Enable ESE Performance Counters

I've heard and read that you can use Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) counters in the Windows 2000 Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Performance console to track various Active Directory (AD)—related metrics. However, I can't find the ESE object or any of its counters in the Performance console when I run the console on my domain controllers (DCs). Does this object exist, and if so, how can I enable it on my DCs?

You can indeed use ESE performance counters to monitor the ESE database on a DC. By default, however, Win2K doesn't install these counters on DCs. To install the counters manually, you need to use a special DLL file, named esentprf.dll. After you complete the following procedures, you can view and access the counters through the Performance console's System Monitor snap-in.

First, copy %systemroot%system32esentprf.dll to a different directory on your DC. (For example, you might create the directory C:perfcons, then copy esentprf.dll into that directory.)

Next, use regedit or regedt32 to create the following registry subkeys (assuming that they don't already exist): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControl-SetServicesESENT and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesESENTPerformance. Under the Performance subkey, you need to add four registry values and initialize with data those values. Table 1 lists the values, their types, and the appropriate data for each.

Change the directory to the %systemroot%system32 folder (e.g., C:winntsystem32). Then execute the following statement:

lodctr.exe esentprf.ini