Exchange Server Tools for Load Testing and Monitoring

Good administrators know that oftentimes their value is measured by the tools they bring to the table. Knowing which tools to use for troubleshooting and diagnostics can be a valuable time saver as well when systems are down or performance is slowed.

Administrators have a variety of performance bottlenecks that they are constantly trying to improve upon. Sometimes it is I/O performance, other times it is network performance. And when end users complain about response times the factors involved can include: the CPU speeds, memory size, disk storage, network infrastructure, etc.

Most enterprises have three or four environments: Production, Pre-Production or Staging, Testing and Development. Each environment requires its own set of diagnostic tools to aide in the troubleshooting process. Exchange server administrators can use tools to help them with load testing of the servers before they leave the Testing and Pre-Production environments. Load testing of the servers can help to ensure that the Exchange server has been sized appropriately and that the configuration settings are correct for your Production environment.

Some of the performance and load generating tools that can be used for Exchange server include:

1. Exchange Server Jetstress Tool – The Jetstress tool allows an administrator to simulate the disk I/O load on a test machine running Exchange Server. Administrators can verify the performance and stability of the disk subsystem before placing their server into a production environment. Using the tool, administrators can simulate the Exchange server database and log file loads that are produced based on a specific number of users. Additional tools to use include: Performance Monitor, Event Viewer and ESEUTIL. If you wish to download Jetstress then go to the following link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/results.aspx?freetext=JetStress&displaylang=en&stype=s_basic
2. Performance Monitor – Administrators can use the Microsoft Exchange Server User Monitor to collect real-time data about client user patterns and can be used for planning purposes. Such data that can be collected include: IP addresses used by clients, versions and modes of Microsoft Office Outlook, and resource usage such as CPU utilization. Important information such as server-side processor latency and total latency for network and processing can also be collected. Exchange Server User Monitor can be downloaded from the following site: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyId=9A49C22E-E0C7-4B7C-ACEF-729D48AF7BC9&displaylang=en
3. Event Viewer – Administrators can use the Event Viewer to review the data that is contained in the application and system log files. Both the application and the system log files contain errors, warnings, and informational events that are related to the operation of Exchange Server, security, and other applications. Most Exchange Server-related information such as authentication, connections and user actions are recorded in the Application log. Administrators should review the event logs daily for errors and warnings.
4. ESEUTIL – The Exchange Server Database Utilities (Eseutil.exe) is a command-line tool that allows administrators to manipulate Exchange’s Extensible Storage Engine (ESE). An administrator can use it to verify, modify, and repair any Exchange ESE database file in Exchange Server. Eseutil can also be used with ESE databases on the Exchange Hub Transport and Edge Transport server roles. Corrupt or damaged databases can be restored or repaired from backup using the Eseutil tool. Eseutil can also be used with database files and log files associated with a Microsoft Exchange database. Administrators can run the Eseutil  tool from the Exchange default install folder located in the <SystemDrive>:Program FilesMicrosoftExchange ServerBin directory.

ESEUTIL uses switches such as “/k”, “/mh” and “/cc” to allow administrators to re-run various processes on Exchange server. For example, an administrator can display headers of database files, transaction log files, and checkpoint files. You can verify checksums of all pages in the database, log files, and checkpoint files. Or and administrator can display the restore log files and control hard recovery after restoration from legacy online backups.

Another important switch of the ESEUTIL tool is the “/d” switch which allows an administrator to defragment the database offline but leaves the new, defragmented database in the temporary location. This procedure can be performed with or without overwriting the original database. The net effect of the “/d” switch is to reduce the gross size of the database (.edb) by rebuilding the indexes and deleting most of the empty pages.

Using the “/r” switch an administrator can restore a database by replaying the transaction log files or roll them forward to a known restore point.

Tools such as Jetstress, Performance Monitor, Event Viewer, and ESEUTIL can be used together to verify that your Exchange server and configuration settings are set appropriately for your environment and desired performance levels.