The Performance Monitor in Windows Server 2012, shown in Figure 1,
is structurally similar to Windows Server 2008 R2. The Performance
Monitor is composed of three main components: monitoring tools such as
Performance Monitor, data collector sets, and a reporting component.
You can launch Performance Monitor from within the Windows Server 2012
Server Manager or from the Metro UI.
Figure 1. Performance Monitor in Windows 2012.
Using Performance Monitor, administrators can
identify bottlenecks and pinpoint resource issues with applications,
processes, or hardware. Monitoring of these items can help identify and
resolve issues, plan for capacity changes, and help establish baselines
for use in future analysis. Upon launching the Performance Monitor, a
summary of system performance is displayed, showing current memory,
disk, processor, and network loads.
Performance Monitor
Many IT professionals rely on the Performance
Monitor because it is bundled with the operating system and it allows
you to capture and monitor every measurable system object within
Windows Server 2012. The tool requires little effort to learn. You can
find and start the Performance Monitor by opening Server Manager,
clicking Tools, and then selecting the Performance Monitor option. The
Performance Monitor, shown in Figure 2, is by far
the best utility provided in the operating system for capacity-analysis
purposes. With this utility, you can analyze data from almost all
aspects of the system, both in real time and historically. You can view
this data analysis through charts, reports, and logs. The log format
can be stored for use later so that you can scrutinize data from
succinct periods of time.
Figure 2. Performance Monitor real-time system monitoring.
Data Collector Sets
As mentioned previously, data collector sets
are a collective grouping of items to be monitored. You can use one of
the predefined sets or create your own to group together items that you
want to monitor. Data collector sets are useful for several reasons.
First, data collectors can be a common theme or a mix of items. For
example, you could have one data collector set that monitors only
memory or a data collector set that contains myriad items such as
memory, disk usage, processor time, and more. Data collector sets can
also be scheduled to run when needed. Figure 3 shows the Data Collector Sets section of the Performance Monitor.
Figure 3. Data collector sets in Performance Monitor.
Reports
As previously discussed, the Performance
Monitor includes an updated reporting mechanism and several template
performance and diagnostic reports for use. In addition, reports can
also be created manually or generated from data collector sets. Three
system reports are included for diagnosing and assessing system
performance: Active Directory Diagnostics, System Diagnostics, and
System Performance. The following steps outline the process to view a
System Diagnostics report. Figure 4 shows a sample System Diagnostics report.
Figure 4. System Diagnostics report in Performance Monitor.
To create and view reports in Performance Monitor, follow these steps:
1. Expand Data Collector Sets and System in the console tree of Performance Monitor.
2. Right-click either
the System Diagnostics or System Performance sets and select Start.
Windows will begin collecting data for the report.
3. When you have collected enough data, right-click the collection set again, and select Stop.
4. Expand Reports,
System and click the collection set you chose earlier. Double-click the
report listed under that performance set.
The report will be compiled and displayed, as in Figure 4.
