System Monitor

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 with SP1

System Monitor enables you to collect and display real-time performance data for a local computer or remote computers according to criteria that you define. System Monitor can also display data that is collected in counter logs.

You can use System Monitor to monitor your server's activity and summarize its performance at selected intervals. You can display performance data in real-time charts or reports, collect data in files, and generate alerts when critical events occur. Use the data to determine the cause of system bottlenecks and to fine-tune system and application performance.

By default, the System Monitor graph is plotted on a scale of 0 through 100. For counters that register small values, you might need to change the scale. When interpreting the counters, remember that most of them show the most recently observed value, not a long-term average. Use Performance Logs and Alerts to log data over time and determine average values.

For more information about using System Monitor, see Setting Up Monitoring, and "System Monitor overview" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.