Chapter 13 - Detecting Processor Bottlenecks

The symptoms of a processor bottleneck aren't difficult to recognize:

But these symptoms don't always indicate a processor problem. And even when the processor is the problem, adding extra processors doesn't always solve it. In this chapter, you'll learn to use Performance Monitor to analyze such symptoms, determine the likely cause of processor bottlenecks, and implement effective solutions.

Note

Before upgrading or adding processors, verify that the processor is the source of problem. Memory shortages, by far the most common bottleneck, often masquerade as high processor use. For more information see Chapter 12, "Detecting Memory Bottlenecks."

For more information on monitoring processor use on multiprocessor computers, see Chapter 16, "Monitoring Multiprocessor Computers."

Use the following counters to measure different aspects of processor use.

Object

Counter

System

% Total Processor Time

System

Processor Queue Length

Processor

% Processor Time

Process

% Processor Time

Process

% User Time

Process

% Privileged Time

Process

Priority Base

Thread

Thread State

Thread

Priority Base

Thread

Priority Current

Thread

Context Switches/Sec

Thread

% User Time

Thread

% Privileged Time


It is also useful to log Memory: Pages/sec, Logical Disk: % Disk Time and an activity count for your network to rule out problems in these components.