5 Key Server Performance Metrics to Track

It is vitally important that you know how well your server is using essential resources such as memory, CPU, and network responses. The efficiency of response times are a hugely influential factor in determining how you handle things like requests from websites through to how quickly pages load, and actions are completed.

Server performance metrics are the driving force behind your quest to know how well your system is using its available resources and how efficient it is in delivering responses.  The sort of high-spec setup that you can find when you search colocation cabinets Miami, for instance, is the sort of standard you want to aspire to.

The way you achieve that aim is to observe and take note of some key server performance metrics. Let’s look at the metrics that warrant particular attention.

How your processing power is used

CPU utilization has to be on your priority list. Performance metrics give a vital insight into how much of your system’s processing power is being used at any given point in time.

Quite simply, your CPU is the driving force behind every code and every request. If your CPU is running close to capacity it will slow everything down. Take note of high CPU usage when analyzing the metrics as it is telling you that you are running close to your limit and reaching a point where performance will drop.

Scrutinize memory consumption levels

Another key performance metric is memory consumption. It is essential that you have a good handle on how much RAM your server is using in real-time.

An inevitable consequence of memory usage that is too high is that the server is bound to encounter performance problems. That means it could slow down considerably, or worse, crash completely.

As a general guide, once you get beyond 75% RAM capacity there is a heightened risk of slow performance, or an impending crash.

Look at network latency

You need to know how well your server is interacting with browsers, users, and related systems. Latency is the measure of how much delay there is between sending a request and getting the response. You need the latency number to be as low as possible for fast responses.

Keep a close eye on the uptime number

You need to monitor uptime consistently. It is a key metric that tells you the percentage of time where your server is available and in a position to respond to requests.

It doesn’t take much movement down from 100% to notice a difference. If you move from 99.99% uptime to 99% uptime, the impact is greater than you might think. That move of under one percentage point is the difference between less than five minutes of downtime per month at 99.99%, to over 7 hours of downtime for the lower number.

Regularly monitor error rates

This metric tells how often requests are failing rather than succeeding. Quite simply, a high error rate is telling you that users are encountering regular problems, despite the server remaining online.

If your error rate exceeds just 2%, this is a clear indication of a reliability issue and needs addressing.

These are just some of the key metrics that should be at the heart of your performance checks on a regular basis. One way of ensuring that your server runs at peak levels is to use a colocation facility, as they will have the resources and know-how to keep these problems at bay.