Overview of Performance Monitoring

Use this quick guide to view the topics and tasks related to monitoring tools and processes in Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional covered in this chapter.

 Learn about the operation of performance monitoring tools in Windows 2000 Professional for the purpose of preventive maintenance and diagnosis of performance problems.

By using the performance monitoring tools provided in Windows 2000 Professional for real-time observation and periodic logging, you can acquire important information about the health of your system. To use the tools efficiently, it is important to know how data is collected, what types of data are collected, and how to use the data to keep your system at its best.

• See Performance Monitoring Concepts and Monitoring Tools later in the chapter.

 Set up a basic monitoring configuration.

Routine performance monitoring starts with establishing a default set of counters to track. This can be the set used for establishing a performance baseline. A performance baseline is the level of performance you can reliably expect during typical usage and workloads.

• See Starting Your Monitoring Routine later in this chapter.

 Interpret data you collect.

The data you collect about system performance provides important indicators as to the efficiency of your system. However, data can sometimes be misleading and needs to be analyzed carefully if you are to have an accurate picture of the health of your system and to correctly diagnose problems.

• See Analyzing Monitoring Results later in this chapter.

 Research the cause of bottlenecks prior to attempting corrective actions.

A bottleneck in one resource can come in combination with one in another resource. An analytical approach to investigating bottlenecks is important to determining the correct solution.

• See Investigating Bottlenecks later in this chapter.

 Be aware of issues with the performance tools.

Occasionally you might have trouble collecting data or the data might seem inappropriate. If this occurs, make sure you understand some of the issues that can arise with the performance tools and how to respond to them.

• See Troubleshooting Problems with Performance Tools later in this chapter.

 Learn about monitoring remote computers.

There are security and performance considerations associated with monitoring remote computers. If you intend to track data from counters on other computers on a network, make sure you are aware of these considerations.

• See Monitoring Remote Computers later in this chapter.

 Experiment with using the System Monitor control in Office applications.

One of the benefits of the new design of the System Monitor control that provides the functionality of System Monitor in the Performance console is its ability to be used within Microsoft Word or other Microsoft Office applications. By learning about this capability, you can more fully integrate monitoring data into your management reporting.

• See Integrating the System Monitor Control into Office and Other Applications later in this chapter.