Re: Server Performance

From: Todd J Heron (todd_heron_no_spam_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 08/21/04 

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2004 08:11:12 -0400

Before you go deep into monitoring of disk counters, for a Windows OS which
runs too slowly, try out any applicable parts of my 21-step improvement plan
below and report back the results:

1. Check system uptime (pagefile.sys modified date or in Task Manager: CPU
Time, or remotely with Uptime.exe). A reboot may be needed if the system
has been up for several days.
2. Check free disk space; delete Temp files/ Temporary Internet files &
Netscape cache
3. Check then clear the Event Viewer
4. Check size of user's profile
5. Turn off unneeded services
6. Check Virtual memory (pagefile size) locally (Control Panel > System >
Performance tab > Change) or remotely: (Remotely: Regedt32 to \\computername
then navigate to: HKey Local Machine\System\ CurrentControlSet\ Control\
SessionManager\Memory Management. The pagefile size may need to be
increased.
7. Open Task Manager, click Processes then CPU column to sort by processes
using the highest percentage of CPU time in descending order (highest at the
top). A common culprit is NTVDM.exe. DOS-based and 16-bit applications
have to run inside NTVDM.exe. As they may try to access the hardware
continually, such as non-stop keyboard polling, CPU cycles will be used up
quickly. There are very few good solutions to this problem, other than
upgrading the application to 32-bit. Also, a scheduled task invoking a CMD
or BAT file which is running continuously in the background due to script
logic error or a resource the script is calling cannot be found.
8. Lower video resolution via Control Panel > Display > Settings tab > lower
Refresh Frequency
9. Turn off any OpenGL screensaver or change to a system default screensaver
10. Check for real-time Anti-virus running (no need to run more than one
type of AV engine simultaneously)
11. Turn off FindFast (via Control Panel & "All Users" Startup folder)
12. Remove unnecessary network protocols (NWLink IPX/SPX is often at fault
in networks no longer running Novell NetWare)
13. Defragment (and ensure not defragmentation is not running in the
background as a process - DiskKeeper is notorious for this. A badly
fragmented hard drive or MFT, a corrupted MFT or FAT, or physical damage to
the drive (particularly if the MFT or page file is trying to use a bad
sector) are possible causes of slow performance
14. Check Control Panel > System > Performance > and verify that the total
amount of paging is equal to at least 12MB greater than physical RAM.
Determine how much RAM is installed via Control Panel > System > Performance
> General. Setting the MIN and MAX size of the pagefile to the same number
will prevent pagefile fragmentation.
14. Recreate the user's profile
15. Investigate a possible Network problem (is there a broadcast storm
somewhere, is someone copying large files (such as movie files), over the
network, or from the Internet? Is a deployment team or a Helpdesk
downloading or copying images (such as those built using Norton Ghost) over
the network, are backing up large amounts of user data during production
hours?
16. Ensure client NIC speed is equals the same setting as all switches and
servers in the network (for example, every client workstation and network
device set to 100mbs/full duplex)
16. Look into a Wiring closet problem
17. Add more RAM (open Task Manager, verify that the Total Physical Memory
is greater than Total Commit Charge during normal system operation. If it
isn't, more RAM is needed)
18. Hard drive is slow or there is a mainboard problem
19. Verify proper SCSI termination
20. Run CHKDSK to verify the physical integrity of the disk. A bad sector
in an area used by a critical file - such as pagefile.sys - can slow the
system to a crawl
21. Stop and restart the Spooler service 

-- 
Todd J Heron, MCSE
Windows 2003/2000/NT
"Hursh" <anonymous@msnews.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:uHc#gK1hEHA.1276@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Hi,
>
> Lately my server performance has started to deteriorate. I was thinking of
> using Performance Logs and Monitor to monitor the server for bottlenecks,
> but I am not sure which all counters to concentrate on.
>
>
> I know I cannot hog the server with a lot of counters and end up degrading
> the performance as well as collecting meaningless data over the time.
>
>
>
> Plz if anybody could suggest what all Counters can be monitored for
> identifying the bottlenecks it would be really helpful.
>
>
>
> tia
>
> Hursh
>
>

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