Hands-On Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hands-On Microsoft

							Hands-On Microsoft Windows
       Server 2008


           Chapter 11
  Server and Network Monitoring
                                Objectives

• Understand the importance of server monitoring
• Monitor server services and solve problems with
  services
• Use Task Manager for server monitoring
• Configure and use Performance Monitor




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                  Objectives (continued)

• Set up and use Data Collector Sets for performance
  and diagnostic information
• Use Reliability Monitor
• Implement the SNMP service for network
  management




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       Introduction to Server Monitoring

• Server monitoring is performed for several reasons
    – To establish a baseline of performance so problems
      can be more easily identified when they occur
    – To prevent problems before they occur and to
      diagnose existing problems
• Benchmarks or baselines
    – Provide a basis for comparing data collected during
      problem situations with data showing normal
      performance conditions



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       Introduction to Server Monitoring
                  (continued)
• Sample benchmarks that you might establish include
  the following:
    – Test benchmarks of disk, CPU, memory, and network
      response before releasing a new operating system,
      server hardware, or a complex application to users
    – Slow, typical, and heavy usage of disk, CPU, memory,
      and other server resources for each server
    – Slow, typical, and heavy usage of the combined
      network and server resources
    – Growth of use of network and server resources at
      specific intervals, such as every six months to a year
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             Monitoring Server Services

• Servers are always running a number of services




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             Accessing Server Services

• You can access server services through Server
  Manager or the Computer Management tool




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      Solving a Problem with a Service
• When you experience a problem on a server that is
  associated with a service
    – Check the status of the service to make sure that it is
      started or set to start automatically
• You can start, stop, pause, resume, or restart a
  service
    – By right-clicking it and clicking any of these options
• You can check dependencies by double-clicking a
  service and clicking the Dependencies tab
• Pausing a service takes it offline to be used only by
  Administrators or Server Operators
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      Solving a Problem with a Service
                 (continued)
• Activity 11-1: Monitoring and Managing a Service
    – Time Required: Approximately 10 minutes
    – Objective: Use the Computer Management tool to
      monitor and manage a Windows Server 2008 service




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                    Using Task Manager

• Windows Server 2008 includes the Task Manager
  tool
    – Can be used to monitor applications and processes
      running on a serve




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                 Monitoring Applications

• You can use Task Manager to view applications
  running on the server
    – By pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL while logged on as
      Administrator or as a member of the Administrators
      group




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    Monitoring Applications (continued)

• If you right-click an application, several active
  options appear in a shortcut menu, as follows:
     –   Switch To
     –   Bring To Front
     –   Minimize
     –   Maximize
     –   End Task
     –   Create Dump File
     –   Go To Process


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    Monitoring Applications (continued)

• Activity 11-2: Working with Applications in Task
  Manager
     – Time Required: Approximately 10 minutes
     – Objective: Use Task Manager to monitor and manage
       applications




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                   Monitoring Processes

• The Processes tab lists the processes in use by all
  running applications
• If you need to stop a process, simply highlight it and
  click End Process
• The Processes tab also shows information about
  each started process




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      Monitoring Processes (continued)




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                          Setting Priorities

• Using the Processes tab within Task Manager
    – You can increase the priority of a process (or
      processes) in the list
         • So that it has more CPU priority than what is set as its
           default
• Base priority class
    – The priority at which a process runs is set in the
      program code of the application
• If the base priority class is not set by the program, a
  normal (average) priority is set by the system

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             Setting Priorities (continued)

• Activity 11-3: Working with Processes in Task
  Manager
    – Time Required: Approximately 10 minutes
    – Objective: Use Task Manager to monitor processes
      and to reset the priority of a process




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                      Monitoring Services

• The Services tab in Task Manager shows the
  services that are started, stopped, or paused
• If you want to manage services using more
  management options
    – Use Server Manager or the Computer Management
      tool




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    Monitoring Real-Time Performance

