Monitor a Terminal Server with Windows System Resource Manager

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM) on Windows Server 2008 allows you to control how CPU and memory resources are allocated to applications, services, and processes on the computer. Managing resources in this way improves system performance and reduces the chance that applications, services, or processes will take CPU or memory resources away from one another and slow down the performance of the computer. Managing resources also creates a more consistent and predictable experience for users of applications and services running on the computer.

You can use WSRM to manage multiple applications on a single computer or users on a computer on which Terminal Services is installed.

Install the Terminal Server role service on your computer before installing and configuring WSRM. To install WSRM, go to Features in Server Manager.

For more information about installing, configuring, and using WSRM, see the Windows Server 2008 Windows System Resource Manager Help.

There are two features of WSRM that will be of particular interest to terminal server administrators:

  • Resource-Allocation Policies

  • Resource Monitor

Resource-Allocation Policies

WSRM uses resource-allocation policies to determine how computer resources, such as CPU and memory, are allocated to processes running on the computer. There are two resource-allocation policies that are specifically designed for computers running Terminal Services. The two Terminal Services-specific resource-allocation policies are:

  • Equal_Per_User

  • Equal_Per_Session

Note

The Equal_Per_Session resource-allocation policy is new for Windows Server 2008.

If you implement the Equal_Per_Session resource-allocation policy, each user session (and its associated processes) gets an equal share of the CPU resources on the computer.

Resource Monitor

You should collect data about the performance of your terminal server before and after implementing the Equal_Per_Session resource-allocation policy (or making any other WSRM-related configuration changes). You can use Resource Monitor in the Windows System Resource Manager snap-in to collect and view data about the usage of hardware resources and the activity of system services on the computer.

Additional references