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Windows 2012 - Monitoring server performance


Windows Performance Monitor is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that provides tools for analyzing system performance. From a single console, you can monitor application and hardware performance in real time, customize what data you want to collect in logs, define thresholds for alerts and automatic actions, generate reports, and view past performance data in a variety of ways.
Windows Performance Monitor combines the functionality of previous stand-alone tools including Performance Logs and Alerts (PLA), Server Performance Advisor (SPA), and System Monitor. It provides a graphical interface for the customization of Data Collector Sets and Event Trace Sessions.
Windows Performance Monitor performs data collection and logging using Data Collector Sets.

To launch Windows Performance Monitor

  • Click Start , click in the Start Search box, type perfmon , and press ENTER.
Windows performance monitoring

You can use Windows Performance Monitor to examine how programs you run affect your computer's performance, both in real time and by collecting log data for later analysis.
Windows Performance Monitor uses performance counters, event trace data, and configuration information, which can be combined into Data Collector Sets.
Performance counters are measurements of system state or activity. They can be included in the operating system or can be part of individual applications. Windows Performance Monitor requests the current value of performance counters at specified time intervals.
Event trace data is collected from trace providers, which are components of the operating system or of individual applications that report actions or events. Output from multiple trace providers can be combined into a trace session .
Configuration information is collected from key values in the Windows registry. Windows Performance Monitor can record the value of a registry key at a specified time or interval as part of a log file.

Using Performance Monitor

Performance Monitor is a simple yet powerful visualization tool for viewing performance data, both in real time and from log files. With it, you can examine performance data in a graph, histogram, or report.
Membership in the local Performance Log Users group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure.

To start Performance Monitor

  1. Click Start , click in the Start Search box, type perfmon , and press ENTER.
  2. In the navigation tree, expand Monitoring Tools , and then click Performance Monitor .
You can also use Performance Monitor to view real-time performance data on a remote computer.
Membership in the target computer's Performance Log Users group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure.

To connect to a remote computer with Performance Monitor

  1. Start Performance Monitor.
  2. In the navigation tree, right-click Reliability and Performance , and then click Connect to another computer .
  3. In the Select Computer dialog box, type the name of the computer you want to monitor, or click Browse to select it from a list.
  4. Click OK .

Open Log Files in Performance Monitor

Membership in the local Users group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure.

To open log files in Performance Monitor

  1. In the Windows Performance Monitor navigation pane, expand Monitoring Tools and click Performance Monitor .
  2. In the console pane toolbar, click the Add Log Data button. The Performance Monitor properties page will open at the Source tab.
  3. In the Data Source section, select Log files and click Add .
  4. Browse to the log file you want to view and click Open . To add multiple log files to the Performance Monitor view, click Add again.
  5. Click Time Range to see times included in the log or logs you selected.
    • For a single log file, you can move the beginning and ending time sliders to view only a portion of the log file in Performance Monitor.
    • For multiple log files, you can move the beginning and ending time sliders to choose the time period (from all of the selected log files) to view in Performance Monitor. If a log has data from the time period you select, it will be available in the display.
  6. When you are finished selecting log files, click OK .
  7. Right-click in the Performance Monitor display and click Add Counters . The Add Counters dialog box will open. Only the counters included in the log file or files you selected in step 4 will be available.
  8. Select the counters you want to view in the Performance Monitor graph and click OK .