Methods and apparatus to manage system performance information

1. An apparatus to display system performance metrics, comprising:

one or more processors to implement:

a data interface responsive to a user selection of a first data set identifier associated with a first system performance metric to retrieve a first data set corresponding to the first data set identifier;

a display interface to display a first plot corresponding to the first data set in a time navigator view of a graphical user interface;

a user control interface to detect a user-selected time-range portion of the first plot in the time navigator view; and

a temporal scale handler to generate replicated time-range portions based on the user-selected time-range portion, the display interface to display the user-selected time-range portion and the replicated time-range portions overlaid on the first plot in the time navigator view, the user-selected time-range portion and the replicated time-range portions being separated at periodic intervals relative to one another, wherein the display interface is to:

display, in a magnification graph view, the user-selected time-range portion of the first plot, and

display a user-selectable control in the magnification graph view to cause the magnification graph view to display the replicated time-range portions of the first plot in response to a user selecting the user-selectable control of the magnification graph view to skip to separate ones of the replicated time-range portions without displaying intervening portions of the first plot located between the periodic intervals separating the user-selected time-range portion and the replicated time-range portions.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the periodic intervals are calendar-based intervals.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the user control interface is to receive a user-selected interval to specify the periodic intervals.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first system performance metric is a CPU percentage utilization.

5. A method to display system performance metrics, comprising:

in response to a user selection of a first data set identifier associated with a first system performance metric, retrieving a first data set corresponding to the first data set identifier;

in response to a user selection of a second data set identifier associated with a second system performance metric, retrieving a second data set corresponding to the second data set identifier;

displaying a first plot of the first data set and a second plot of the second data set in a first graph view within a graph area of a graphical user interface;

moving the second plot of the second data set to a second graph view in the graph area of the graphical user interface based on a user selection of the second plot in the first graph view and a user-interface dragging event of the second plot to the second graph view from the first graph view;

displaying the first and second plots in a time navigator;

detecting a user selection of first time-range portions of the first and second plots in the time navigator;

displaying selections of second time-range portions of the first and second plots overlaid on the first and second plots in the time navigator, the first and second time-range portions being separated at periodic intervals based on the user selection of the first time-range portions of the first and second plots;

displaying the first time-range portions of the first and second plots in a magnification graph view separate from the time navigator based on a user selection of the first time-range portions in the time navigator; and

displaying in the magnification graph view the second time-range portions of the first and second plots that are separated from the first time-range portions at the periodic intervals in response to a user selecting a user-selectable control of the magnification graph view to skip to separate ones of the first and second time-range portions of the first and second plots without displaying intervening portions of the first and second plots located between the periodic intervals separating the first and second time-range portions.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 , wherein the displaying of the first plot and the second plot in the first graph view is performed in response to user-interface dragging events of the first data set identifier and the second data set identifier to the graph area of the graphical user interface.

7. The method as defined in claim 5 , wherein the magnification graph view displays a time-scale magnification of the first and second time-range portions.

8. The method as defined in claim 5 , wherein the first and second system performance metrics are a same type of metric, the first plot indicative of a performance of a first application instance, and the second plot indicative of a performance of a second application instance.

9. The method as defined in claim 5 , wherein the first and second data sets include previously collected data, and further comprising updating the first and second plots in the first graph view with real-time data.

10. A tangible computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to at least:

in response to a user selection of a first data set identifier associated with a first system performance metric, retrieve a first data set corresponding to the first data set identifier;

in response to a user selection of a second data set identifier associated with a second system performance metric, retrieve a second data set corresponding to the second data set identifier; and

display a first plot of the first data set and a second plot of the second data set in a first graph view within a graph area of a graphical user interface;

move the second plot of the second data set to a second graph view in the graph area of the graphical user interface based on a user selection of the second plot in the first graph view and a user-interface dragging event of the second plot to the second graph view from the first graph view;

display the first and second plots in a time navigator;

detect a user selection of first time-range portions of the first and second plots in the time navigator;

display selections of second time-range portions of the first and second plots overlaid on the first and second plots in the time navigator, the first and second time-range portions being separated at periodic intervals based on the user selection of the first time-range portions of the first and second plots; and

display the first time-range portions of the first and second plots in a magnification graph view separate from the time navigator based on a user selection of the first time-range portions in the time navigator; and

display in the magnification graph view the second time-range portions of the first and second plots that are separated from the first time-range portions at the periodic intervals in response to a user selecting a user-selectable control of the magnification graph view to skip to separate ones of the first and second time-range portions of the first and second plots without displaying intervening portions of the first and second plots located between the periodic intervals separating the first and second time-range portions.

11. The tangible computer readable medium as defined in claim 10 , wherein the instructions are further to cause the computer to display a second user-selectable control in the magnification graph view to display the intervening portions of the first and second plots in the magnification graph view.

12. The tangible computer readable medium as defined in claim 10 , wherein the first and second data sets include previously collected data, and wherein the instructions are further to cause the computer to update the first and second plots in the first graph view with real-time data.

13. The tangible computer readable medium as defined in claim 10 , wherein the instructions are to cause the computer to display the first plot and the second plot in the first graph view in response to user-interface dragging events of the first data set identifier and the second data set identifier to the graph area of the graphical user interface.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the display interface is further to display a second user-selectable control in the magnification graph view to display the intervening portions of the first plot in the magnification graph view.

15. The method as defined in claim 5 , further comprising displaying a second user-selectable control in the magnification graph view to display the intervening portions of the first and second plots in the magnification graph view.