Programming Forums > Application Development > C++

coder0xff · May 29th, 2006, 11:44 PM

I am writting a program using .Net. I am using the PerformanceCounter class and as previous experience with this class has also shown, the retrieval of values is prohibitively slow. (Atleast in the context which I am using it in) In this particular scenario I am getting the "Process">"IO Data Bytes/sec" for each process and using the RawValue, not the computed NextValue(). Is there another way I can retrieve this information (is it beneficial to use advapi.dll and bypass .net?). Less importantly (or perhaps more) why are the performance classes so slow anyway? I looked around on the net and found issues about slow constructors and over network parallel use problems, but not much on the slow performance of retrieving values otherwise. It looks like the underlying RegQueryValueEx function is rather time consuming. Funny that the word Performance is in the name of the class, isn't it?

nnxion · May 30th, 2006, 4:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coder0xff

It looks like the underlying RegQueryValueEx function is rather time consuming.

I might be wrong, but I think you're the one making it slow rather than the function being slow.
Can you show a bit of the code?

coder0xff · May 31st, 2006, 10:29 PM

This is the code:

(Toggle Plain Text)

	__int64 RunningProcess::GetIOBytes()
	{
		IORetriever->InstanceName=PerformanceCounterName;
		return IORetriever->RawValue;
	}

As a demonstration to the poor performance I have written a small VB.net console application. The output:

(Toggle Plain Text)

Amount of time to print 1000 Integers:0.134375
Amount of time to read and print 1000 Performance Counter Values:51.20313
Approximate time (in ms) to call PerformanceCounter->RawValue:51.06875

This isn't practical for a program that wants to update the IO Data Bytes of each process once a second (or faster). On my laptop I average atleast 55 processes. I am running an AMD Athlon 64 3400+M Portable (2200 Mhz), and 1536 MB of RAM. Hardly a slow computer. This is the VB app code:

(Toggle Plain Text)

Module Module1

    Sub Main()
        Dim counter As System.Diagnostics.PerformanceCounter
        counter = New System.Diagnostics.PerformanceCounter("Process", "IO Data Bytes/sec", "explorer")
        Dim step1 As Integer
        Dim t As Single
        t = Timer
        For step1 = 0 To 10000
            System.Console.WriteLine(step1)
        Next
        Dim step1time As Single
        step1time = (Timer - t) / 10 //used 10000 ints - to be measurable
        Dim step2 As Integer
        For step2 = 0 To 1000
            System.Console.WriteLine(counter.RawValue)
        Next
        Dim step2time As Single
        step2time = Timer - t
        System.Console.Write("Amount of time to print 1000 Integers:")
        System.Console.WriteLine(step1time)
        System.Console.Write("Amount of time to read and print 1000 Performance Counter Values:")
        System.Console.WriteLine(step2time)
        System.Console.Write("Approximate time (in ms) to call PerformanceCounter->RawValue:")
        System.Console.WriteLine((step2time - step1time))
        System.Console.Read()
    End Sub

End Module

May 29th, 2006, 11:44 PM	#1
coder0xff Unverified User Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 18 Rep Power: 0	Slow Performance Counter I am writting a program using .Net. I am using the PerformanceCounter class and as previous experience with this class has also shown, the retrieval of values is prohibitively slow. (Atleast in the context which I am using it in) In this particular scenario I am getting the "Process">"IO Data Bytes/sec" for each process and using the RawValue, not the computed NextValue(). Is there another way I can retrieve this information (is it beneficial to use advapi.dll and bypass .net?). Less importantly (or perhaps more) why are the performance classes so slow anyway? I looked around on the net and found issues about slow constructors and over network parallel use problems, but not much on the slow performance of retrieving values otherwise. It looks like the underlying RegQueryValueEx function is rather time consuming. Funny that the word Performance is in the name of the class, isn't it?

May 31st, 2006, 10:29 PM	#3
coder0xff Unverified User Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 18 Rep Power: 0	This is the code: (Toggle Plain Text) __int64 RunningProcess::GetIOBytes() { IORetriever->InstanceName=PerformanceCounterName; return IORetriever->RawValue; } __int64 RunningProcess::GetIOBytes() { IORetriever->InstanceName=PerformanceCounterName; return IORetriever->RawValue; } As a demonstration to the poor performance I have written a small VB.net console application. The output: (Toggle Plain Text) Amount of time to print 1000 Integers:0.134375 Amount of time to read and print 1000 Performance Counter Values:51.20313 Approximate time (in ms) to call PerformanceCounter->RawValue:51.06875 Amount of time to print 1000 Integers:0.134375 Amount of time to read and print 1000 Performance Counter Values:51.20313 Approximate time (in ms) to call PerformanceCounter->RawValue:51.06875 This isn't practical for a program that wants to update the IO Data Bytes of each process once a second (or faster). On my laptop I average atleast 55 processes. I am running an AMD Athlon 64 3400+M Portable (2200 Mhz), and 1536 MB of RAM. Hardly a slow computer. This is the VB app code: (Toggle Plain Text) Module Module1 Sub Main() Dim counter As System.Diagnostics.PerformanceCounter counter = New System.Diagnostics.PerformanceCounter("Process", "IO Data Bytes/sec", "explorer") Dim step1 As Integer Dim t As Single t = Timer For step1 = 0 To 10000 System.Console.WriteLine(step1) Next Dim step1time As Single step1time = (Timer - t) / 10 //used 10000 ints - to be measurable Dim step2 As Integer For step2 = 0 To 1000 System.Console.WriteLine(counter.RawValue) Next Dim step2time As Single step2time = Timer - t System.Console.Write("Amount of time to print 1000 Integers:") System.Console.WriteLine(step1time) System.Console.Write("Amount of time to read and print 1000 Performance Counter Values:") System.Console.WriteLine(step2time) System.Console.Write("Approximate time (in ms) to call PerformanceCounter->RawValue:") System.Console.WriteLine((step2time - step1time)) System.Console.Read() End Sub End Module Module Module1 Sub Main() Dim counter As System.Diagnostics.PerformanceCounter counter = New System.Diagnostics.PerformanceCounter("Process", "IO Data Bytes/sec", "explorer") Dim step1 As Integer Dim t As Single t = Timer For step1 = 0 To 10000 System.Console.WriteLine(step1) Next Dim step1time As Single step1time = (Timer - t) / 10 //used 10000 ints - to be measurable Dim step2 As Integer For step2 = 0 To 1000 System.Console.WriteLine(counter.RawValue) Next Dim step2time As Single step2time = Timer - t System.Console.Write("Amount of time to print 1000 Integers:") System.Console.WriteLine(step1time) System.Console.Write("Amount of time to read and print 1000 Performance Counter Values:") System.Console.WriteLine(step2time) System.Console.Write("Approximate time (in ms) to call PerformanceCounter->RawValue:") System.Console.WriteLine((step2time - step1time)) System.Console.Read() End Sub End Module

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Programming Forums > Application Development > C++

Slow Performance Counter