High CPU or memory usage can affect the performance and availability of your system. If you notice that your system is running slow, crashing, or generating errors, you need to troubleshoot the root cause and resolve it. In this article, you will learn how to troubleshoot high CPU or memory usage using some common tools and techniques.
The first step is to identify the problem and gather some basic information. You can use tools like Task Manager, Resource Monitor, or Performance Monitor on Windows, or top, ps, or vmstat on Linux, to check the CPU and memory usage of your system and processes. You can also use the System Information or System Monitor tools to get an overview of your hardware and software configuration. Look for any unusual spikes, patterns, or trends in the CPU or memory usage, and note the processes that are consuming the most resources.
Restart the computer. Scan for malware. Malware can often cause high CPU or memory usage. Use an up-to-date antivirus program to scan your computer for malware. Update your drivers and software. Make sure all your drivers and software are up to date. Disable redundant startup settings. Many programs start automatically when the computer is turned on. This can result in high CPU or memory usage, especially if you have a lot of startup programs. You can use the System Startup Manager to run redundant startup programs. Reduce the number of programs you use. If you run multiple programs at the same time, this can put a strain on your CPU and memory. Close any programs you don’t use.
If you are using Linux you can use top or Htop these tools are very powerful in showing what processes are running and how much they are consuming in a very friendly and easy way!, anyway you should always have tool that monitor your system and generate metrics on a centralized monitoring system, one of the most common used tools are check_mk, zabbix, node_exporter
On Linux 1) check for top processes consuming cpu. Use top command 2) check for memory stat Use the command: free -m 3) iostat and vmstat will be helpful to get the statistical overview Also some performance monitoring tools can be used like glance,nmon
Badges? really? If CPU is slow - you add CPU, then ram is slow, you add ram, then disk is slow, you and disk. Folks. This job is never done. Then you think "Let's Lift and Shift our Enterprise into 'The Cloud.'" Works great, then you get the bill. You are hosed. If you and your department can prove. "We are the Low Cost Leader." You All Keep your jobs. Optimization on the cheap, Will Never Ever go out of style. Learn the wisdom of those who went before you ... and didn't have to invent something new ... Just one very old grizzled, burnt out, worn out, dude. Educating Management should be the topic!
If your system is running on VMWare, you can use the Monitor in VCenter to check if it is the vm or the host causing the issue. Be aware that SQL Server takes all the memory available, so have a DBA check if it is configured to reserve at least 2 GB for the system processes. Preferably 4 GB if you can spare it.
The next step is to analyze the cause of the high CPU or memory usage. You can use tools like Process Explorer, Process Monitor, or Performance Analyzer on Windows, or strace, ltrace, or perf on Linux, to get more details about the process behavior, system calls, and performance counters. You can also use tools like Event Viewer, Reliability Monitor, or Problem Reports on Windows, or syslog, dmesg, or journalctl on Linux, to check the system logs and events for any errors, warnings, or failures. Look for any clues that indicate the source of the problem, such as memory leaks, infinite loops, resource contention, or configuration issues.
To troubleshoot high CPU or memory usage, begin by using Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (macOS) to identify resource-hungry processes. Close unnecessary apps, run malware scans, update your OS and software, and manage resource-intensive applications and browser extensions. Check virtual memory settings, inspect hardware for issues, and review event logs. Software profiling tools can provide insights, and consider setting resource limits in server environments. Hardware upgrades might be needed.
When troubleshooting high CPU/memory usage, resist rebooting immediately. Use monitoring tools to identify culprit processes and compare them to historical baselines. Review logs for clues. Inspect process details with utilities like ps and pstree. For custom apps, utilize profiling to find leaks. Restarting a process can fix a spike, but could you investigate the cause to prevent recurrence? Keep systems patched/updated. Configure resources properly. Optimize code. Set alerts on thresholds. Document troubleshooting for the team. High utilization alone doesn't indicate an issue - focus on finding and addressing the underlying reasons behind abnormal spikes or slowdowns.
