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CPU usage

Description

The CPU usage test regularly queries the overall CPU usage of the device the client is installed on.

The CPU usage of a device indicates how busy the device is with processing tasks. A high CPU usage often results in a slow down of all processes that are running on a device. Therefore a high CPU load can be the root cause of experienced network issues as packets may be delayed or responses are processed slowly.

Parameters

Parameter Value
Method Performance Counter (internal)
Target CPU (internal)
Number of measurements 5
Warning threshold 90
Critical threshold 97
Status percentage 21%

Troubleshooting

Locate the issue

CPU usage issues are client specific issues. However, compare the data to spot any changes or patterns. Use the general troubleshooting guide and answer these questions:

  • Is it a client-specific issue?
    • Are there other clients with similar issues (and possibly similar devices)?
  • Are there other related services with issues?
    • Does performance issues of other services correlate to peaks in the CPU usage?
  • Did the CPU usage change over time?
    • Are there patterns or significant changes in the RAM usage of the client?

Possible causes (status warning/critical):

Too many processes running

If too many processes run simultaneously the CPU is heavily loaded.

  • Identify and stop processes with high CPU load.
  • A restart of the device can also clean up background processes.

CPU too slow

Nowaday there are many applications needing a lot of CPU processing time (e.g. Teams). To cope with such load a good CPU is essential.

  • Check whether the CPU is sufficient to cope with the workload of the client.

Possible causes (status error)

In case the test errors, this is likely a software bug.