Contents Overview 1 Optimizing a Web Server 2 Monitoring and Optimizing Memory Usage 14 Monitoring and Optimizing Processor Activity 19 Monitoring and Optimizing the Available Network Bandwidth 25 Managing Log Files 29 Lab A: Monitoring Log Files 37 Optimizing a Web Site 41 Lab B: Monitoring Performance on an IIS Server 49 Review 60 Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The names of companies, products, people, characters, and/or data mentioned herein are fictitious and are in no way intended to represent any real individual, company, product, or event, unless otherwise noted. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation. 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Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server iii Instructor Notes This module provides students with the knowledge and skills that are necessary to monitor and optimize a Web server. After completing this module, students will be able to:  Optimize a Web server.  Monitor and optimize memory usage.  Monitor and optimize processor activity.  Monitor and optimize the available network bandwidth.  Manage log files.  Optimize a Web site. Materials and Preparation This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach this module. Required Materials To teach this module, you need the Microsoft® PowerPoint® file 2295a_06.ppt. Preparation Tasks To prepare for this module, you should:  Read all of the materials for this module.  Complete the labs.  Read the white paper, The Art and Science of Web Server Tuning with Internet Information Services 5.0, under Additional Reading on the Web page on the Student Materials compact disc.  Read the white paper, Web Server Capacity Planning, under Additional Reading on the Web page on the Student Materials compact disc.  Read Appendix B, “Transmission Rate Counters,” in Course 2295A, Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Internet Information Services 5.0. Presentation: 90 Minutes Labs: 75 Minutes iv Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server Demonstration This section provides demonstration procedures that will not fit in the margin notes or are not appropriate for the student notes. Building a Test Script  To prepare for the demonstration 1. Review the procedure for installing the Exploration Air Demo Web site. 2. Review the procedure for installing the Microsoft Web Application Stress Tool. 3. Review the procedure for creating a script by using the Web Application Stress Tool. Module Strategy Use the following strategy to present this module:  Optimizing a Web Server This topic outlines several considerations for optimizing a Web server. Explain how to plan Web server capacity by estimating the network traffic for a Web server and considering the impact that Web page elements have on available network bandwidth and on CPU, memory, and hard disk performance. Demonstrate the procedures for limiting connections to a Web site and enabling Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) compression to improve transmission speed. When discussing how to monitor and optimize Web applications, open System Monitor and point out each of the performance counters that are listed in the table for the Microsoft Active Server Pages and the Web Service performance objects. Next, describe the techniques that you can use to improve Web application performance, and then explain how implementing Network Load Balancing can reduce the risk of an application failure even if a Web server is attacked or it experiences a forced failure. Finally, describe the performance counters that you can use to gather baseline information about Web server performance.  Monitoring and Optimizing Memory Usage This topic describes how to monitor memory usage to determine whether your Web server has adequate physical memory for Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0 to run efficiently. Explain how to use the Memory performance object in System Monitor to monitor physical and paged memory. Next, discuss the ways in which you can optimize memory usage without adding memory to your Web server. Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server v  Monitoring and Optimizing Processor Activity This topic describes how to monitor and optimize processor activity when one or more processes use a large percentage of processor time. Describe the performance counters that you can use to identify potential processor bottlenecks. Explain how to improve performance if the processor activity level is too high. Next, demonstrate the procedure for enabling process throttling. Finally, describe the performance counters that you can use to monitor IIS 5.0 service connections, explain the procedure for disabling HTTP Keep-Alives, and discuss the process of identifying a processor bottleneck by analyzing connection data.  Monitoring and Optimizing the Available Network Bandwidth  This topic describes how to monitor and optimize the available network bandwidth to ensure optimal usage. Explain the ways in which bandwidth is measured, and describe the performance counters for each of the Open Systems Interconnectivity (OSI) layers, which are listed in Appendix B, “Transmission Rate Counters,” in Course 2295A, Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Internet Information Services 5.0. Next, describe the guidelines for interpreting data provided by transmission rate performance counters. Finally, demonstrate the procedure for enabling bandwidth throttling to limit the bandwidth used by Web and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) services on your computer. vi Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server  Managing Log Files This topic describes how to enable and manage log files for a Web site to collect information about user activity. Describe the log file formats that are available when you enable logging on a Web or FTP site. Demonstrate the procedures for enabling logging on a Web or FTP site, configuring logging for a specific directory, and setting logging properties. Next, demonstrate the procedure for enabling process accounting to log resource usage by a Web site. Then, describe the strategy for setting up Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) logging and describe the procedure for converting log files to other formats.  