How to create a Performance Monitor log in Windows NT

To really understand what's going on in a Windows NT network, you need a baseline measurement of how the system functions. Performance Monitor is the best tool for this job.

We recently offered an overview of Windows NT's Performance Monitor and discussed which counters offer the most information about your systems. Now, let's take a look at how you can take advantage of this handy tool by creating—and examining—a log file.

To create a log file, follow these steps:

1. Go to Start | Programs | Administrative Tools (Common) | Performance Monitor.
2. From the View menu, select Log.
3. From the Edit menu, select Add To Log.
4. In the Add To Log dialog box, specify the name of the computer you want to log in the Computer field.
5. In the Objects list box, select the counters you want to log, and click Add.
6. From the Options menu, select Log.
7. In the Log Options dialog box, specify a filename in the File Name field.
8. In the Update Time section, specify the desired interval. (Sixty seconds is a pretty good indicator.). Keep in mind that the smaller the interval, the larger the log.
9. Click the Start Log button.

When you're ready to stop monitoring and examine the log file, follow these steps:

1. From the Options menu, select Log.
2. Click the Stop Log button.
3. From the Options menu, select Data From.
4. In the Data From dialog box, select the Log File option.
5. Select the Perfmon.log option, and browse to the log file. (Note: Choosing File | Open won't open log files.)
6. Click Open, and click OK.
7. When the log file opens, use the Add Counter button to add the objects and counters that you monitored. Do this for each view needed (i.e., Chart, Alert, Log, and/or Report); otherwise, the log file's data won't be available.