Recommended Thresholds for the Minimum Set of System Counters
Resource | Object\Counter | Suggested Threshold | Comments |
Disk | LogicalDisk\ | 15 percent | None |
Disk | LogicalDisk\ | 90 percent | None |
Disk | PhysicalDisk\ | Depends on manufacturer's specifications | Check the specified transfer rate for your disks to verify that this rate does not exceed the specifications. In general, Ultra Wide SCSI disks can handle 50 to 70 I/O operations per second. |
Disk | PhysicalDisk\ | Number of spindles plus 2 | This is an instantaneous counter; observe its value over several intervals. For an average over time, use PhysicalDisk\Avg. Disk Queue Length. |
Memory | Memory\ Available Bytes | Less than 4 MB | Research memory usage and add memory if needed. |
Memory | Memory\ Pages/ | 20 | Research paging activity. |
Network | Network Segment\% Net Utilization | Depends on type of network | You must determine the threshold based on the type of network you are running. For Ethernet networks, for example, 30 percent is the recommended threshold. |
Paging File | Paging File\% Usage | Above 70 percent | Review this value in conjunction with Available Bytes and Pages/sec to understand paging activity on your computer. |
Processor | Processor\% Processor Time | 85 percent | Find the process that is using a high percentage of processor time. Upgrade to a faster processor or install an additional processor. |
Processor | Processor\ Interrupts/sec | Depends on processor; for current CPUs, use a threshold of 1500 interrupts per second | A dramatic increase in this counter value without a corresponding increase in system activity indicates a hardware problem. Identify the network adapter or disk controller card causing the interrupts. You might need to install an additional adapter or controller card. |
Server | Server\Bytes Total/sec |
| If the sum of Bytes Total/sec for all servers is roughly equal to the maximum transfer rates of your network, you might need to segment the network. |
Server | Server\Work Item Shortages | 3 | If the value reaches this threshold, consider tuning the InitWorkItems or MaxWorkItems entries in the registry (in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SYSTEM \CurrentControlSet |
Server | Server Work Queues\Queue Length | 4 | If the value reaches this threshold, there might be a processor bottleneck. This is an instantaneous counter; observe its value over several intervals. |
Multiple Processors | System\Processor Queue Length | 2 | This is an instantaneous counter; observe its value over several intervals. |