Creating log files
If you experience problems on your system you may be asked to supply performance logs that can be used to locate the source of the problem. This topic explains how to create these log files and which counters you may be asked to monitor. Remember that you can run Performance Monitor from a computer other than the Interviewing server.
To set up logging
1 From Control Panel select Administrative Tools > Performance
This opens the Performance window.
2 In the left-hand frame, expand Performance Logs and Alerts and select Counter Logs.
3 In the right-hand frame, right-click and select New Log Settings.
4 In the New Log Settings dialog box, type a name for the log file and click OK.
A dialog box opens with a title that matches the name you have typed.
5 Make a note of the full name of the log file; it will be something like C:\PerfLogs\name_000001.blg.
6 On the General Tab, click Add Counters.
This displays the Add Counters dialog box.
7 In the computer list, select the computer whose counters you want to monitor.
8 In Performance object, select the object whose counters you want to see. Typically this will be Interview Engine or Interview Web.
9 Click Select counters from list and then choose the counters from the list using standard Windows techniques. Click Add to add them to frame at the foot of the main window.
10 Click either All instances to see counters for all instances of the chosen object, or click Select instances from list and choose the instances you want to monitor.
11 If necessary, repeat these steps to add counters for other objects to the set.
12 Click Close.
13 In Interval and Units specify how frequently you want to record counter values.
14 Click OK.
The main window will show an entry for your log in the right-hand frame, with a green icon indicating that it is running.
To check that the log is working correctly
1 Allow the log to run for a few minutes and then click Stop.
2 In the left-hand frame, select System Monitor.
3 In the right-hand frame, click Properties (or type CTRL+Q).
This opens the System Monitor Properties dialog box.
4 On the Source tab, select Log files, click Add and locate the .blg file you created earlier ( C:\PerfLogs\name_000001.blg).
5 On the Data Tab, remove the three counters that are displayed. These are default counters relating to processes running on the local computer.
6 Click Add and choose the counters you want to review. These will normally be the same as the ones you have just logged.
7 On the Source tab, drag the end markers on the time range bar to define the time period you want to review.
8 On the Graph tab, if necessary, adjust the Vertical scale so that the values will appear within the graph space on the screen.
9 Click OK.
The data for the chosen performance counters in the chosen log file will be displayed.
10 When you are satisfied with the way the log file is working, reselect Counter Logs and restart the log.
Which counters should be tracked?
Which counters you track will depend on what issue you are investigating, but here is a list of counters that a often requested for problem investigation.
For UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer
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Process
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Counter
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Processor
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Total, % Processor time
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Process (w3wp.exe)
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Working Set
Virtual Bytes
Working Set Peak
Virtual Peak
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Interview Engine
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Working Set
Current Interviews
Percent Loaded
Total Errors
Total Interviews
Total Restarts
Total Timeouts
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For DPM
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Process
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Counter
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Processor
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Total, % Processor time
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|
Process (w3wp.exe)
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Working Set
|
|
Process (mrDPMServerServ)
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Working Set
Virtual Bytes
Processor time
|
For SQL
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Process
|
Counter
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|
Physical Disk
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Avg Disk Queue Length
|
|
Processor
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% Processor Time
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Hints, tips, and troubleshooting
▪The .blg file is a binary file that can only be read in Performance Monitor. For a more portable file format, select the Log Files tab and set Log file type to "Text file (Comma delimited)" or "Text file (Tab delimited)". You can then open the file in Excel.
▪If the log file seems to grow in fits and starts, it may be that logging information is being held in memory rather than being written to the file. Stop and restart logging and a new log file will be created with the next number in the series. You can then review the contents of the original file.
▪If nothing is logged, check on the Schedule tab that logging is not set to start and stop at fixed times. Sometimes these times can be set by default.
▪If scheduling is not a problem, it may be that you are trying to monitor counters that you do not have permission to access (some counters require administrator access on the server being monitored). Open Event Viewer, select the Application event and look for messages from SysMonLog. If this is the problem, it is worthwhile running the logging process as the UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer Running User. You can set this in the Run As box on the perfmon General tab.
▪If perfmon issues a message of the form "The service was unable to add the counter 'counter name' to the logname log or alert." this generally means that the counter does not exist on the server you are monitoring, or that the monitoring user does not have permission to read the counter.
▪Another way to make performance monitoring work is to set up the counters on the Interviewing server, then right-click on the counter's log name and select Save settings as. Import those settings to the computer from which you want to run monitoring. The saved settings file is an HTML file that can be edited before starting a new counter log with the settings.
See also