Hyper-threading: Ensuring the optimal processing capacity of a network

Gone are the days when running an application required a considerable amount of your network's processing power. To meet the need for an enhanced end-user experience, applications have evolved, and so must the processing power. Furthermore, the processing power of a network helps network admins gather insights about the network's capacity.

To tackle the ever-growing need for enhanced processing power, the concept of hyper-threading was introduced. In simple terms, hyper-threading is a work-around to run multiple instances (known as threads) from the existing physical environment by pooling together hardware resources.

But before learning more about hyper-threading, it is important to understand threading, multithreading, and the difference between multithreading and hyper-threading.

What is threading?

Any application involves a number of processes. These processes are split into individual threads. Threads are nothing but a series of programmable instructions that are executed by the scheduler, which oversees the entire operation.

Multithreading: Running multiple threads to enhance processing power

Conventional CPUs had only a single core. However, by the mid-2000s, the concept of multiple cores was introduced to enhance processing capacity. Multithreading takes advantage of the multiple cores present in the CPU and uses each core to process a thread. So if a CPU has eight cores, then it can process eight threads simultaneously. This helps increase the processing power of the entire system from the existing infrastructure.

Hyper-threading: Virtualizing your CPU's processing resources

However, it is to be noted that not all threads require the same amount of processing power. For instance, a resource-consuming application might take way more time to execute than a simple word processing application.

To improve resource allocation and utilization, the concept of hyper-threading was introduced. Hyper-threading essentially means allowing a single core to be treated as two different cores by pooling resources from the underlying physical infrastructure. The term hyper-threading was introduced by Intel, and the underlying concept is known as simultaneous multithreading (SMT).

SMT is the concept of allowing the operating system to run two threads simultaneously from a single core. The operating system essentially views each individual core as two different cores. This helps with processing multiple threads parallelly, which further enhances the processing capacity of a system.

What's the difference between multithreading and hyper-threading?

Multithreading is the predecessor of hyper-threading. Multithreading takes advantage of the different cores present in the CPU to process different threads from different individual cores, whereas hyperthreading or SMT allows the operating systems of devices to process two threads parallelly from a single core.

How does a network monitoring solution fit into this picture?

Applications today are very resource-intensive and require a mammoth amount of processing power. That is why multi-core processing units have been on the rise lately. However, without monitoring the physical aspects of the CPU, it does not matter how many cores it might take to run a thread. This is where a network monitoring solution comes in. With a network monitoring solution, you can:

• Monitor active processes: Monitor the active processes running in your network and optimize them for better performance.
• Monitor hardware metrics: Keep an eye on the critical hardware metrics, such as the temperature, voltage, and fan speed, since they directly influence the performance of devices.
• Ensure device availability: Stay updated on the availability of CPU resources and monitor their health statuses.
• Enhance visibility into devices: Get increased visibility into the running processes and your core usage.

Monitor your CPUs effectively with ManageEngine OpManager

ManageEngine OpManager is a comprehensive network monitoring solution that helps network admins ensure optimal network performance. From virtual machines to wireless devices, OpManager has got you covered on all bases. OpManager is powerful CPU monitoring software that helps you increase your processing power.

The following are some of the features in OpManager that you can leverage to optimize network performance and monitor your CPUs and processes:

• Automated discovery: OpManager helps you automatically discover any devices that have been connected to your network. Furthermore, you can also schedule the discovery process at your convenience. Learn more.
• Threshold-based alerting: OpManager monitors your entire network and raises alerts if the set thresholds are violated. The threshold values are baseline values that are defined by the user after careful evaluation of each device's historical data and current usage patterns. You can also set multiple thresholds according to different severity levels. This helps you monitor the performance of the entire network. Learn more.
• Adaptive thresholds: Defining baseline behavior for the entire network might sound exhausting. This is where OpManager with its advanced, AI-enabled features comes in. With OpManager's automated, threshold-based configuration system, you can automate the threshold configurations of monitors such as the CPU utilization monitor. Learn more.
• CPU monitoring: OpManager helps you monitor your CPU usage and the availability of resources in your CPU. Furthermore, users can monitor other critical aspects of their CPUs, such as the temperature, fan speed, voltage, and etc. Learn more.
• Process monitoring: Processes are extremely business-critical for any organization. OpManager helps you monitor all the critical processes running in your network, thereby helping network admins overcome any hiccups found along the way. Learn more.
• Powerful visualizations: With OpManager's powerful visualization features, you can gain increased visibility into your system's resources and understand the way the devices are connected to each other. This helps you identify any issues and rectify them even before they pose a significant threat to the network's functioning. Learn more.
• Seamless integrations: OpManager is compatible with the major ITSM tools on the market. By integrating your monitoring solution with the right tool, you can relay the alerts to the concerned people immediately, helping you fix issues as they crop up. Learn more.

Download OpManager to have a hands-on experience. Learn more about OpManager.