How to capture performance data from a remote Windows 2000 computer using System Monitor (811237)

SUMMARY

This step-by-step article describes how to use System Monitor to capture performance data from a remote Windows 2000-based computer.

The Windows 2000 System Monitor tool is the administrative tool that replaces the Performance Monitor tool that is included with Microsoft Windows NT 4.0. However, it may be useful to use either tool.back to the top

Create the System Monitor log

Note To capture performance data from a remote Windows 2000-based computer, you must set the Performance Logs and Alerts service on the computer that is running System Monitor to start using an account that has administrative rights on the computer that is being monitored.

To create a system log:

1. In Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Performance to start System Monitor.
2. Expand Performance Logs and Alerts, right-click Counter Logs, and then click New Log Settings. Name the log, and then click OK.
3. Click Add to add counters to the log.
4. In the Select Counters dialog box, click Select counters from computer, and then type the name of the computer that you want to monitor in the Computer box. For example, type \\computername.
5. Click All counters, click All instances, click Add, and then click Close.
   
   Note If you do not want to log all objects, at least log all the Database, Memory, Thread, Objects, Network interface, Paging File, Process, Processor, Server, System, Server Work Queues, Physical disk, and Logical Disk counters.
   
   If you are monitoring a Microsoft Exchange Server-based server, add all Exchange Server-related object counters.
   
   Note By default, Logical Disk counters are disabled in Windows 2000. By default, both Physical and Logical Disk counters are disabled in Windows NT 4.0.
   • To enable Disk counters, click Start, click Run, type diskperf -Y in the Open box, and then click OK. Restart the computer to enable the counters.
   • To disable Disk counters after the troubleshooting is complete, click Start, click Run, type diskperf -N in the Open box, and then click OK. Restart the computer.
6. Click the Log Files tab, click a drive location, and then name the log file.
7. Click the General tab, and then set the log update intervals. Use the following chart to determine the correct setting:
   
   

   Issue Frequency	Set Update Interval to:
   Monthly	2 - 3 hours (7200 - 10800 seconds)
   Weekly	15 minutes (900 seconds)
   Daily	3 - 5 minutes (180 - 300 seconds)
   Every 4 hours	1 - 5 seconds
   More frequently	second

   
   
   For example, if the issue occurs approximately every week, type 15 in the Interval box, and then click Minutes in the Units box.
8. Click OK.
9. Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
10. Expand Services and Applications, and then click Services.
11. In the right pane, double-click Performance Logs and Alerts to view its properties.
12. Click the Log On tab.
13. Under Log on as, click This account, specify a domain account that will be running the remote performance log, and then click OK.
    
    Note These credentials must be valid on the remote machine or the service will not start.
14. Click the log that you created in step 2, and then click Start to start logging.
15. After you have collected enough data, click the log that you created, and then click Stop to stop logging.

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View the System Monitor log

After the logging process has completed, you can use System Monitor to view and analyze the performance data in the counter log file.

To retrieve and view the collected performance data from the counter log file:

1. In the left pane of the Performance management console, click System Monitor.
2. Click View Log File Data.
3. In the Select Log File dialog box, click the counter log file from the file list, and then click Open.
4. Click Add in the right pane to add a specific counter to the performance chart.
5. In the Add Counters dialog box, click the computer, performance object, and specific counters, and then click Add to confirm each selection. Click Close when you are finished. Graphs of the selected counters appear.
6. By selecting a specific counter in the table in the lower-right pane, you can read the summary data for the counter and view the trends of the counter from the data graphs.

Note

• If you restart or shut down the computer that is running System Monitor during the logging process, and you specify the same name as an existing log file, Windows 2000 System Monitor does not append the data to the end of the existing log file. If you use Windows Server 2003 System Monitor, you can specify the existing log file and the data is appended.
  
  Note If you submit the log for analysis, make sure that you notify the system log analyst if the log has been appended.
• If the user logs off the computer that is being monitored, the System Monitor log stops.
• If a process starts after the log is started, the process does not appear in the beginning of the log. To specify the time range in the log file that you want to view:
  1. Right-click the System Monitor Details pane, and then click Properties.
  2. Click the Source tab.
  3. Click Time Range, and then drag the bar or its handles for the starting and ending times.

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