Leveraging Capacity-Analysis Tools

Leveraging Capacity-Analysis Tools

A growing number of tools originating and evolving from the Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Unix operating system platforms can be used in data collection and analysis on Windows Server 2003. Some of these tools are even capable of forecasting system capacity, depending on the amount of information they are given.

Microsoft also offers some handy utilities that are either inherent to Windows Server 2003 or are sold as separate products. Some of these utilities are included with the operating system, such as Task Manager, Network Monitor, and Performance Console (also known as Performance Monitor). Data that is collected from these applications can be exported to other applications, such as Microsoft Excel or Access, for inventory and analysis. Other Microsoft utilities that are sold separately are Systems Management Server (SMS) and Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM).

Built-in Toolset

Windows Server 2003's arsenal of utilities for capacity analysis includes command-line and GUI-based tools. This section discusses the Task Manager, Network Monitor, and Performance Console, which are bundled with the Windows Server 2003 operating system.

Task Manager

The Windows Server 2003 Task Manager is similar to its Windows 2000 predecessor in that it offers multifaceted functionality. You can view and monitor processor, memory, application, and process information in real-time for a given system. This utility is great for getting a quick view of key system health indicators with the lowest performance overhead.

To begin using Task Manager, use any of the following methods :

• Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc.

• Right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager.

• Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and then click Task Manager.

When you start the Task Manager, you'll see a screen similar to that in Figure 23.1.

Figure 23.1. The Task Manager window after initialization.

The Task Manager window contains the following five tabs:

• Applications This tab lists the user applications that are currently running. You also can start and end applications under this tab.

• Processes Under this tab, you can find performance metric information of the processes currently running on the system.

• Performance This tab can be a graphical or tabular representation of key system parameters in real-time.

• Networking This tab displays the network traffic coming to and from the machine. The displayed network usage metric is a percentage of total available network capacity for a particular adapter.

• Users This tab displays users who are currently logged on to the system.

In addition to the Task Manager tabs, the Task Manager is, by default, configured with a status bar at the bottom of the window. This status bar, shown in Figure 23.2, displays the number of running processes, CPU utilization percentage, and the amount of memory currently being used.

Figure 23.2. All processes currently running on the system.

As you can see, the Task Manager presents a variety of valuable real-time performance information. This tool is particularly useful for determining what processes or applications are problematic and gives you an overall picture of system health.

There are limitations, however, which prevent it from becoming a useful tool for long- term or historical analysis. For example, the Task Manager can't store collected performance information; it is capable of monitoring only certain aspects of the system's health, and the information that is displayed pertains only to the local machine. For these reasons alone, the Task Manager doesn't make a prime candidate for capacity-planning purposes (you must be logged on locally or connected via Terminal Services to gauge performance with the Task Manager).

Network Monitor

There are two versions of Network Monitor that you can use to check network performance. The first is bundled within Windows Server 2003, and the other is a part of Systems Management Server (SMS). Although both have the same interface, like the one shown in Figure 23.3, the one bundled with the operating system is slightly scaled down in terms of functionality when compared to the SMS version.

Figure 23.3. The unified interface of the Network Monitor.

The Network Monitor that is built into Windows Server 2003 is designed to monitor only the local machine's network activity. This utility design stems from security concerns regarding the ability to capture and monitor traffic on remote machines. If the operating system version had this capability, anyone who installed the Network Monitor would possibly be able to use it to gain unauthorized access to the system. Therefore, this version captures only frame types traveling into or away from the local machine.

To install the Network Monitor, perform the following steps:

1. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs applet on the Control Panel.

2. In the Add/Remove Programs window, click Add/Remove dialog box.

3. Within the Windows Components Wizard, select Management and Monitoring Tools and then click Details.

4. In the Management and Monitoring Tools window, select Network Monitor Tools and then click OK and then Next.

5. If you are prompted for additional files, insert your Windows Server 2003 CD or type a path to the location of the files on the network. You might be prompted to install the Phone Book Services (PBS) at this point. Choose Yes to continue with the PBS installation.

6. After the installation, locate and execute the Network Monitor by choosing Start, Programs, Administration Tools.

As described previously, the SMS version of the Network Monitor is a full version of the one integrated into Windows Server 2003. The most significant difference between the two versions is that the SMS version can run indiscriminately throughout the network (that is, it can monitor and capture network traffic to and from remote machines). It is also equipped to locate routers on the network, provide name -to-IP address resolution, and generally monitor all the traffic traveling throughout the network.

Because the SMS version of Network Monitor is capable of capturing and monitoring all network traffic, it poses possible security risks. Any unencrypted network traffic can be compromised; therefore, it's imperative that you limit the number of IT personnel who have the necessary access to use this utility.

On the other hand, the SMS version of Network Monitor is more suitable for capacity-analysis purposes because it is flexible enough to monitor network traffic from a centralized location. It also allows you to monitor in real-time and capture for historical analysis. For all practical purposes, however, it wouldn't make much sense to install SMS just for the Network Monitor capabilities, especially considering that you can purchase more robust third-party utilities.

The Performance Console

Many IT professionals rely on the Performance Console because it is bundled with the operating system, and it allows you to capture and monitor every measurable system object within Windows Server 2003. This tool is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in, so using the tool involves little effort to become familiar with it. You can find and start the Performance Console from within the Administrative Tools group on the Start menu.

The Performance Console, shown in Figure 23.4, is by far the best utility provided in the operating system for capacity-analysis purposes. With this utility, you can analyze data from virtually all aspects of the system both in real-time and historically. This data analysis can be viewed 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 23.4. The Performance Console startup screen.

Because the Performance Console is available to everyone running the operating system and it has a lot of built-in functionality, most administrators choose to use this built-in utility.

Third-Party Toolset

Without a doubt, many third-party utilities are excellent for capacity-analysis purposes. Most of them provide additional functionality not found in the Windows Server 2003 Performance Console, but they cost more too. You might want to evaluate some third-party utilities to get a more thorough understanding of how they might offer more features than the Performance Console. Generally speaking, these utilities enhance the functionality that is inherent to Performance Console, such as scheduling, an enhanced level of reporting functionality, superior storage capabilities, the ability to monitor non-Windows systems, or algorithms for future trend analysis.

Some of these third-party tools are listed in Table 23.1.

Table 23.1. Third-Party Capacity-Planning Tools

Utility Name	Company	Web Site
AppManager Suite	NetIQ Corporation	http://www.netiq.com/solutions/
Openview	Hewlett-Packard	http://www.openview.hp.com/
PATROL	BMC Software	http://www.bmc.com/products
PerfMan	Information Systems	http://www.infosysman.com/
RoboMon	Heroix	http://www.robomon.com/
Unicenter TNG	Computer Associates	http://www3.ca.com/Solutions/Solution.asp?id=315

Although it might be true that most third-party products do add more functionality to your capacity-analysis procedures, there are still pros and cons to using them over the free Performance Console. The most obvious is the expense of purchasing the software licenses for monitoring the enterprise, but some less obvious factors include the following:

• The number of administrators needed to support the product in capacity-analysis procedures is high.

• Some third-party products have high learning curves associated with them. This increases the need for either vendor or in-house training just to support the product.

The key is to decide what you need to adequately and efficiently perform capacity-analysis procedures in your environment. You might find that the Performance Console is more than adequate, or you might find that your network environment requires a third-party product that can encompass all its intricacies.