Using Performance Monitor to Establish Performance Baselines

The Windows operating system has included a performance monitoring utility for many releases. Over the years, this tool has become more powerful, and applications continue to allow critical performance monitoring through this tool. The tool, Performance Monitor (sometimes called Perfmon), enables administrators to view numerous metrics about the hardware and software on a Windows machine. In relation to Lync, key performance metrics related to CPU, disk, memory, and network can be monitored as part of the default OS configuration. Additionally, Lync Server 2013 includes a vast library of counters that can be tracked in the Performance Monitor utility.

It is best practice to establish a performance baseline when first enabling a Lync Server deployment. A performance baseline enables administrators to have a record of how one or many Lync Server systems are performing during normal operations. This baseline can then be referenced when issues are reported.

Establishing a performance baseline also enables administrators to confirm proper sizing of the deployed environment. Microsoft provides recommended topologies based on standard use cases and environmental variables. If an organization does not match all conditions of the Microsoft use cases, Performance Monitor can be used to validate sufficient system resources and load distribution for various Lync services.

If major changes to the Lync service occur, such as adding users or functionality, or adding or removing servers, a new baseline should be established.