Processor Object
The Processor performance object consists of counters that measure aspects of processor activity. The processor is the part of the computer that performs arithmetic and logical computations, initiates operations on peripherals, and runs the threads of processes. A computer can have multiple processors. The processor object represents each processor as an instance of the object.
| Counter Name | Description | Counter Type |
|---|---|---|
| % DPC Time | Shows the percentage of time that the processor spent receiving and servicing deferred procedure calls (DPCs) during the sample interval. DPCs are interrupts that run at a lower priority than standard interrupts. % DPC Time is a component of % Privileged Time because DPCs are executed in privileged mode. They are counted separately and are not a component of the interrupt counters. | PERF_100NSEC_TIMER |
| % Interrupt Time | Shows the percentage of time that the processor spent receiving and servicing hardware interrupts during the sample interval. This value is an indirect indicator of the activity of devices that generate interrupts, such as the system clock, the mouse, disk drivers, data communication lines, network interface cards, and other peripheral devices. These devices normally interrupt the processor when they have completed a task or require attention. Normal thread execution is suspended during interrupts. Most system clocks interrupt the processor every 10 milliseconds, creating a background of interrupt activity. | PERF_100NSEC_TIMER |
| % Privileged Time | Shows the percentage of non-idle processor time spent in privileged mode. Privileged mode is a processing mode designed for operating system components and hardware-manipulating drivers. It allows direct access to hardware and all memory. The alternative, user mode, is a restricted processing mode designed for applications, environment subsystems, and integral subsystems. The operating system switches application threads to privileged mode to obtain operating system services. % Privileged Time includes time spent servicing interrupts and DPCs. A high rate of privileged time might be attributable to a large number of interrupts generated by a failing device. | PERF_100NSEC_TIMER |
| % Processor Time | Shows the percentage of time that the processor is executing application or operating system processes other than Idle. This counter is a primary indicator of processor activity. It is calculated by measuring the time that the processor spends executing the thread of the Idle process in each sample interval, and subtracting that value from 100%. Each processor has an Idle thread which consumes cycles when no other threads are ready to run. | PERF_100NSEC_TIMER_INV |
| % User Time | Shows the percentage of non-idle processor time that is spent in user mode. User mode is a restricted processing mode designed for applications, environment subsystems, and integral subsystems. The alternative, privileged mode, is designed for operating system components and allows direct access to hardware and all memory. The operating system switches application threads to privileged mode to obtain operating system services. | PERF_100NSEC_TIMER |
| APC Bypasses/sec | Shows the rate at which kernel asynchronous procedure call (APC) interrupts were avoided. | PERF_COUNTER_COUNTER |
| DPC Bypasses/sec | Shows the rate at which deferred procedure calls (DPCs) on all processors were avoided. DPCs are interrupts that run at a lower priority than standard interrupts. | PERF_COUNTER_COUNTER |
| DPC Rate | Shows the rate at which deferred procedure calls (DPCs) are added to the processor's DPC queue between the timer ticks of the processor clock. DPC objects are queued to this processor's DPC queue per clock tick. DPCs are interrupts that run at a lower priority than standard interrupts. Each processor has its own DPC queue. This counter measures the rates at which DPCs are added to the queue, not the number of DPCs in the queue. | PERF_COUNTER_RAWCOUNT |
| DPCs Queued/sec | Shows the overall rate at which deferred procedure calls (DPCs) are added to the processor's DPC queue. DPCs are interrupts that run at a lower priority than standard interrupts. Each processor has its own DPC queue. This counter measures the rate at which DPCs are added to the queue, not the number of DPCs in the queue. | PERF_COUNTER_COUNTER |
| Interrupts/sec | Shows the average number of hardware interrupts that the processor is receiving and servicing per second. It does not include DPCs, which are counted separately. This value is an indirect indicator of the activity of devices that generate interrupts, such as the system clock, the mouse, disk drivers, data communication lines, network interface cards and other peripheral devices. These devices normally interrupt the processor when they have completed a task or require attention. Normal thread execution is suspended during interrupts. Most system clocks interrupt the processor every 10 milliseconds, creating a background of interrupt activity. | PERF_COUNTER_COUNTER |
See also
- Finding Bottlenecks on Multiprocessor Computers
- Finding Processor Bottlenecks
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