MCDST : Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System Chapter 10: Collect and Analyze Performance Data

Guide to MCDST Objectives Create a performance baseline Understand the performance and monitoring tools found in Windows XP Professional Set up Counter logs on your system

Guide to MCDST Objectives (continued) Set up alerts and work with Event Viewer Optimize performance Recognize and troubleshoot bottlenecks

Guide to MCDST Establishing a Baseline Baseline –Provides a point of comparison against which you can measure future system behavior –Should be taken across all hours of operation Objects –Self contained entities that have properties

Guide to MCDST Monitoring and Performance Tuning Monitoring –Requires a thorough understanding of system components, their behavior, and how they interact Performance tuning –Consists of changing a system’s configuration systematically

Guide to MCDST Task Manager Three ways to access Task Manager –Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and then click the Task Manager button –Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc –Right-click any unoccupied area on the Windows XP taskbar and select Task Manager Process –Environment that defines the resources available to threads

Guide to MCDST Task Manager (continued)

Guide to MCDST System Monitor Used to monitor and record the same system measurements Events –System occurrences that are logged to a file

Guide to MCDST System Monitor (continued)

Guide to MCDST Real-time Monitoring Process of viewing the measured data from one or more counters in System Monitor display area Performance object –Can register with System Monitor for tracking Instance –A selection of a specific performance object when more than one is present

Guide to MCDST Setting up Counter Logs on Your System Counter log –Records data from selected counters at regular, defined intervals Trace log –Records nonconfigurable data from a designated provider only when an event occurs –Operating system environment status dumps

Guide to MCDST Setting up Counter Logs on Your System (continued)

Guide to MCDST Alerts Automated watchdog –Informs you when a counter crosses a defined threshold, high or low Objects –Can consist of one or more counter/instance- based alert definitions Each definition is assigned a threshold

Guide to MCDST Alerts (continued)

Guide to MCDST Event Viewer Useful tool for examining the performance and activities on a system Found in the Administrative Tools section of the Control Panel All Event log entries include –Event’s date and time –Source –Category (such as Logon or Logoff) –Event number

Guide to MCDST Event Viewer (continued)

Guide to MCDST System Log Events System log –Primary log file for most system services, drivers, and processes Events –Error –Information –Warning

Guide to MCDST Application Log Events Contains event messages that –Can be generated by Windows XP Professional native applications or services Events –Error –Information –Warning

Guide to MCDST Security Log Events Place where all event details generated by auditing are recorded Events –Success Audit –Failure Audit

Guide to MCDST Performance Options Used to adjust system performance based on applications and virtual memory Paging file –Portion of disk space where the operating system stores memory pages not in active use

Guide to MCDST Performance Options (continued)

Guide to MCDST Setting Application Priority Priority levels –0–15: User-accessible process priorities –16–31: System-accessible process priorities –0–6: Low user range –4: Low value –5: BelowNormal value (as set in Task Manager) –7: Normal (default setting for user processes) –8–15: High user range

Guide to MCDST Setting Application Priority (continued) Priority levels (continued) –10: AboveNormal value –13: High value –16–24: Realtime values accessible to Administrator-level accounts –24: Realtime value –25–31: Realtime values accessible to operating system only

Guide to MCDST Recognizing and Troubleshooting Bottlenecks Bottlenecks –Occur when a limitation in a single component slows down an entire system –Always exist in any computer –No single monitor that can easily identify all possible problems

Guide to MCDST Common System Bottlenecks Disk bottlenecks –Most likely problem when disk-related counters increase more dramatically than others Memory bottlenecks –System bottleneck caused by a lack of available physical or virtual memory Processor bottlenecks –Occur when demands for CPU cycles from active processes and operating system cannot be met

Guide to MCDST Common Network Bottlenecks Network bottlenecks –Caused by excessive traffic on the network medium to which computer is attached –Not typical on most Windows XP Professional machines

Guide to MCDST Eight ways to Boost Windows XP Professional Performance Buy a faster machine Upgrade an existing machine Install a faster CPU Add more L2 cache

Guide to MCDST Eight ways to Boost Windows XP Professional Performance (continued) Add more RAM Replace the disk subsystem Increase paging file size Increase application priority

Guide to MCDST Optimizing Performance for Mobile Windows XP Users Make sure –Network interface appears higher in the binding order –File synchronization settings for folder redirection and Offline Files do not require machines to synchronize when running on battery –Mobile users understand how to use hibernate and standby modes on their battery-powered machines –Offline Files are copied to user machines before they leave the network environment

Guide to MCDST Optimizing Performance for Mobile Windows XP Users (continued) Refresh rates should be extended to avoid unnecessary network access Configure group policy’s Configure Slow link speed control to define threshold at which a link is considered slow as opposed to fast

Guide to MCDST Utilizing Performance Maintenance Tools Disk Cleanup –Tool used to free up space on hard drives Check Disk –Inspection utility used to: Examine disk integrity Locate both logical and physical errors on a hard drive

Guide to MCDST Disk Defragmenter Fragmentation –Division of a file into two or more parts Defragmentation –Process of reorganizing files so they are stored contiguously Defragmentation utility –Designed for FAT, FAT32, and NTFS volumes

Guide to MCDST Disk Defragmenter (continued)

Guide to MCDST Summary Windows XP Professional –Provides tools to monitor system performance Task Manager can be used to –View applications, processes, and overall system performance –Stop applications and processes Performance console –Collection of tools that includes System Monitor, log files, and alerts

Guide to MCDST Summary (continued) Event Viewer –Tracks logs generated by the system Isolate any bottlenecks that occur in the system Other performance improvement tools –Disk Cleanup, Check Disk, and Disk Defragmenter