribing to this in the near
future." The MCPS, in
alliance with the PRS, is one of the world's
largest royalty collection societies. The
Society licences the recording and use of
music in all its shapes and forms - from
Benjamin Britten to the Beatles, holding
details of millions of individual songs
and compositions in the Society's members'
repertoire. MCPS staff ensure that members' music
is properly licensed and that royalties
are paid quickly and efficiently.
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