Performance Monitor Tutorial for Windows

Summary

In this tutorial, Daniel demonstrates how to use the Performance Monitor in Windows, a tool available in various editions. He explains how to open it, navigate through its features, and add counters like memory and physical disk usage to monitor system performance in real-time. Daniel also covers creating data collector sets for long-term monitoring, adjusting sample intervals, and generating reports to analyze system performance over time. The video serves as a guide for users to diagnose and optimize their system's performance.

Takeaways

• 💻 The Performance Monitor is available in most versions of Windows, including home and server editions.
• 🔍 To open Performance Monitor, click on the Start bar and type 'performance'.
• ⚙️ In some editions, it's called 'Reliability and Performance Monitor' instead of just 'Performance Monitor'.
• 📊 The default counter shows 'processor time', which reflects the percentage of CPU usage in real time.
• ➕ Users can remove the default counter and add new counters, such as memory, physical disk usage, or SQL Server monitoring.
• 🧠 Real-time monitoring is useful, but for longer-term data collection, a 'data collector set' is required.
• 🗓️ You can create a custom data collector set to track performance over a longer period, like a week, by adjusting sample intervals.
• 🚀 Data collector sets can be started manually or scheduled to run at specific times, and logs are stored in a default directory.
• 📈 After collecting data, reports can be generated and customized by adding or removing performance counters.
• 🔧 By analyzing performance trends in the report, such as high processor or disk usage during specific times, administrators can diagnose issues and optimize system performance.

Q & A

What is the Performance Monitor in Windows used for?

The Performance Monitor in Windows is used to track various system metrics in real time, such as processor usage, memory availability, and disk activity. It helps users monitor system performance and identify potential issues.

How can you open the Performance Monitor in Windows?

To open the Performance Monitor, click on the Start bar and start typing 'Performance.' It should pop up, and in some versions like Vista, it may be called the 'Reliability and Performance Monitor.'

What is the default metric displayed in the Performance Monitor?

The default metric displayed is the processor time, which shows the total amount of the processor being used at any given moment, updated in real time.

How can you add new performance counters to monitor?

You can add new performance counters by clicking the 'X' to remove the default counter, then clicking the '+' button to add new counters. There are various counters available, including those for memory, physical disks, and network performance.

What are some of the available counters in the Performance Monitor?

Some of the available counters include memory (e.g., available megabytes), physical disks, server utilization, network counters (e.g., ASP.NET for developers), SQL Server, and Exchange Server.

How do you monitor performance over a longer period?

To monitor performance over a longer period, create a Data Collector Set by clicking 'Data Collector Set' on the left pane, choosing 'User Defined,' and then setting it up with the desired performance counters and sample intervals.

Why would someone create a Data Collector Set?

A Data Collector Set allows users to monitor system performance over a set period, which is useful for identifying issues that occur at specific times, such as server slowdowns during peak usage or backups.

What is the recommended sample interval for monitoring over a week?

If monitoring over a week, it is recommended to set the sample interval to 300 seconds (5 minutes) or more to avoid overwhelming data collection.

How do you start a Data Collector Set after creating it?

After creating a Data Collector Set, you can start it by right-clicking on it and selecting 'Start.' You can also configure it to run on a schedule or set it to stop automatically under certain conditions.

How can you generate a report from collected performance data?

To generate a report, click on 'Reports' in the left pane, open 'User Defined,' and select the desired report. You can add more counters to the report by clicking to include them.

Outlines

00:00

💻 Introduction to Windows Performance Monitor

Daniel introduces the Windows Performance Monitor, a tool available in various Windows editions including home and server versions. He explains how to access it via the start menu and notes that in Vista and some home editions, it's named the Reliability and Performance Monitor. The default view shows processor time, which updates in real-time. Daniel demonstrates how to add various counters such as memory available megabytes and physical disc reads to monitor system performance more comprehensively. He also touches on the ReadyBoost cache, which is active in the system being demonstrated. The video aims to show how to use the Performance Monitor to diagnose system performance issues.

05:01

📊 Creating and Analyzing Performance Data Collector Sets

Daniel proceeds to explain how to create a data collector set in the Performance Monitor for long-term monitoring. He guides viewers on how to create a new data set, select performance counters to monitor, and set the sampling interval. The example includes monitoring processor time and total disk read time to investigate system resource usage over a week. He also discusses adjusting the sample interval based on the monitoring period and how to save and start the data collection. Daniel then shows how to generate a report from the collected data, using an existing data set as an example. The report reveals high processor and disk usage, which could indicate performance bottlenecks. He uses this to illustrate how to identify and potentially resolve issues causing system slowdowns, such as scheduling automatic backups or virus scans during less busy times.

