IIS Probe - Monitoring & Reporting questions
Article ID: 196287
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
1. Pre-Requisites
a. "ISAPI Filters"
Is it necessary to add this Server Role through the Server Manager? Is it needed to be done at the IIS server level? As far as I understood by reviewing the documentation, that would be required to have ASP counters activated, right?
b. "ASP"
I have also seen that there is this ASP Server Role, although it is not identified as a pre-requisite to activate ASP counters. Should it also be checked as well, or not really?
* I have tried to add these roles on Pre-Prod environment, but only seeing this. Is it because this is not an IIS server? Would those Roles listed in a/b be visible on the IIS server?
c. "Metabase Compatibility component"
I have also seen that this component is mentioned to be installed. By looking into the documentation, it is not very clear to me how to do so though. Should it be installed on the IIS server?
d. "Configure IISRequest.cfg"
Is this also a pre-requisite to be done at IIS server end after the IIS probe is deployed? As per the documentation, I believe that the default cfg file content should remain untouched and just confirmed to be "probemachine, iisservermachine, 999", right?
2. Performance Counters
There is a pretty good overview about Perfmon alternatives on "Windows Performance Counters Explained" (http://www.appadmintools.com/documents/windows-performance-counters-explained/), but unfortunately, in relation to IIS, it is only showing alternatives for Webservices increased/decreased load, user connections, or http requests, but nothing related to the IIS queues themselves.
Anyway, by looking into other articles and loose data you have shared, I have found what I believe to be the closer option we have at the moment, that could provide IIS queues performance related reports, through the following ASP counters.
a. "QOS_ASP_REQUESTS_QUEUED" (To be used to gather IIS queue length)
- Monitors the total number of ASP requests that are currently queued to be serviced. The number of requests waiting for service from the queue.
b. "QOS_ASP_REQUESTS_WAITTIME" (To be used to gather average time in an IIS queue, request wait times)
- Monitors the time period up to which the last ASP request is queued. Number of milliseconds that the most recent ASP request was waiting in the queue.
* I have found a lot of detailed information about what do each performance metrics and counters do, but I am still a little bit uncertain about the steps to follow in order to have performance data collecting enabled. Apart from the pre-requisites at the IIS server level described above, what else should be done at the probe level in order to start collecting specific data, such as "QOS_ASP_REQUESTS_QUEUED" and "QOS_ASP_REQUESTS_WAITTIME"?
3. Probe settings
a. Perfmon probe IM config
I have changed the settings to match those values that you have shown on the KB article. As I have been doing this on our Pre-Prod environment, when finally moving to Prod and configuring the probe on the actual IIS server, should I set a specific privileged user and password (provided by IIS support team), so that the probe have the right permissions to access IIS data? Or would it just be enough with an Administrator user at UIM level?
b. IIS probe IM config
I have not found very useful information at IM level, so I have try going through the AC.
c. IIS probe AC config
I was wondering how can I enable "Requests Queued" and "Requests_Waittime" data gathering, after all the pre-requisites are given. I am not even seeing an entry to include the specific url.
Environment
- Any iis probe version
Cause
- guidance
Resolution
1. Pre-Requisites
a. "ISAPI Filters"
Is it necessary to add this Server Role through the Server Manager? Is it needed to be done at the IIS server level? As far as I understood by reviewing the documentation, that would be required to have ASP counters activated, right?
>>>Yes. You do it on the IIS server.
Activate the ASP Counters on IIS 7 or above
To use the element, you must install the ISAPI Filters module on version 7 and later.
For more information about installing the component, see http://www.iis.net/ConfigReference/system.webServer/isapiFilters
>>>Please refer to
>>> https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/iis/configuration/system.webServer/isapiFilters/
and/or
>>> https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/iis/application-frameworks/running-classic-asp-applications-on-iis-7-and-iis-8/classic-asp-not-installed-by-default-on-iis
>>>Server Roles apply to->Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2.
b. "ASP"
I have also seen that there is this ASP Server Role, although it is not identified as a pre-requisite to activate ASP counters. Should it also be checked as well, or not really?
>>>ASP Server Role-that depends on the version. see links above.
* I have tried to add these roles on Pre-Prod environment, but only seeing this. Is it because this is not an IIS server? Would those Roles listed in a/b be visible on the IIS server?
>>>Yes, done on the IIS server.
c. "Metabase Compatibility component"
I have also seen that this component is mentioned to be installed. By looking into the documentation, it is not very clear to me how to do so though. Should it be installed on the IIS server?
