performance issues

[pflash50]

(I'm using 8.0 b779 with WXP on an AMD Athlon 3200+, one chart, viewing ES #F at 150T, with three proprietary indicators and BTLink4.)

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When the market action gets fast the chart has a tendency to freeze. Sometimes for just a few seconds at a time, sometimes for a few minutes.

Changing to a different tick count, has some effect, but not much.

While this is happening, the snapshot window in the chart continues to update on each trade. And Bracket Trader continues to update on each trade.

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If I download the tick replay data (all) and replay the day at 1X (or 2X or 10X) I never see any freeezing.

QUESTION - do you know why tick replay operation works better than live operation, in this regard?

QUESTION - is there anything I can do to make live operation perform more like replay operation?

(All prior versions of eSignal have behaved this way, as well.)

[eSignal_AveryH]

Hi Pflash50
Thank you for the post,


To question 1,
Do you know why tick replay operation works better then live operation, in this regard?
Ultimately this is a server (real-time data) verses desktop (Tick Downloader). The local DM is constantly making request to the data farm for new data, so while you're making request you’re also trying to process the previous request and get it into the chart. While this is going on your computer is also trying to do the calculations for the 3 indicators and get that plotted to the chart too. All this plus keep up the tick count for the next bar.
The tick Replay is already on your computer, when you do the tick download all the data is placed in a file and when you replay it the contents of the file are sent to RAM where it is processed out.

Question 2
Is there anything I can do to make live operation perform more like replay operation?
What you can do- You’ve already try the larger tick frame, you many want to also try minute charts as the data is easier to process.
I can’t speak much on the indicator as I don’t know which one you’re using but depending on the intensity of the study and how much recalculation it has to do with data comes in also plays a part in how you chart is going to react.


One other note: Each new tick causes the entire chart to repaint and recalculate certain EFS routines. So emini charts are especially intensive on the CPU as a result. One thing to check for is old lines. Here's an excerpt from an FAQ that may help as well:

quote:
Line List
The amount of lines added to your advanced charts can also cause your system to slow down or even freeze. As the file increases in size more system resources are needed to manage this file. This is why we've added the "Lines" list pop-up window. This gives customers the ability to manage their own lines, i.e. edit, delete and even be warned when you've reached a pre-selected number of lines. Removing lines that are not being used will most likely help the overall performance of eSignal.

To access the Line List, simply right-click off an Advanced Chart and select Line Tools, then Line List or via the Lines command on the main menu.

AveryH
eSignal Support

[pflash50]

Any comment on my ability to run the replay at 10X without freezing? That ought to be a much bigger load on the processor than having to downlod real-time data and processing it at 1X.

[eSignal_AveryH]

Pflash50
Because the data is local to your machine itself, the processor doesn’t have to work as hard or do as much as when you do it real-time. Since you computer already has the data it know how much RAM to allocate. So that it will run smoothly, When you do real-time data memory is allocates used and release. And the cycle starts over again. This takes up processing power. You need processing power to run the Network Card.

The fact that you run the replay at 10x does not mean you using 10x the processor. You might go up to 5% of the processor depending on how much moving movement there is on the contract.

AveryH
eSignal Support

[pflash50]

So, you are saying that a processor has to work so hard getting trade data from the servers that only a small amount of the processsor's available power is left over to run the charts.

If the market speeds up enough, like it has been lately, there are times when NO processor power is left over to run a chart, and that is why it freezes.

But during tick replay the enormous load of getting data from the 'Net is gone and the processor just loafs along with a chart, even at 10X.

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Do I have that right? It sounds backwards - I would have thought running a chart, especially one with three very busy indicators, used a lot more power than getting data.

[eSignal_AveryH]

PFlash50,
There could be a number of things that causing the chart to temporarily stop updating and instead of just us (or me) focusing the processor and real time data let see if we can narrow it down. As I read your response and thought about it, it could very well be another component I’ve overlooked.

If you could start with a new ES chart 150T, No studies or the BT Link4.
Let the chart run for 2 to 3 minutes and see how it responds.
After about 2 or 3 minutes add one of your studies. If no freezing occurs add on the next study and so on. Once you have all the studies and the chart has not experienced no freezing we can eliminate the studies. The last thing to be added will be the BTLink and see what happens. Does this sound fair to you?

AveryH
eSignal Support