Optimizing a Web Site This topic describes the ways in which you can optimize the performance of your Web site. Explain how to test a Web site using the Microsoft Web Application Stress Tool, which needs to be installed on the master client computer. You must not install the Web Application Stress Tool on the Web server you are testing because doing so may interfere with your results. Describe the different methods for creating test scripts, and then demonstrate how to build a test script by using the Web Application Stress Tool. In this demonstration, you will install the Exploration Air Demo Web site, and then you will install the Web Application Stress Tool and build the script by clicking on the links in the Exploration Air Web site. Tell the students that they should not perform the demonstration steps on their own computers. Doing so will prevent them from being able to perform the next lab. The steps in the manual have been provided for future reference, if necessary. Next, explain the strategies that you can use to optimize the performance of your Web site. In addition, describe the security considerations and the procedure for setting Microsoft Windows ® 2000 as an application server to improve Web site performance. Finally, describe how to use the Performance tuning slider on the Performance property sheet to specify the amount of memory that IIS will reserve in its cache. Customization Information This section identifies the lab setup requirements for a module and the configuration changes that occur on student computers during the labs. This information is provided to assist you in replicating or customizing Training and Certification courseware. This module includes only computer-based interactive lab exercises and, as a result, there are no lab setup requirements or configuration changes that affect replication or customization. The labs in this module are also dependent on the classroom configuration that is specified in the Customization Information section at the end of the Classroom Setup Guide for Course 2295A, Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Internet Information Services 5.0. Note Importan t Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server 1 Overview  Optimizing a Web Server  Monitoring and Optimizing Memory Usage  Monitoring and Optimizing Processor Activity  Monitoring and Optimizing the Available Network Bandwidth  Managing Log Files  Optimizing a Web Site ***************************** ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE****************************** To optimize Web server performance, you must examine every part of the system for potential performance problems. Performance problems can be caused by inadequate or improperly configured hardware or by software settings in either Microsoft ® Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0 or Microsoft Windows ® 2000. You can use the tools included in IIS and Windows 2000 to monitor Web server performance. After you gather and analyze performance data, you can determine the cause of performance problems and make any necessary changes. After completing this module, you will be able to:  Optimize a Web server.  Monitor and optimize memory usage.  Monitor and optimize processor activity.  Monitor and optimize the available network bandwidth.  Manage log files.  Optimize a Web site. Topic Objective To provide an overview of the module topics and objectives. Lead-in In this module, you will learn about monitoring and optimizing Web server performance. 2 Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server    Optimizing a Web Server  Planning Web Server Capacity  Configuring Web Server Capacity  Monitoring and Optimizing Web Applications  Implementing Network Load Balancing  Gathering Baseline Information ***************************** ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE****************************** To optimize a Web server, you must first plan Web server capacity by estimating the network traffic for your Web server and considering the impact that Web page elements have on available network bandwidth and on CPU, memory, and hard disk performance. You can then configure Web server capacity by limiting the number of simultaneous connections to the Web server and by enabling Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) compression to improve transmission speed. You can use System Monitor, which is part of the Performance tool in Windows 2000, to monitor application performance. In addition, you can use several techniques to increase the speed and efficiency of your Web applications. Finally, you can gather baseline information to track the performance of your Web server. For more information about optimizing a Web server, see the white paper, The Art and Science of Web Server Tuning with Internet Information Services 5.0, under Additional Reading on the Web page on the Student Materials compact disc. Topic Objective To outline the topics that are relevant to optimizing a Web server. Lead-in There are several considerations for optimizing a Web server. Delivery Tip Refer students to the white paper, The Art and Science of Web Server Tuning with Internet Information Services 5.0, under Additional Reading on the Web page on the Student Materials compact disc. Note Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server 3 Planning Web Server Capacity To Plan Web Server Capacity: To Plan Web Server Capacity: To Plan Web Server Capacity:  Estimate network traffic on your Web server  Consider the impact that Web page elements have on available network bandwidth and on CPU, memory, and hard disk performance ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ Web Server ***************************** ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE****************************** To ensure a successful implementation of IIS, your Web server must have adequate capacity to handle the network traffic. You must plan Web server capacity so that your hardware and software meets current needs and can be expanded or upgraded as traffic increases. Network Traffic and Connection Types Traffic on a Web server is the combination of incoming requests from browsers and outgoing responses. Web sites periodically experience high activity levels, thus the traffic load is variable. The more visitors your site has and the larger the pages it provides, the more network bandwidth your server requires. The following table describes the traffic that is generated by a typical request for a 5-kilobyte (KB) page. Traffic type Bytes sent Transfer Control Protocol (TCP) connection 180 (approximate) Client GET request 256 (approximate) 5-KB page 5,120 Protocol overhead 1,364 (approximate) Topic Objective To outline the necessary considerations for planning Web server capacity. Lead-in Estimate the network traffic for your Web server to plan Web server capacity. 