• The Performance tab shows vital CPU and memory
  performance information
   – Through bar charts, line graphs, and performance
     statistics
• Handle
   – A resource, such as a file, used by a program and
     having its own identification so the program is able to
     access it
• Threads
   – Blocks of code within a program

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    Monitoring Real-Time Performance
               (continued)




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    Monitoring Real-Time Performance
               (continued)




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       Monitoring Network Performance

• The Networking tab in Task Manager enables you to
  monitor network performance
    – On all NICs installed in the server
• This information can be valuable if you suspect there
  is a problem with a NIC in the server
    – And you want an immediate determination if it is
      working




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                          Monitoring Users

• The Users tab provides a list of the users currently
  logged on
• You can log off a user by clicking that user and
  clicking the Logoff button
    – Ensures that any open files are closed before the user
      is logged off
• Another option is to Disconnect a user




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             Using Performance Monitor

• Performance Monitor
   – Can be used to monitor components such as hard
     disks, memory, the processor, a network interface, a
     started process, and the paging file




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     Capturing Data Using Performance
                  Monitor
• Performance Monitor is a tool within the Reliability
  and Performance Monitor
• The default view is in the line mode, showing a grid
  that you use for graphing activities on the server
• Counter
    – An indicator of a quantity of the object that can be
      measured in some unit, such as percentage, rate per
      second, or peak value, depending on what is
      appropriate to the object


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    Capturing Data Using Performance
           Monitor (continued)




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     Capturing Data Using Performance
            Monitor (continued)
• Sometimes instances are associated with a counter
• An instance exists when there are different
  elements to monitor
    – Such as individual processes when you use the
      Process object
• You can monitor one or more objects at a time
    – As a way to get a better understanding of how
      particular objects interact
• You can use three view modes when monitoring
  objects: line, histogram bar, and report

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        Monitoring System Components

• When monitoring the performance of a server, four
  objects are often used:
    –   Processor
    –   Memory
    –   Physical disk
    –   Network interface




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       Monitoring System Components
                 (continued)




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        Monitoring System Components
                  (continued)
• Activity 11-4: Exploring Performance Monitor
    – Time Required: Approximately 10 minutes
    – Objective: Examine available options in Performance
      Monitor




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        Monitoring System Components
                  (continued)
• Activity 11-5: Monitoring for Processor Problems
    – Time Required: Approximately 15 minutes
    – Objective: Learn how to monitor for processor
      bottlenecks




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        Monitoring System Components
                  (continued)
• Activity 11-6: Verifying the Disk Counters
    – Time Required: Approximately 5 minutes
    – Objective: Learn to check the status of diskperf




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                Using Data Collector Sets

• Data Collector Sets tool
    – Another vehicle that is used to monitor performance
      and to consolidate performance information
• Data collector set is a collection of diagnostic and
  performance information in the form of a report or log
• There are three basic types of data collection tools
  and formats:
    – Performance counters and performance counter
      reports
    – Traces and trace reports
    – System configuration data
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 Using Data Collector Sets (continued)

• Performance counter report
   – Tracks information using objects, counters, and
     instances
• A trace monitors particular events
• Trace report contains only those instances when the
  events occur
• Data collector sets can be created in several ways
   – One way is to use a predefined data collector set
   – Using a predefined data collector set helps to take the
     guesswork out of what to monitor

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  Using Data Collector Sets (continued)

• The Data Collector Sets tool also enables you to
  start a wizard and select a template to use for
  creating a data collector set
• Each data collector set consists of properties that
  you can configure as follows:
    –   General
    –   Directory
    –   Security
    –   Schedule
    –   Stop Condition
    –   Task
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       Using a Wizard and a Template to
          Create a Data Collector Set
• Four templates that can be deployed from the Create
  new Data Collector Set Wizard:
   –   Active Directory Diagnostics
   –   Basic
   –   System Diagnostics
   –   System Performance
• The Create new Data Collector Set Wizard steps you
  through deploying one of these templates



