Performance Monitoring for Physical and Virtual SQL Servers

Performance monitoring is one of the primary responsibilities of modern database administrators. Given high workloads and the mission-critical nature of database operations today, it’s really not surprising that most DBAs spend a great deal of time and effort on system and application performance monitoring.

DBAs typically rely on one or more tools for performance monitoring, but many native and third-party tools are clunky and difficult to use or only offer a limited set of performance metrics.  Application management industry leader Idera’s SQL Diagnostic Manager, on the other hand, allows you to monitor and view the performance of both physical and VMware server environments so you can easily keep your thumb on the pulse of your SQL Server databases.

Monitor Broad Range of Performance Metrics

With SQL Diagnostic Manager, you can set up customized performance metrics and alerts for VMs and their related ESX hosts. You can monitor a broad range of important performance metrics including CPU, memory, disk usage, network, status and others so you always have a complete performance picture of your SQL Server environment.

Complete Performance Picture

Having a complete performance picture is an essential part of proactive database management. Only the most sophisticated performance monitoring solutions allow you to identify inefficient or poor performing SQL queries, batches, statements and stored procedures that are leading to blocks and deadlocks. SQL DM makes it easy to problem queries, such as those with exceptionally high CPU or I/O demands.

Trend Toward Virtualization

Businesses of all sizes have been cutting back on their IT expenditures over the last few years by jumping on the virtualization bandwagon. Virtualization means creating a virtual (non-physical) version of a server, a storage device or network resources. Most modern servers only utilize a small fraction of their potential, and virtualization software enables a server to run multiple operating system “images” , or functional versions, simultaneously.  Being able to create several  “virtual machines” on a single server leads to a significant reduction in IT capital expenses and operating costs.

SQL DM is designed from the ground up to monitor both physical and virtual machines. Performance monitoring and management of SQL Server databases is significantly more complex with virtualized systems. Hybrid and virtual environments introduce a whole slew of new issues that DBAs must be on top of, but SQL DM makes it easy to set up a comprehensive performance monitoring system.

SQL DM’s Virtual Monitoring Capabilities

Idera’s flagship SQL Diagnostic Manager solution provides a variety of monitoring tools including VM and host network throughput charts  and disk usage charts, the ability to add additional VM and Host counters through the Custom Counters feature and 13 new VM and host related metrics:

 

  • VM – CPU
  • VM – Memory
  • VM – Disk
  • VM – Network
  • VM – Virtual Disk
  • VM – Datastore
  • VM – Power
  • ESX – CPU
  • ESX – Memory
  • ESX – Disk
  • ESX – Network
  • ESX – System
  • ESX – Management Agent
  • ESX – Power
  • ESX – Storage Adapter
  • ESX – Datastore
  • ESX – Storage Path