Keywords

💡Performance Monitor

Performance Monitor is a tool included in Windows operating systems that allows users to monitor various aspects of system performance in real-time. It is crucial for diagnosing performance issues and optimizing system resources. In the video, Daniel demonstrates how to open the Performance Monitor and use it to track metrics such as processor time, which is the total amount of the processor being used at any given time.

💡Reliability and Performance Monitor

In some versions of Windows, like Vista, the tool is referred to as the Reliability and Performance Monitor. This name emphasizes the tool's dual focus on both the reliability and performance of the system. The video mentions that in some home editions, the tool is named differently, highlighting the variations in naming and features across different Windows versions.

💡Counters

Counters in the context of the Performance Monitor are specific metrics that can be tracked, such as processor time, memory usage, or disk activity. The video script describes how to add and remove these counters to customize the monitoring experience according to the user's needs. For example, Daniel adds 'memory available megabytes' and 'physical disc' counters to the monitor.

💡Data Collector Set

A Data Collector Set in the Performance Monitor is used to collect performance data over a period of time, which can then be analyzed to identify trends or issues. The video explains how to create a user-defined data collector set, which allows for more control over what data is collected and how often it is sampled, providing a historical view of system performance.

💡Sample Interval

The Sample Interval refers to the frequency at which performance data is collected. In the video, Daniel discusses adjusting the sample interval to suit the duration of the monitoring period, such as setting it to every 5 seconds for immediate data or every 5 minutes for a longer-term analysis. This setting is crucial for balancing the granularity of data collection with the performance impact on the system.

💡ReadyBoost

ReadyBoost is a feature in Windows that uses flash memory to improve system performance, particularly in systems with limited RAM. The video mentions ReadyBoost Cache, which is a metric that can be monitored to see how often the system is reading from the ReadyBoost cache. Daniel notes that the reads on the ReadyBoost are nearly nothing, indicating minimal usage of the ReadyBoost feature.

💡Reports

Reports in the Performance Monitor are generated from the collected data and provide a visual representation of the system's performance over time. The video script describes how to generate a report by opening a data collector set and adding various counters to it. These reports help in identifying peak usage times and potential bottlenecks, such as high disk usage or processor load, as seen in the example where the disk usage spiked during an automatic backup.

💡Disk Usage

Disk Usage is a metric that measures the amount of data being read from or written to the disk. In the video, Daniel adds the 'total disk read time' and 'disk write time' counters to monitor disk activity. High disk usage, as indicated in the report, can be a sign of intensive data operations, which might affect system performance and could be a point of investigation for performance issues.

💡Investigation

Investigation in the context of the video refers to the process of analyzing performance data to identify the cause of performance issues. Daniel uses the term when discussing how to interpret the data collected by the Performance Monitor, such as high disk usage coinciding with a virus check, which led to a spike in processor and disk usage. This investigation helps in understanding and resolving performance problems.

💡Scheduling

Scheduling in the Performance Monitor allows users to set up a data collector set to run at specific times or intervals. This feature is mentioned in the video when Daniel discusses the properties of a data collector set, where one can schedule it to run at less busy times of the day to minimize the impact on system performance. Scheduling is useful for automating the collection of performance data without manual intervention.

Highlights

Performance Monitor is included in almost every version of Windows, including home and server editions.

In Vista and some home editions, it's called the Reliability and Performance Monitor.

The default monitor displays the processor time, updating in real-time approximately once per second.

The tool is more powerful than just monitoring processor time, with the ability to add various counters.

Counters include options for monitoring network, SQL Server, Exchange Server, and database performance.

Memory, physical discs, and server utilization are among the many available counters.

Adding 'Memory Available Megabytes' and 'Physical Disk' counters provides data on system resources.

ReadyBoost cache is a feature that can be monitored to see how it affects system performance.

Data Collector Sets allow for monitoring over longer periods to identify trends or issues.

Creating a manual Data Collector Set provides more control over the performance counters.

Processor time and physical disc information are useful counters for identifying system bottlenecks.

Adjusting the sample interval is crucial for long-term monitoring to balance detail with data volume.

The log directory for the collected data can be specified, and the data set can be saved and started manually.

Data Collector Sets can be scheduled to run at specific times or intervals for automated monitoring.

Reports can be generated from collected data to analyze system performance over time.

Reports show processor usage, disc usage, and other counters, which can help identify peak activity times.

