Performance Tuning Considerations for Windows NT Family
Last Updated: 17 Oct 2004
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*** PLEASE NOTE: Link(s), If Provided, May Be Wrapped ***
RAM is often the source of contention in Windows NT/2K/XP,
or any other OS, so you should always ensure that you have
more than enough physical memory for your servers and
high powered workstations.
There are, however, many other bottlenecks areas that can
be addressed. The following resources address the other
areas that need attention with relation to the art of
Performance Tuning:
BOOKS -- https://brainwavecc.com/Library.html
• Inside Windows NT, Second Edition
• Optimizing Windows NT
• Tuning and Sizing NT Server
• Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit
• Windows 2000 System Administrator's Black Book
• Windows NT Performance Monitoring, Benchmarking, and Tuning
• Windows NT and 2000 Answer Book
UTILITIES
• Perfmon ................ Native Utility
• PMON ................... Support Tools
• PVIEWER ................ Support Tools
• PERFMTR ................ Resource Kit
• PFMON .................. Resource Kit
• QSLICE ................. Resource Kit
• TOP .................... Resource Kit
• TYPEPERF ............... Resource Kit
• Remote Task Manager .... http://www.ntutility.com/rtm/
• TaskInfo ............... http://www.iarsn.com/download.html
• Various ................ http://members.aol.com/axcel216/axcel216.htm
USING PERFORMANCE MONITOR
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=248345
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=130926
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=146005
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=139609
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=303133
• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sscomm/reskit/perfmon.mspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/mcis/perfmon.mspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/using/productdoc/en/SAG_MPmonperf_02a.asp
• http://www.winnetmag.com/windowsnt20002003faq/Article/ArticleID/14503/windowsnt20002003faq_14503.html
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/psdk/exchserv/perform_360i.htm
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/devprods/vs6/vstudio/vsentpro/veconusingperformancemonitor.htm
• http://search.microsoft.com/search/results.aspx?st=b&na=88&View=en-us&qu=Using+Performance+Monitor
DEFAULT/NATIVE SERVICES
Here are some guides to the default services available
in Windows 2000/XP. You can use this information to
tweak your configuration for maximum performance, BUT
you should note that resource management under 2000/XP
and that some of these services are actually beneficial
to your performance (e.g. PreFetch). If you're not sure
what the purpose of any particular service is, then
leave it alone until you've looked it up. Many a person
has made things worse, in the name of making them better.
• http://www.3dspotlight.com/tweaks/win2k_services/
• http://www.3dspotlight.com/tweaks/winxp_services/
• http://www.systemsbysteve.com/winguides/w2kservices.htm
• http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm
• http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/howitworks/management/w2kservices.asp
• http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/deploy/prodspecs/win2ksvc.asp
• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/topics/hardsys/tcg/tcgch07.asp
• http://www.greatis.com/regrun3useless.htm
KERNEL FEATURES IN WINDOWS
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/01/12/xpkernel/
• http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/driver/kernel/xp_kernel.mspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/performance/
IMPROVING NTFS PERFORMANCE
• http://www.jsiinc.com/suba/tip0200/rh0213.htm
• http://www.winnetmag.com/windowsnt20002003faq/Article/ArticleID/13749/windowsnt20002003faq_13749.html
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=130694
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=265069
VIRTUAL MEMORY TWEAKING
If you want to ensure that Windows is less eager to
page memory to disk, you can set the DisablePageExecutive
registry setting to "1".
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=184419
• http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=guide&dId=120&dPage=5
• http://is-it-true.org/nt/atips/atips95.shtml
• http://www.tek-tips.com/gfaqs.cfm/spid/616/sfid/784
WHITEPAPERS & TECH DOCUMENTS
• http://web.ukonline.co.uk/cook/Win2000.htm
• http://www.3dspotlight.com/tweaks/win2k_services/
• http://www.3dspotlight.com/tweaks/winxp_services/
• http://www.3dspotlight.net/tweaks/memory-win2k/
• http://snakefoot.fateback.com/tweak/winnt/services.html
• http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBA/TIP0200/rh0200.htm
• http://www.pureperformance.com/
• http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/pubs/pdfs/redbooks/sg245287.PDF
• http://www.sql-server-performance.com/
• http://www.thinentry.com/win2ktweaks.htm
• http://www.tweakxp.com/
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=308417
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=197379
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=171793
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=216899
• http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/iis/Tips/asptips.asp
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/architec/8_ar_00_3jll.asp
• http://www.microsoft.com/sql/evaluation/bi/bienterprisescale.asp
• http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=61a41d78-e4aa-47b9-901b-cf85da075a73&displaylang=en
• http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/downloads/2003/exbpa/overview.asp
• http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/professional/evaluation/performance/reports/perftune.asp
• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/maintain/optimize/perftune.mspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winntas/tips/winntmag/optntfs.mspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winntas/maintain/optimize/instant.mspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/prodtechnol/winntas/training/ntarchitectoview/ntarc_7.mspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/tips/w2mem.mspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/maintain/optimize/building.mspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/techresources/deployment/NTserver/HighAvail2.asp
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/01/12/XPKernel/default.aspx
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ADDITIONAL SEARCH OPTIONS (MS KB)
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/
• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/
• http://www.microsoft.com/
ALL WORDS .............. "Performance Tuning"
EXACT PHRASE ........... "Performance Monitor"
EXACT PHRASE ........... "Using Performance Monitor"
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PERSONAL NOTES
• You can also obtain PMON and other utilites on the
Win2K installation CD as part of the Windows 2000
Support Tools (SUPPORT folder)
• Be careful with tweaking. Make a full backup BEFORE
you start changing things around. Many a functional
system has been torched by indiscrimate tweaking,
especially by first-timers to a new OS.
