Safeguard data-processing system: A means to effective computer resource utilization

“Bird-dogging” is the process of tracking down computer center users who are either having problems and therefore are not getting their job done or who are using a disproportionate share of the computer's resources. Analysis of utilization data for the Safeguard support computer centers has shown that the problems caused by these users can be of alarming magnitude, leading some observers to believe that bird-dogging is the single most effective system performance tuning activity that can be performed. Bird-dogging is an integral component in reliable project scheduling and effective cost control. This paper discusses the methods now used to identify problem users and some experiences gained from the effort.