Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Engineers familiar with PerfMon typically know a handful of PerfMon counters that can provide
an overview of server performance and health. Experienced engineers, well practiced with PerfMon,
often take an iterative approach — adding and removing counters as the scope of a problem
becomes more rei ned and troubleshooting is more focused.
It's important to know when and how PerfMon can be useful, as it provides different data from SQL
Proi ler, extended events, or dynamic management views (DMVs).
Users unfamiliar with PerfMon often look at the data generated in the performance log and ask
numerous questions about it, such as the following: Is
x
value acceptable? Why is my system run-
ning so slow? What does “normal” look like? How can I tell if there's a problem? This chapter will
help you answer such questions in three ways:
➤
By providing and explaining the key counters and thresholds for issues
➤
By helping you gather a baseline from a healthy server
➤
By demonstrating the tools available to assist in analyzing performance logs
After reading this chapter you should have a good understanding of how to use PerfMon, including
which counters to monitor and what values are acceptable. Additionally, you'll be aware of a selec-
tion of tools and utilities to help with log analysis.
PERFORMANCE MONITOR OVERVIEW
PerfMon provides server-wide real-time and logged performance monitoring. First introduced
with Windows NT 4.0, the core features and user interface have barely changed from the i rst
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in. In Windows Server 2003 the tool was renamed
to System Monitor, although the data logging functionality of System Monitor retained the name
Performance Monitor. In Windows Server 2008, PerfMon was incorporated into Reliability
and Performance Monitor.
You can use Performance Monitor for many common tasks:
➤
View real-time performance data on your server.
➤
See performance data represented visually.
➤
Record performance data over an extended time frame.
➤
Quantify the performance impact of hardware or software changes.
➤
Save and export performance data.
➤
Fire alerts based on performance thresholds.
➤
Compare performance data from different servers.
➤
Capture a baseline set of performance counters for trending and troubleshooting over time.
Reliability and Performance Monitor
PerfMon in Windows Server 2008 brings a new look and a new name for the parent snap-in, Reliability
and Performance Monitor, although real-time performance monitoring retains the PerfMon name.
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