Missing Performance Counters

Sometimes a managed server will generate performance counter related errors in the OpsMgr event log. First an error with EventID 10102 is logged, soon to be followed by a warning with EventID 1103. These events will be shown many times in the OpsMgr event log.

These events have nothing to do with SCOM but everything with the monitored server itself. Some perfmon counters are missing or corrupt. In rare cases, all the perfmon counters are missing or corrupt. For both cases are solutions. However, when you are experiencing the last situation, it will take some time to get things working again.

First you have to check out to what level perfmon is damaged. The first EventID (10102) gives in its description the exact name of what perfmon counter is missing or corrupt. Sometimes multiple perfmon counters are missing. Therefore checkout all events with EventID 10102 which were written to the event log in a certain time range.

1. Write down the name(s) of the mentioned perfmon counters.
2. Start Perfmon and check whether it is showing any counters. When it does, only the mentioned counter(s) in the EventID 10102 is/are missing. Are all counters missing, you have to check out a certain KB article, which will be mentioned later on.
3. Check in Perfmon whether the perfmon counters written down at step 1 are present. Most of the times these won't be present.

When the missing perfmon counter is about ASP.NET look here for how to fix it. Are there any other missing perfmon counters or are all perfmon counters missing? Checkout this KB article for how to fix it. The only disadvantage is that it can take a long time to get everything OK. So it is something which has to be scheduled in advance. And do not forget Change Management…

A quick and dirty workaround are the steps mentioned below, but be careful! They are to be performed at your own risk... They also work only on a Windows 2003 based server!

1. Follow steps 1,2 and 3 in the earlier mentioned KB article, section ' To rebuild the base performance counter libraries manually'
2. Follow steps 4 and 5 only for the perfmon counters involved
3. Rebuild all perfmon counter by typing this command at the command prompt: c:\windows\system32\lodctr /R (Note: R is uppercase.)

It can take some time (minutes) before this command is completed. After a while all should be OK and perfmon is showing all counters again. If it is not, the only way is the long way: follow all the way through the KB article without using any shortcuts.