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      Using a Wizard and a Template to
         Create a Data Collector Set
                 (continued)
• Activity 11-7: Using a Template for a Data Collector
  Set
    – Time Required: Approximately 20 minutes
    – Objective: Create a data collector set from a template




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           Returning to a Report and the
           Importance of Network Data
• After you create a report, you can go back to it by
  finding that report
    – Under Reports in the tree within the Reliability and
      Performance Monitor tool
• Monitoring the network is one of the monitoring tasks
  you should set out to do early on
    – Provides a way to determine baselines
    – And later, to compare baseline data with current
      system performance statistics to locate a problem
      source

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           Returning to a Report and the
           Importance of Network Data
                    (continued)
• Plan to gather data such as the following:
    – Network Interface performance counter
    – IPv4 and IPv6 performance counters
    – TCPv4 and TCPv6 performance counters




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           Returning to a Report and the
           Importance of Network Data
                    (continued)
• Activity 11-8: Viewing a Report
    – Time Required: Approximately 5 minutes
    – Objective: Learn how to go back to view a report you
      have already created




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 Using a Predefined Data Collector Set

• Activity 11-9: Using the LAN Diagnostics Data
  Collector Set
    – Time Required: Approximately 15 minutes
    – Objective: Use the predefined LAN Diagnostics data
      collector set




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                 Using Reliability Monitor

• Reliability Monitor
    – Tracks the combined hardware and software reliability
      of a system from the time the system was installed
    – Helps you to judge the overall system reliability while
      taking into account multiple factors
• System Stability Chart
    – Enables you to view the overall reliability over the last
      month to many months at a glance




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    Using Reliability Monitor (continued)

• System Stability reports:
    –   Software (Un)Installs
    –   Application Failures
    –   Hardware Failures
    –   Miscellaneous Failures




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    Using Reliability Monitor (continued)

• Activity 11-10: Using Reliability Monitor
    – Time Required: Approximately 15 minutes
    – Objective: Learn how to use Reliability Monitor




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       Implementing the SNMP Service
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
   – Used for network management on TCP/IP-based
     networks
   – Provides administrators with a way of centrally
     managing workstations, servers, hubs, and routers
     from a central computer running management
     software
• SNMP can be used for the following:
   –   Configuring network devices
   –   Monitoring the performance of a network
   –   Locating network problems
   –   Monitoring network usage
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       Implementing the SNMP Service
                (continued)
• SNMP provides network management services
  through agents and management systems
• SNMP management system (a computer running
  management software)
   – Sends and requests information from an SNMP agent
• SNMP agent (any computer or network device
  running SNMP agent software)
   – Responds to the management system’s request for
     information


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       Implementing the SNMP Service
                (continued)
• Microsoft operating systems and components
  compatible with SNMP:
   –   Windows Server 2008
   –   Windows Server 2003
   –   Windows 2000 Server
   –   Windows 2000, XP, and Vista
   –   WINS servers
   –   DHCP servers
   –   Internet Information Services servers
   –   Microsoft RAS and IAS servers

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        Implementing the SNMP Service
                 (continued)
• Activity 11-11: Installing SNMP Services
    – Time Required: Approximately 5 minutes
    – Objective: Install SNMP




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        Implementing the SNMP Service
                 (continued)
• Activity 11-12: Configuring the SNMP Service
    – Time Required: Approximately 10 minutes
    – Objective: Learn how to configure the SNMP service




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                                 Summary

• Server monitoring enables you to establish
  benchmarks or baselines to help identify areas that
  need improvement and to identify problem areas
• A server has many services running at the same
  time
• Task Manager enables you to monitor applications,
  processes, services, system performance, network
  performance, and logged-on users
• Performance Monitor is one of a suite of tools
  offered through the Reliability and Performance
  Monitor
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                   Summary (continued)

• A data collector set is another tool in the Reliability
  and Performance Monitor that enables you to
  collect data about a server or network and compile
  the data into a report
• The Reliability Monitor is yet another tool in the
  Reliability and Performance Monitor
• Windows Server 2008 offers the SNMP service,
  which you can choose to install




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