Creating log files
If you experience problems on your system, you might be asked to supply performance logs that can be used to locate the source of the problem. 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
The Performance window opens.
2 Expand Performance Logs and Alerts, and then select Counter Logs.
3 In the right frame, right-click and select New Log Settings.
4 In the New Log Settings dialog, type a name for the log file, and then click OK.
A dialog opens with a title that matches the name you have typed.
5 Make a note of the full name of the log file; it is something like C:\PerfLogs\name_000001.blg.
6 On the General Tab, click Add Counters.
The Add Counters dialog opens.
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 is 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 Select instances from list, and then choose the instances you want to monitor.
11 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, and then click OK.
The main window shows an entry for your log, 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 frame, select System Monitor.
3 In the right frame, click Properties, or press Ctrl+Q.
The System Monitor Properties dialog opens.
4 On the Source tab, select Log files, click Add, and then find the .blg file that 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 then 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, change the Vertical scale so that the values appear within the graph space on the screen.
9 Click OK.
The data for the chosen performance counters in the chosen log file appears.
10 When you are satisfied with the way the log file is working, select Counter Logs again, and then restart the log.
Which counters should be tracked?
Which counters you track depends on what issue you are investigating. Here is a list of counters that are 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
|
|
Interview Engine
|
Working Set
Current Interviews
Percent Loaded
Total Errors
Total Interviews
Total Restarts
Total Timeouts
|
For DPM
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Process
|
Counter
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|
Processor
|
Total, % Processor time
|
|
Process (w3wp.exe)
|
Working Set
|
|
Process (mrDPMServerServ)
|
Working Set
Virtual Bytes
Processor time
|
For SQL
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Process
|
Counter
|
|
Physical Disk
|
Avg Disk Queue Length
|
|
Processor
|
% Processor Time
|
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 might 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 might 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