Investigating high resource usage times can lead to discovering and addressing underlying issues, such as automatic backups or virus scans.

The Reliability and Performance Monitor can help optimize system performance by identifying and rescheduling resource-intensive tasks.

Transcripts

this is Daniel and today I want to talk

to you about the performance monitor

that is included in almost every version

of Windows the home editions the server

editions everything to open it just

click on the start bar and start tapping

performance and it should pop right up

now in Vista and some of the home

editions it's called the reliability in

performance monitor some of the older

editions it'll just

say performance

Monitor and once we have that

open go ahead and click on the

performance monitor over here in some

versions it may go directly to the

performance

monitor what you see here is the default

monitor which is the processor time or

total amount of the processor that's

being used at any given time and it's

updating in real time about once per

second now that's pretty good if you

want to know how much of your processor

is being used but this tool is really a

lot more powerful than that let's go

ahead and click the X to

remove that counter and we'll click the

Plus on to add a new

counter as you can see there's a lot of

different counters here net ASP if

you're a programmer that can be very

handy uh SQL Server Exchange

Server databasing there just a lot of

different things you can do uh there's

even you know ones dealing with memory

physical discs uh server utilization

things like that let me go ahead and do

memory available megabytes for instance

I'll add that one in in

there while I'm added I go ahead and add

a physical

disc we should be able to get some data

on there there's ready boost cache which

is turned on in this system so I'll turn

that one

on say how many times it reads per

second add that

one ahead and click okay and see what

kind of data we

get you can see uh the memory is maxed

out up here at the very very top and the

reads on the ready boost is nearly

nothing but if I open some

programs the ready boost cache backs up

as it's reading that a little bit of

memory on your ready

boost so that's basically how it

works but looking at things in real time

is useful but sometimes you're going to

want to look over a longer period in

order to do that you need to create a

data collector

set go ahead and click on data collector

set over here on the left hand pane to

click on user defined we'll rightclick

new data set and give it a name my data

sounds

good you want to create a manual one so

you have more control over what you want

to con uh

count performance

counter then click add

and this one uh say for instance we want

to find out why a system is being bogged

down at a certain time say users are

complaining that they cannot access a

server at a specific uh time or maybe on

and off throughout the

day so we want to know how much uh

resources are being used just kind of a

picture of the overall view over the

course of a week we'll go ahead and add

processor time

um and in this case I'll add some some

physical disc

information we'll say the total disc

read time and R

time click

okay this is your sample interval the

default is about 15 seconds which is

fine if you're going to check for a day

but if you're going to check for a week

you might want to increase that to maybe

you know 300 seconds which is about

every 5 minutes or even larger I'm going

to go ahead and make it fairly short so

we can get some data in a hurry I'll do

every 5

Seconds click next this is where your

log will go the default directory is you

c/ per logs that's fine for

me click next again you can either save

and close or start the data set now I'm

going to save and

close now in order to start this data

set you can right click on it and click

Start you can also right click on it and

click properties you can set up a

schedule if you want it to you know run

at a specific time throughout the week

you can have it run multiple

times you can change the directory you

save it to by clicking on the directory

Tab and you can have it automatically

stop under certain conditions

what we're going to do right now is just

go ahead and start it so right click on

it and click

Start now I'm going to show you how to

generate a report using the data that

you've already collected so click on

reports on the left hand pane open up

user defined there's the my data we just

created but there's also one here called

dis usage that's one I created earlier

and it's the same counters but it should

already have some data so just double

click on that and it opens up into a

report Now it only shows the

processor just like if you were you know

doing a real time it starts out just

showing the one thing you'll have to

click to

add our other counters go ahead and do

that physical disc and click

okay if you want to turn any of them on

and off you can do that down

here as you can see uh

during this middle period right through

here our processor usage is up above 80%

several times and our dis usage is all

the way up to

100% and both the Reed and the rat is

spacking all over the place so this

would be a uh indicator you know that

there's a lot of activity going on

during that time and say for instance uh

as we discussed before the user will say

and they were having trouble you know

accessing the server at a specific time

if you had a variety of counters on

there memory usage dis usage processor

usage you could open it up and say wow

well the dis usage is tremendous you

know from 720 to

750 maybe we've got too much going on uh

we might be able to start an

investigation and see what exactly is

going on at that time I happen to know

that that was an automatic backup was

the reason the disc was so high and it

also coincided with a virus check uh so

that sent the processor and the dis

usage through the roof so after doing

some investigation you might say well

maybe we can move one of those to a less

busy time of the day and that's

basically how the reliability and

performance monitor works