CPU (MHz) The CPU (MHz) chart displays CPU usage for the cluster. Cluster Counters This chart is located in the Home view of the Cluster Performance tab. Table 7. Data Counters Chart Label Description Usage Sum of the average CPU usage values, in megahertz, of all virtual machines in the cluster. ■ Counter: usagemhz ■ Stats Type: Rate ■ Unit: MegaHertz (MHz) ■ Rollup Type: Average (Minimum/Maximum) ■ Collection Level: 1 (4) Total Total amount of CPU resources available in the cluster. The maximum value is equal to the number of cores multiplied by the frequency of the processors. For example, a cluster has two hosts, each of which has four CPUs that are 3GHz each, and one virtual machine that has two virtual CPUs. VM totalmhz = 2 vCPUs × 3000MHz = 6000MHz Host totalmhz = 4 CPUs × 3000MHz = 12000MHz Cluster totalmhz = 2 x 4 × 3000MHz = 24000MHz ■ Counter: totalmhz ■ Stats Type: Rate ■ Unit: MegaHertz (MHz) ■ Rollup Type: Summation ■ Collection Level: 1 Chart Analysis A short spike in CPU usage indicates that you are making the best use of cluster resources. However, if the value is constantly high, the CPU demanded is likely greater than the CPU capacity available. A high CPU usage value can lead to increased ready time and processor queuing of the virtual machines on the hosts in the cluster. If performance is impacted, consider taking the actions listed in Table 8. Table 8. CPU Performance Enhancement Advice # Resolution 1 Verify that VMware Tools is installed on each virtual machine. 2 If the cluster is not a DRS cluster, enable DRS. In Inventory > Cluster > Edit Settings, select Enable VMware DRS. 3 If the cluster is a DRS cluster: ■ Increase the number of hosts, and migrate one or more virtual machines onto the new host. ■ Check the aggressiveness threshold. If the value is low, increase the threshold. This might help avoid hot spots in the cluster. 4 Migrate one or more virtual machines onto a new host. 5 Upgrade the physical CPUs or cores on each host in the cluster if necessary. 6 Enable CPU-saving features, such as TCP Segmentation Offload. 7 Replace software I/O with dedicated hardware, such as iSCSI HBAs or TCP Segmentation Offload NICs.