Performance Monitoring and Troubleshooting in Microsoft Windows XP

1. MCDST 70-271: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System Chapter 10: Collect and Analyze Performance Data

2. 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 70-271

3. Objectives (continued) • Set up alerts and work with Event Viewer • Optimize performance • Recognize and troubleshoot bottlenecks Guide to MCDST 70-271

4. 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 70-271

5. 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 70-271

6. 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 70-271

7. Task Manager (continued) Guide to MCDST 70-271

8. System Monitor • Used to monitor and record the same system measurements • Events • System occurrences that are logged to a file Guide to MCDST 70-271

9. System Monitor (continued) Guide to MCDST 70-271

10. 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 70-271

11. 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 70-271

12. Setting up Counter Logs on Your System (continued) Guide to MCDST 70-271

13. 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 70-271

14. Alerts (continued) Guide to MCDST 70-271

15. 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 70-271

16. Event Viewer (continued) Guide to MCDST 70-271

17. System Log Events • System log • Primary log file for most system services, drivers, and processes • Events • Error • Information • Warning Guide to MCDST 70-271

18. 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 70-271

19. Security Log Events • Place where all event details generated by auditing are recorded • Events • Success Audit • Failure Audit Guide to MCDST 70-271

20. 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 70-271

21. Performance Options (continued) Guide to MCDST 70-271

22. 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 70-271

23. 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 70-271

24. 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 70-271

25. 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 70-271

26. 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 70-271

27. 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 70-271

28. 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 70-271

29. 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 70-271

30. 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 70-271

31. 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 70-271

32. 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 70-271

33. Disk Defragmenter (continued) Guide to MCDST 70-271

34. 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 70-271

35. 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 Guide to MCDST 70-271