Tools for Optimizing Performance
Microsoft offers a numbers of tools for performance tuning and testing. Some of these tools are included with Windows Server 2008, and Internet Information Services (IIS), and others are available on the Microsoft.com Web site. For example, the System Monitor (formerly known as Performance Monitor) is built into Windows Server and is necessary to monitor almost every aspect of server performance.
The following section lists brief descriptions of performance optimizing tools and how to access them.
Microsoft Web Application Stress Tool. A simulation tool developed by Web testers to realistically reproduce multiple browsers requesting pages from a Web application. Microsoft has made the tool easy to use, masking some of the complexities of Web server testing. This makes the tool useful for anyone interested in gathering performance data on a Web site. The tool is a consolidation of many of the best features developed over the years, in addition to several new features.
To download WAS, go to https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=214686.
Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Team Test Load or Microsoft Visual Studio Agents 2010 with Load Test Virtual User Pack 2010. A tool that enables teams to simulate real-world load scenarios to accurately test the performance of Web applications and servers.
SQL Profiler. A tool that captures SQL Server events from a server. The events are saved in a trace file that you can analyze later or use to replay a specific series of steps when you try to diagnose a problem. You can use SQL Profiler to:
Step through problem queries to find the cause of the problem.
Find and diagnose slow-running queries.
Capture the series of SQL statements that lead to a problem. You can then use the saved trace to replicate the problem on a test server where it can be diagnosed.
Monitor the performance of SQL Server to tune workloads.
Performance Monitor. A tool you can use to collect and view extensive data about the way in which hardware resources are used and the activity of system services. You can use System Monitor to:
Collect and view real-time performance data on a local computer or from several remote computers.
View data in a counter log that is either being collected currently or was collected previously.
Present data in a printable graph, histogram, or report view.
Incorporate System Monitor functionality into Microsoft Word or other applications in the Microsoft Office suite through automation.
Create HTML pages from performance views.
Create reusable monitoring configurations that can be installed on other computers using Microsoft Management Console (MMC).