System Objects

Windows NT sees the active components running on the system as objects with characteristic properties. Some, such as processes and threads, are familiar; others, such as mutexes and semaphores, are less well known. For more information on Windows NT 4.0 objects, see "Microkernel Objects" in Chapter 5, "Windows NT 4.0 Workstation Architecture."

System object counts are important because each object takes up space in the operating system's nonpaged memory. Some just perform quick housekeeping and bookkeeping functions at background priority and rarely become a bottleneck. However, too many threads and processes can degrade performance on all functions, resulting in a bottleneck in processor or memory use.

Several performance monitoring tools let you keep track of the number of objects in your system:

• In Process Explode, the Objects box at the top of the first column displays counts for all system objects including events, sections, mutexes, and semaphores, as well as processes and threads.

• In Task Manager, select the Performance tab. The total number of active handles, threads, and processes for the system appear in the Totals box.

• In Performance Monitor, select the Object performance object, then select the counter for the type of object you want to track.. These include counters for operating system objects.