Site Server - Using Windows NT Performance Monitor
April 1999
Overview
Performance Monitor is a Microsoft® Windows NT tool that enables you to monitor system and network resources. You can monitor resources with a high degree of granularity, which allows you to obtain specific data about how those resources are functioning and how users are accessing the resources.
Using the information generated by Performance Monitor, you can perform these tasks:
Evaluate the load for specific resources.
Determine the source of performance problems.
Assess how best to allocate existing resources.
Observe how adjustments to resources affect performance.
About this document
This document introduces the key concepts needed to use Performance Monitor effectively. In particular, you will need to understand objects and counters. This document also demonstrates how to collect performance data for the Site Server and how to export that data to a spreadsheet. Once you learn a few basic techniques, you will be ready to use Performance Monitor to evaluate resource performance and to troubleshoot performance problems.
For information about using Performance Monitor, see the following resources:
Performance Monitor online Help.
Chapter 8, "Monitoring Performance," in the online Windows NT Server Concepts and Planning book. On the Start menu, point to Programs, and then click Books Online.
Windows NT Server Resource Kit, version 4.0.
Understanding Objects and Counters
Before using Performance Monitor, it helps to understand the Object Model orientation of Windows NT design and architecture. In Windows NT, processes are represented by objects. An object is a convenient and efficient way to define the properties and methods associated with a particular process. For example, the Paging File object has certain characteristics, and it functions the same way on every Windows system. In a Windows NT system, objects represent individual processes, sections of shared memory, and physical devices.
Performance Monitor follows this Object Model orientation, and it monitors the behavior of objects in a Windows NT system. When you want to use Performance Monitor to evaluate a resource, you first specify which objects to monitor.
Next, you set counters for the objects. Counters specify what activity to measure, and the counters you select determine what behavior will be monitored and what data you will obtain. Each object has a unique set of counters.
Some objects and their associated counters are present on every Windows NT system. Examples of standard objects include the Processor and Memory objects. Other objects and counters are application specific, and they appear only if the computer is running the associated software. Site Server has a number of application-specific objects and counters.
Using Views: Four Ways to Work With Data
Performance Monitor has four views that allow you to work with data in different ways:
Chart view. Provides a real-time view of current activity in graph form. You can use different colors for each counter.
Alert view. Records an alert message when a counter exceeds the value you specify. You can record alerts in the Performance Monitor Alert Log or the Windows NT Application Log. You can also send a network message.
Log view. Records activity logs in the location you specify. You can export logs to any spreadsheet or database program.
Report view. Displays a report on the objects and counters you specify. You can display data for current activity, or you can display data from a log file. As with logs, you can export reports to spreadsheet and database programs.
Using Performance Monitor to Identify and Resolve Specific Problems
Chapter 8, "Monitoring Performance," in the online Windows NT Server Concepts and Planning book provides detailed information on looking for specific performance problems. It identifies which counters to set to troubleshoot particular problems. It also provides tips on resolving different types of performance problems.