4 Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server The following table describes different connection types, their speeds, and the number of 5-KB pages sent per second. Connection type Connection speed Approximate number of 5-KB pages sent per second Dedicated Point-to-Point Protocol/Serial Line Internet Protocol (PPP/SLIP) by using a modem 28.8 kilobits per second (Kbps) ½ page Frame Relay or fast modem 56 Kbps 1 page Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) 128 Kbps 2 pages Typical Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) 640 Kbps 11 pages DS1/T1 1.536 megabits per second (Mbps) 28 pages 10-megabit (Mb) Ethernet 8 Mbps 136 pages DS3/T3 44.736 Mbps 760 pages OC1 51.844 Mbps 880 pages 100-Mb Ethernet 80 Mbps 1,360 pages OC3 155.532 Mbps 2,650 pages OC12 622.128 Mbps 10,580 pages 1-gigabit per second (Gbps) Ethernet 800 Mbps 13,600 pages Adding graphics to a page increases the page size and therefore reduces the number of pages sent. For example, a graphic that is 2x2 inches in size adds 10 KB or more to the page size. Note [...]... following table lists different Web page elements and the hardware components that are affected by them: available network bandwidth and CPU, memory, and hard disk performance Web page element Affects Graphics Available network bandwidth Web applications CPU time Streaming multimedia Available network bandwidth Database lookups CPU time, memory, hard disk, available network bandwidth To maximize the... can ensure optimal bandwidth usage 26 Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server Monitoring and Analyzing Bandwidth Usage Topic Objective To describe performance counters for monitoring bandwidth usage Lead-in Monitor and analyze bandwidth usage to determine if your network bandwidth is sufficient to meet demand Bandwidth Usage Varies Depending on: Bandwidth Usage Varies Depending on: The transmission... Network Load Balancing is a part of the Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server clustering solution and enhances the availability and scalability of Web servers, FTP servers, streaming media servers, virtual private network (VPN) servers, and mission-critical programs Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server 11 Consider the following when determining whether to implement Network Load Balancing... paper, Web Server Capacity Planning, under Additional Reading on the Web page on the Student Materials compact disc Note For more information about optimizing a Web server, see the white paper, Web Server Capacity Planning, under Additional Reading on the Web page on the Student Materials compact disc 5 6 Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server Configuring Web Server Capacity Topic Objective To... techniques that you can use to increase the speed and efficiency of your Web applications Monitoring Web Applications Monitoring Web Applications Use counters in the Active Server Pages performance object to monitor ASP applications Use counters in the Web Service performance object to monitor CGI and ISAPI applications Optimizing Web Applications Optimizing Web Applications Convert CGI applications to ASP... performance, you can disable performance-related logging to increase performance on your server Note Under ordinary circumstances, disk activity other than logging activity indicates performance issues in other areas For example, if your server requires additional RAM, you will notice an increase in disk activity due to an increase in hard page faults Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server 19 Monitoring. .. Network Bandwidth Topic Objective To outline the topics for monitoring and optimizing the available network bandwidth Lead-in Monitoring and Analyzing Bandwidth Usage Enabling Bandwidth Throttling Monitor and optimize the available network bandwidth to ensure optimal bandwidth usage *****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE****************************** The primary function of a Web server. .. overhead than static HTML pages, their performance has a significant impact on Web server capacity By monitoring applications and estimating their overhead during periods of varying activity, you can ensure that your server is prepared for periods of increased workload Monitoring Web Applications You can use System Monitor to monitor the performance of Active Server Pages (ASP), Common Gateway Interface (CGI),.. .Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server Considerations for Web Server Capacity Several other factors impact the capacity of your Web server: the number of applications running on the server, the use of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and various Web page elements You can limit the number of services and other applications running on the Web server to reduce their impact on central processing... Memory and Process performance objects contain the performance counters that you can use to monitor physical and paged memory To ensure that your Web server has enough physical memory to accommodate IIS 5.0, you must monitor: Available memory The available memory is the amount of physical memory available to processes that are running on the computer Compare the total physical memory that is available . Materials compact disc. Note Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server 3 Planning Web Server Capacity To Plan Web Server Capacity: To Plan Web. performance. 2 Module 6: Monitoring and Optimizing a Web Server    Optimizing a Web Server  Planning Web Server Capacity  Configuring Web Server Capacity 