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Windows 2008 - Reliability and Performance Monitor
Windows Server 2008 - Reliability and Performance Monitor
I will let you into a secret, this is a techie's dream. The Reliability and Performance Monitor is pure fun to explore, you are certain to find something new and interesting.
If you need to justify the time in 'playing' with this tool; think about this scenario. Have you noticed how difficult it is to troubleshoot if you don't know much about the sytem you are trying to repair? I suggest that the biggest advantage of the Reliability and Performance monitor is that it will help you to get to know your system and thus you have a sound foundation of knowledge and you know what the system should be like when it comes to troubleshooting.
The Resource Monitor will give you instant gratification and a working knowledge of which processes are hogging the CPU, Memory, Disk and Network. If you want to know more detail about how processes and applications consume server resources, then investigate the Data Collector Sets. Begin by using the preset templates, advance to modifying the templates and saving your own settings.
Evolution of the Reliability and Performance Monitor
Microsoft provide a front end called Resource Monitor which is like Task Manager but with better filters to display the heaviest users of CPU, Memory and Disk resources. Another theme of the Reliability and Performance Monitor is unification, thus you will find a sub-folder to connect to Perfmon.
One folder you must look at is the 'Data Collector Sets'. These do for Perfmon what the Resource Monitor does for Task Manager, namely create intelligent presets so that you can monitor counters for the BIOS, CPU, Wireless and numerous other well thought out resources.
Data Collection Sets
The knack is to understand the relationship between 'System' and 'Reports'. Try drilling down in 'System' and examining the templates. To get started, seek out the Action menu, and click on 'Start'. Alternatively, right click a blue sub-menu, for example 'System Diagnostics', you should see a cut-down menu with Start, Stop and other options.
Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM)
Let us start with the Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM) component. This resource manager started life as an add-on for Windows Server 2003, the aim is control how processes or terminal service users consume CPU and memory. You gain control of resources through policies. Invest time in setting maximum CPU usage for the backup program, or set limits on memory consumption for terminal server sessions.
Tip: Seek out the scheduler, then see which programs need low priorities during working hours, for example backup.
The first step is to install the WSRM, keep in mind that as a 'Feature' you install WSRM not from a separate CD, but from the Server Manager. Note in passing that you also need a dependant feature, the Windows Internal Database, good news the 'Feature' installer realizes you need this extra service and installs and configures it automatically. To digress, this intelligence may sound trivial, but I tried to install Virtual Server 2005 on Vista, and getting the dependant IIS installed and configured correctly took over an hour.
Trick: The only trick with WSRM is pointing it to a server. While this is a trivial task, there does not seem to be a default setting of 'Local Computer'.
Management Techniques and Decisions
Processor
'Equal per user' or 'Equal per process' are the easiest settings to
understand, configure and manage. Other possibilities such as Processor
Affinity and Percent CPU require more care and more thought of the
ramifications.
One of the best uses of WSRM memory management is for Terminal Service users where one or two power users can consume 95% of the resources and make everyone else's sessions like trying to run in treacle.
Memory
My best advice is avoid using memory and manage your server by setting the above
processor constraints. If you must use memory, then research the
applications working set and committed memory consumption thoroughly. Be
prepared to monitor the applications closely, and reassign limits based on
practical experience.
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Performance Monitor - Perfmon
Perfmon goes back to NT 3.5. Its counters collect detailed data on every aspect of the server. In fact it produces so much data that it's difficult for ordinary administrators to filter the correct sub-set and then to compare the data with 'normal' levels. People became expert through having to troubleshoot a particular resource problem.
The big breakthrough in Windows Server 2008 is that Performance monitor has a well designed front end, where you can drill down to identify the heaviest consumers of resources. As a result, ordinary administrators will be more inclined to persevere with the tool, consequently they will be able to identify bottlenecks faster than with W2K3's combination of Perfmon and Task Manager.
Nothing changes with performance monitoring. The secret of success remains the same. Concentrate on which processes are using the big 4 resources: memory, cpu, disk and network. Look for 'cost nothing' solutions, e.g. move the paging file to another disk, perform regular defrags. Employ the Windows System Resource Manger to meter out resources, and put limits on any users or applications that are bullying the CPU. If all else fails ask, 'will installing more RAM speed up a lethargic server?'
Reliability Monitor
Vista was the first place that I saw this reliability monitor, at the time I thought, 'this tool would be even more useful on my servers'. Well here it as a snap-in for Windows Server 2008.
The Reliability Monitor looks to me like an intelligent filter that trawls the Event Logs and pulls out significant events and displays the time-line on a chart. Microsoft say that the Reliability Monitor is more like an intelligent agent for Performance Monitor's Alerts, indeed the process is called RACAgent.
The Reliability snap-in records system stability as a mark out of 10. Look behind the bare SSI (System Stability Index) number, and research events on the chart to see when software changed, or the services froze. Observe that the main chart has data lines which record Application, Hardware, Windows (Operating System) failures. In particular the Reliability Monitor places red crosses on dates when failures occurred. For any given event, note the detailed description underneath the chart.
Servers can often continue working, albeit slower, even thought there are errors, what this monitor does is show you significant event so that you can decide what corrective action to take. Replace hardware that's on the blink, research better drivers, or even consider managing CPU usage with a separate snap-in called the System Resource Monitor.
What you also get is troubleshooters to identify here and now what is preventing the server operating as designed, for example network unavailable, dodgy drivers, loose memory chip.
When calculating the SSI, recent failures are weighted more heavily than past failures, thus once you resolve a problem you should soon see the index rise.
Tip: To review all your available data, click on the drop-down date menu and select: 'Select all'.
Remember the other servers in your organization. As with previous versions of Perfmon, you can collect data from other servers, for example, right click on 'Reliability and Performance' and select: Connect to to another machine. You really need to select a Windows Server 2008, or a Vista machine, because XP and Windows Server 2003 don't have the correct agents.
Data Collector Sets
Templates with useful, well designed data sets.
Summary
If you are prepared to put in the time, then using the Reliability and Performance Monitor will reward you with detailed understanding of your Windows Server 2008. Your explorations will be a labour of love, and the justification of investing time is that you will have the experience and a base-line to make future troubleshooting more successful.
Train Signal has just released their
New Windows Server 2008 Training Course. As an MCT
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Watch a Windows Server 2008 Training Video Demo.
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Topics:
Server 2008 Home Overview What's New? Migration Advice Install Editions
AD DC Roles Features Hyper-V UAC IPv6 GP Preferences
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