>>>Yes on the IIS server
Installing Metabase Compatibility Support
>>>You can find this component in setup under Internet Information Services->Web Management Tools -> IIS X.0 Management Capability Feature.
This component is not installed by default because IIS is not initially set up to use it. The legacy interfaces have some limitations and are not ideal for working with distributed configuration files (see Limitations section below); therefore it is recommended that over time, and especially when opening up the configuration system for more and more delegation (i.e. more and more web.config files with IIS settings in them are present on the system), customers will consider porting legacy scripts and applications over to the new system and its interfaces.
It is also recommended that new scripts and applications be developed using the new interfaces, so they work ideally with the new system, and can have access to the new properties, concepts and structure of the configuration system.
When all of the legacy scripts and applications are ported to the new interfaces, it is recommended to uninstall the Metabase Compatibility feature.
d. "Configure IISRequest.cfg"
Is this also a pre-requisite to be done at IIS server end after the IIS probe is deployed? As per the documentation, I believe that the default cfg file content should remain untouched and just confirmed to be "probemachine, iisservermachine, 999", right?
>>>Yes, correct.
Configure IISRequest.cfg
Follow these steps:
Navigate to ..\Nimsoft\probes\application\iis folder and edit the IISRequest.cfg file.
Ensure the following:
The first line is the host name of the computer where the IIS Server Monitoring probe is running (probe machine).
The second line is the host name of the IIS server computer (IIS server machine).
The host name that you define must match with the host name or IP address that you provide while creating the probe profile.
The port number is in the last line, by default it is 999. This port number is used for communication between the IIS Request filter on the IIS Server and the probe.
Save and close the file.
Restart the IIS server.
2. Performance Counters
There is a pretty good overview about Perfmon alternatives on "Windows Performance Counters Explained" (http://www.appadmintools.com/documents/windows-performance-counters-explained/), but unfortunately, in relation to IIS, it is only showing alternatives for Webservices increased/decreased load, user connections, or http requests, but nothing related to the IIS queues themselves.
Anyway, by looking into other articles and loose data you have shared, I have found what I believe to be the closer option we have at the moment, that could provide IIS queues performance related reports, through the following ASP counters.
a. "QOS_ASP_REQUESTS_QUEUED" (To be used to gather IIS queue length)
- Monitors the total number of ASP requests that are currently queued to be serviced. The number of requests waiting for service from the queue.
b. "QOS_ASP_REQUESTS_WAITTIME" (To be used to gather average time in an IIS queue, request wait times)
- Monitors the time period up to which the last ASP request is queued. Number of milliseconds that the most recent ASP request was waiting in the queue.
* I have found a lot of detailed information about what do each performance metrics and counters do, but I am still a little bit uncertain about the steps to follow in order to have performance data collecting enabled. Apart from the pre-requisites at the IIS server level described above, what else should be done at the probe level in order to start collecting specific data, such as "QOS_ASP_REQUESTS_QUEUED" and "QOS_ASP_REQUESTS_WAITTIME"?
>>>QOS_ASP_REQUESTS_QUEUED and QOS_ASP_REQUESTS_WAITTIME are part of the ASP configuration. After you follow the IIS configuration, and activate the ASP counters, once you see values being collected, you can configure (enable) the QOS/alarms.
3. Probes settings
a. Perfmon probe IM config
I have changed the settings to match those values that you have shown on the KB article. As I have been doing this on our Pre-Prod environment, when finally moving to Prod and configuring the probe on the actual IIS server, should I set a specific privileged user and password (provided by IIS support team), so that the probe have the right permissions to access IIS data? Or would it just be enough with an Administrator user at UIM level?
>>>Yes, its not necessary but ideally I would ask them to setup a separate, specific privileged user and password for the Windows domain.
b. IIS probe IM config
I have not found very useful information at IM level, so I have try going through the AC.
>>>Either Admin Console or IM should work.
c. IIS probe AC config
I was wondering how can I enable "Requests Queued" and "Requests_Waittime" data gathering, after all the pre-requisites are given. I am not even seeing an entry to include the specific url.
>>>Please refer to and select the IIS Server->Host Configuration to configure the url, and click on ASP to see those counters and configuration parameters.
Additional Information
- Now, in relation to IIS Probe config, are we only capable of configuring only 1 URL per probe/server to perform reporting at a time?
Yes, one instance/url per probe.
- At this instance, I guess I should set a Windows username/password that is privileged to have access to that specific url right?
Yes, recommended.
- Once I configure all ASP pre-requisites along with below settings, I should be able to evidence the data gathering through the perfmon probe right?
Yes but you can check the iis probe log itself.
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