Processor Object
Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2
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 |
|---|---|---|
% C1 Time |
Shows the percentage of time that the processor spent in the C1 low-power idle state. % C1 Time is a subset of the total processor idle time. C1 low-power idle state enables the processor to maintain its entire context and quickly return to the running state. Not all systems support the C1 state. |
|
% C2 Time |
Shows the percentage of time that the processor spent in the C2 low-power idle state. % C2 Time is a subset of the total processor idle time. C2 low-power idle state enables the processor to maintain the context of the system caches. The C2 power state is a lower power and higher exit latency state than C1. Not all systems support the C2 state. |
|
% C3 Time |
Shows the percentage of time that the processor spent in the C3 low-power idle state. % C3 Time is a subset of the total processor idle time. When the processor is in the C3 low-power idle state it is unable to maintain the coherency of its caches. The C3 power state is a lower power and higher exit latency state than C2. Not all systems support the C3 state. |
|
% 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. This counter displays the average busy time as a percentage of the sample time. |
|
% Idle Time |
Shows the time that the processor was idle during the sample interval. |
|
% 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. This counter displays the average busy time as a percentage of the sample time. |
|
% Privileged Time |
Shows the percentage of elapsed time that this thread spent executing code in privileged mode. When a Windows Server 2003 family operating system service is called, the service often runs in privileged mode in order to gain access to system-private data. Such data is protected from access by threads executing in user mode. Calls to the system can be explicit or implicit, such as page faults and interrupts. Unlike some early operating systems, Windows Server 2003 uses process boundaries for subsystem protection in addition to the traditional protection of user and privileged modes. These subsystem processes provide additional protection. Therefore, some work done by Windows Server 2003 on behalf of your application might appear in other subsystem processes in addition to the privileged time in your process. |
|
% Processor Time |
Shows the percentage of elapsed time that this thread used the processor to execute instructions. An instruction is the basic unit of execution in a processor, and a thread is the object that executes instructions. Code executed to handle some hardware interrupts and trap conditions is included in this count. |
|
% User Time |
Shows the percentage of elapsed time that this thread spent executing code in user mode. Applications, environment subsystems, and integral subsystems execute in user mode. Code executing in user mode cannot damage the integrity of the Windows Server 2003 Executive, Kernel, and device drivers. Unlike some early operating systems, Windows Server 2003 uses process boundaries for subsystem protection in addition to the traditional protection of user and privileged modes. These subsystem processes provide additional protection. Therefore, some work done by Windows Server 2003 on behalf of your application might appear in other subsystem processes in addition to the privileged time in your process. |
|
C1 Transitions/sec |
Shows the rate, in incidents per second, at which the CPU entered the C1 low-power idle state. The CPU enters the C1 state when it is sufficiently idle, and exits this state on any interrupt. This counter displays the difference between the values observed in the last two samples, divided by the duration of the sample interval. |
|
C2 Transitions/sec |
Shows the rate, in incidents per second, at which the CPU entered the C2 low-power idle state. The CPU enters the C2 state when it is sufficiently idle, and exits this state on any interrupt. This counter displays the difference between the values observed in the last two samples, divided by the duration of the sample interval. |
|
C3 Transitions/sec |
Shows the rate, in incidents per second, at which the CPU entered the C3 low-power idle state. The CPU enters the C3 state when it is sufficiently idle, and exits this state on any interrupt. This counter displays the difference between the values observed in the last two samples, divided by the duration of the sample interval. |
|
DPC Rate |
Shows the rate at which deferred procedure calls (DPCs) were added to the processor's DPC queue between the timer ticks of the processor clock. 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 were added to the queue, not the number of DPCs in the queue. This counter displays the last observed value only; it is not an average. |
|
DPCs Queued/sec |
Shows the average rate, in incidents per second, at which deferred procedure calls (DPCs) were 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 were added to the queue, not the number of DPCs in the queue. This counter displays the difference between the values observed in the last two samples, divided by the duration of the sample interval. |
|
Interrupts/sec |
Shows the rate, in incidents per second, at which the processor received and serviced hardware interrupts. It does not include deferred procedure calls (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. This counter displays the difference between the values observed in the last two samples, divided by the duration of the sample interval. |
See Also
Concepts
Finding Bottlenecks on Multiprocessor Computers
Find processor bottlenecks