Chapter 21: Monitoring Windows XP Network Performance
7When you are done, click OK. The log file now appears in the right pane when Counter Logs is selected in the left pane. If you chose to manually start the log file on the Schedule tab, right-click the log file and choose Start from the shortcut menu. To stop logging to the file, right-click the file again and choose Stop.
8Once the log file is created, you can then open and review the log file.
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Chapter 21
Configuring Performance Alerts
As with other log files, you can create an administrative alert in Performance. An administrative alert is a notification issued when a specified value falls below a certain baseline value. To configure an alert, follow these steps:
1Expand Performance Logs And Alerts in the left console pane.
2Right-click Alerts and choose New Alert Settings. In the New Alert Settings dialog box, enter a name for the alert and click OK.
3The properties dialog box for the alert appears. On the General tab, shown on the next page, click the Add button to select the counters that should trigger an alert. Enter the desired trigger values for the alert in the Alert When The Value Is box and the Limit box. These values determine the baseline for the counter so that an alert is triggered when the value crosses the baseline (up or down, depending on your choice). Select an interval for sampling the data and set a password if necessary.
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Part 5: Advanced Networking
4On the Action tab, shown next, select the action that you want to occur when the alert is triggered. You can log an entry to the application event log, send a network message, start logging to a log file, or run a program.
5The Schedule tab allows you to schedule a start and stop time for the scan, or you can start and stop the scan manually. Make any desired changes and click OK.
6The alert now appears in the Alerts window. Right-click the alert and choose Start if you chose to manually start the alert on the Schedule tab.
note Remember that using Performance Monitor adds additional overhead to the system on which it’s running and can slow that system down, thus reducing system performance and also possibly skewing the data being collected. Therefore, it’s best to use it only when trying to gather specific data, and its potential effect on the computer’s performance must be remembered when analyzing the data.
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Appendix A
Default
Applications 613
Windows XP
Service Pack 1
Microsoft has traditionally released update packages for Windows NT and Windows 2000 called service packs. These service packs combine fixes for bugs and security flaws as well as new features and functionality. Microsoft continues this tradition with Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1).
Windows XP SP1 includes more of the fruits of Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Initiative (see Chapter 20, “Maintaining Network Security,” for more details). SP1 includes fixes for security vulnerabilities found throughout both Microsoft Windows XP and the applications (such as Windows Messenger) included with Windows XP. Many of these fixes were made available as hotfixes before the release of SP1. However, SP1 also includes additional patches and refinements.
In addition, Windows XP SP1 includes enhancements to system reliability, built-in support for a wider range of hardware, and the Microsoft .NET Framework, a software component that is key to applications developed in Microsoft’s new .NET component environment.
Default Applications
The most important network-related change in Windows XP SP1 affects how Windows XP manages default applications for common Internet-related tasks.
By default, Windows XP includes Microsoft Internet Explorer for Web browsing, Microsoft Outlook Express for e-mail and newsgroup browsing, Microsoft Windows Media Player, and
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Microsoft’s Java virtual machine. Third-party applications can be installed to perform these tasks, but often Windows opens Microsoft tools by default to perform these tasks even after third-party tools are installed.
Windows XP SP1 includes a new component in Add Or Remove Programs in Control Panel. It appears in the left pane of the Add Or Remove Programs dialog box and
is named Set Program Access And Defaults. To access it, open Add Or Remove Programs in Control Panel, and click Set Program Access And Defaults, as shown in Figure A-1.
Figure A-1. Set Program Access And Defaults is available in Add Or Remove Programs in Control Panel in Windows XP SP1.
Set Program Access And Defaults manages which applications are used by default by the operating system for Web browsing, e-mail, multimedia, instant messaging, and Java applications.
Three main configuration choices are available:
●Microsoft Windows. This option preserves access to non-Microsoft applications via their normal desktop and Start menu shortcuts, and uses Microsoft’s applications as the system’s defaults.
●Non-Microsoft. This option uses non-Microsoft applications whenever available and actually hides Microsoft’s tools.
Appendix A: Windows XP Service Pack 1
●Custom. This option allows you to individually choose whether to use a Microsoft application or a third-party application for each category, and if a third-party application is chosen, whether to also enable or hide the Microsoft-equivalent application for the category.
The settings for each main option can be accessed by clicking the arrow on the right side of the dialog box next to the button for each entry. Selecting an option also expands that option’s settings.
With the introduction of Windows XP SP1, many new Windows computers might be delivered from their manufacturers with some or all of the Microsoft applications replaced or even hidden in favor of third-party tools.
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Glossary
Glossary
1000Base-T Also referred to as Gigabit Ethernet, an Ethernet standard capable of 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), or 1,000 Mbps, over twisted-pair wiring.
100Base-T Also called Fast Ethernet, an Ethernet standard that has a capacity of 100 Mbps over twisted-pair wiring.
10Base-T An Ethernet standard with a capacity of 10 Mbps over twisted-pair wiring.
A
access control list (ACL) A list associated with a file or other resource that contains information about which users or groups have permission to access the resource.
access method The way in which a computer accesses a network
at the physical layer of the OSI reference model. CSMA/CD is considered an access method used in Ethernet networks. See also Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection.
Active Directory The directory service used by modern Windows domains. Active Directory holds all user and group accounts as well as information about network resources, policies, and other objects.
Active Server Pages (ASP) A server-side scripting language used by Web content developers that provides much of the interactive content on the Internet. ASP applications can be used to create dynamic Web content. ASP is supported by Internet Information Server (IIS) in Windows XP Professional. See also Internet Information Server.
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) A protocol used by computers to resolve IP addresses to physical (or MAC) network addresses, so that traffic can be forwarded appropriately on a network. A transmitting computer begins the process of transmitting IP address data by sending an ARP broadcast to all network devices on the local subnet, asking which maintains the specified IP address. If a computer replies, communications