After identifying services or processes involved, I look out to see if they are familiar. For instance, there can be malware using these system resources with familiar names, I make sure the path of these services and processes are valid. I will also consider if the services are relevant. If they are a requirement for the computer to function as expected
The final step is to apply the solution to the high CPU or memory usage. Depending on the cause, you may need to take different actions, such as terminating or restarting the process, updating or uninstalling the software, adjusting the settings or parameters, optimizing the code or queries, or adding more hardware or resources. You can use tools like Task Scheduler, Services, or Registry Editor on Windows, or cron, systemd, or sysctl on Linux, to automate or modify the process behavior, startup, or settings. You can also use tools like Disk Cleanup, Defragmenter, or Memory Diagnostics on Windows, or free, sync, or memtester on Linux, to clean up or test your disk or memory.
Task monitor is your friend to see what process has gone rogue. If it is IIS related, see if you can recycle the app pools to resolve it. This might save you a reboot. Of course when all else fails, a reboot is your friend.
Typically I have wmi or snmp agents deployed on systems I want to monitor performance metrics on. This allows you to identify problems such as high CPU. Then you can store collected metrics, creating a proper history for trending and identifying root cause.
If the cause of this high usage is malware, I will take them out, by getting an anti-malware solution. If they are genuin processes but not relevant to productvity, I will remove them to make sure they don't run no more. If they are genuin and are relevant for productivity, I will effectively upgrade the Memory and CPU to suit the need if computer cannot be effective.
Depends on which type of business you are. Desktop user need to save all and reboot. if stil persist need to check culpret, need to check software or anything else which are consuming CPU usage or memory also . Software developers need to check installed software can manage on current cofiguration. some time cpu it selft is the problem need to change if its old.
The last step is to verify the result and confirm that the high CPU or memory usage is resolved. You can use the same tools that you used in the first step to monitor the CPU and memory usage of your system and processes. You can also use tools like Ping, Traceroute, or Network Monitor on Windows, or ping, traceroute, or tcpdump on Linux, to check the network connectivity and latency of your system. Look for any improvements, changes, or anomalies in the CPU or memory usage, and make sure that your system is running smoothly and reliably.
After applying any solution that is best, i verify the usage of RAM and then CPU are low and moderate for efficiency. I use task manager and also resources monitor on windows to accomplish that.
The final step is to document the process and record the steps that you took to troubleshoot and resolve the high CPU or memory usage. You can use tools like Notepad, Word, or OneNote on Windows, or vi, nano, or gedit on Linux, to create a document or a note with the problem description, the tools and techniques that you used, the cause and solution that you found, and the result and verification that you performed. You can also use tools like Snipping Tool, Paint, or Screen Recorder on Windows, or scrot, gimp, or recordmydesktop on Linux, to capture screenshots or videos of your system and processes. This will help you to keep track of your troubleshooting history, share your knowledge with others, and prevent or solve similar problems in the future.
Even if you're working on your personal system, documentation is a good idea. There's no need to eat up valuable time/resources re-investigation an issue, when you can look at your documentation and know what worked in the past. On an org level, this also allows others to come to quick solutions. Teamwork makes the dreamwork.
99% of the time, in a virtual environment, the tiworker process runs amok. Disabling that, and the parent windows update process can drop 45% compute utilization in your ESXi datacenter.
I don't usually write a step down after the procedure. I have a task manager called Ocean I use to log tickets, every process whilst solving the issue will be logged as a transaction and there is an export option to export the procedure for this specific task.
Most of the time a high cpu high memory utilisation scenario might render your system incapable of responding properly. Reboot and first step would be to ensure proper logging is enabled and if yes go through the logs to understand the problem. if not enable it and watch for errors. Focus should be on identification of problem. mostly the problem is a processes behaving badly. identify the process identify the cause and as article suggests perform a fix.
??Move towards permanent fixture: While it is vital to fix the performance issues, they should be patched to avoid the issues permanently. ??Automate the process: If the issue is persistent and a patch is not easily available, create an automation job that fixes the issue without manual intervention.