Hi GuysWe are running Exchange 2003 SP2 on Windows 2003 SP2 servers.I would like to get some performance monitoring set up, so that if we have any problems, we have a baseline to compare with.Can anyone recommend any Windows software to use? I was thinking Perfmon, but not sure of what counters are relevant?

You can also use the ExTRA tool http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/bb288481.aspxhttp://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Exchange-2003-Performance-Troubleshooting-Analyzer-Tool-v10-ExPTA.htmlAnother tool thats gives good infohttp://blogs.technet.com/mikelag/archive/2008/08/20/performance-troubleshooting-using-the-pal-tool.aspxAlso check out this linkhttp://mostlyexchange.blogspot.com/2006/02/exchange-performance-tools.htmlLet me know if I missed on any thing.And these links also have information about the parameters that you need to worry about?Harpreet Singh Khandiyal (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375)

Sheen, Performance monitoring is almost an art as it is a skill ;). I was wrestling with a performance issue for some time. http://almostdailytech.com/2009/05/24/troubleshooting-exchange-2003-performance-issues/ Take a look at that post, it's a collection of ton of useful links on how to troubleshoot a performance issue. This will include key counters, and what their values should be at. It also has a link to the performance and scalability guide and pinpointing performance issues, this will give you key counters. As for tools the most recommended one is System Center Ops Manager for long term monitoring and trending. Unfortunately this costs money. A FANTASTIC tool is an open source tool called PAL. http://almostdailytech.com/tag/pal/ This has key perfmon counters as well. Mark Morowczynski|MCT| MCSE 2003:Messaging, Security|MCITP:ES, SA,EA|MCTS:Windows Mobile Admin|Security+|http://almostdailytech.com

HI, you can use performance Monitor and add some countersand analyze those data periodically using PAL tool.PAL tool have baseline counters and able to compare with that. Beside there is a many usefultool from Microsoft for Monitoring and troubleshooting.I have mention below tools for performance monitoringfor Exchange 2003.Tools Performance (perfmon.msc)- Use for establishing a baseline of performance and for troubleshooting performance issues. Load Simulator (LoadSim) - Use as a benchmarking tool to test the response of servers to mail loads.Exchange Stress and Performance (ESP)2003 - Use to test stress and performance.This tool simulates large numbers of client sessions, by concurrently accessing one or more protocol servers.Network Monitor- Use to diagnose issues with server connectivity.Filemon (filemon.exe)- Use to track I/Os to specific processes and files Resource Performance Monitor - Exchange 2003 Getting the Correct Troubleshooting ToolsExchange 2003 Performance Troubleshooting Analyzer Tool v1.0 (ExPTAPerformance Troubleshooting using the PAL tool RegardsChinthaka