Configuration: Systems Under Test: Templates
Overview
Use this page to create and manage counter templates. A counter template is a named, reusable collection of performance counters, measurable metrics such as CPU usage, memory, disk, and network activity, that you define once and apply across many systems under test instead of picking individual counters every time you set up monitoring.
Before you build a template you typically need a LoadGen Agent online and, for machines that require authentication, a Credential Profile; both are used when you discover available counters live from a target machine. Once saved, a template becomes available wherever systems under test are configured for performance-counter monitoring, most notably in Systems Under Test profiles, so editing a template's counters affects every profile that references it.
This page itself lists your existing templates with how many counters each one holds, and lets you create a new template, edit an existing one's name, description, and counters, or delete a template you no longer need.
Key concepts
- Counter template - A named, reusable collection of performance counters that you define once and apply to systems under test instead of selecting counters individually each time. (related: Configuration: Systems Under Test: Profiles)
- Performance counter - A single measurable metric from a monitored machine, such as CPU usage or available memory, organized by category and instance on that machine. (related: Configuration: Systems Under Test: PerfCounter Settings)
- LoadGen Agent - The agent process you select when browsing a remote machine for counters; it carries out the discovery request against the target machine on your behalf. (related: Configuration: LoadGen Agents: Full Agents)
- Credential Profile - A stored set of login credentials used to authenticate to a target machine when retrieving the counters it exposes. (related: Configuration: Credential Profiles)
When to use it
- Before setting up monitoring for a new class of systems under test, to define which counters should always be collected.
- When you want to standardize counter collection across multiple machines instead of configuring each one by hand.
- When onboarding a new machine type, such as a Windows server, and you need a baseline counter set.
- When monitoring requirements change and an existing template's counters need to be added to or removed.
- When cleaning up templates that are no longer referenced by any profile.
Before you begin
- A LoadGen Agent must be online and reachable from the target machine if you plan to discover counters by browsing it live (created under Configuration: LoadGen Agents: Full Agents).
- A Credential Profile for the target machine must exist if that machine requires authenticated access (created under Configuration: Credential Profiles).
- Know which performance counters you need, or plan to retrieve them live from a reachable machine instead of typing them manually.
- Decide whether the template will target a machine already registered under Configuration: Systems Under Test: Machines or an ad hoc hostname or IP address.
Common workflows
Create a counter template by discovering counters from a live machine
Persona: Load-test operator or admin standardizing monitoring for a machine type
- Click New Template.
- Expect: The template editor opens with empty Template Name and Description fields and no counters listed.
- Type a name into Template Name and, optionally, text into Description.
- Expect: The editor accepts the text; the template cannot be saved until Template Name is filled in.
- Click Browse from Machine....
- Expect: A sub-dialog opens asking for a LoadGen Agent, a Machine Name, and an optional Credential Profile.
- Select a LoadGen Agent, enter a Machine Name such as sut-stork-02, and click Retrieve Counters.
- Expect: The dialog sends a discovery request and, once it responds, lists the categories and counters found on that machine.
- Select the counters you want and click Add.
- Expect: The sub-dialog closes and the chosen counters appear in the editor's Counters tree under their category and instance.
- Click Save Template.
- Expect: The editor closes and the new template appears as a row in the Counter Templates table with a COUNTERS value matching how many counters you added.
Verify: The new template's name appears in the TEMPLATE column with a non-zero COUNTERS value; clicking the name again reopens the editor showing the same counters.
Delete a template that's no longer needed
Persona: Admin cleaning up counter configuration
- Click the trash Delete icon on the template's row.
- Expect: A Delete Template confirmation dialog opens showing the template's name.
- Click Delete in the confirmation dialog.
- Expect: The dialog closes and the template's row disappears from the Counter Templates table.
Verify: The deleted template's name no longer appears in the TEMPLATE column, and it can no longer be selected when configuring counter collection for a system under test.
Steps
Step 1
Open Counter Templates under Configuration.
Expected result: The page loads showing the existing Windows server baseline template with 0 counters in the COUNTERS column; an unrelated Credentials expiring notice about an API token may also appear in the header.
This is your starting point for reviewing which counter templates already exist before creating or changing one.
- The TEMPLATE column name is a link that opens the template's editor.
- The COUNTERS column shows how many counters are currently defined in each template.
Step 2
Click Refresh in the page header.
Expected result: The table reloads and still lists the single Windows server baseline template with 0 counters; the Refresh and New Template buttons are now visible in the header.
Refreshing confirms you're looking at the current list before deciding whether to edit an existing template or create a new one.
- New Template opens the editor to start a new counter template.
-
Refresh only reloads the list; it does not change any template.
Field reference
| Field | Purpose | Format / Validation | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template Name | Identifies the template everywhere it can be assigned. Choose a name specific enough to distinguish it from similar templates, for example by operating system or machine role. | free text | Yes | - |
| Description | Optional context about what the template covers or when to use it, so other admins can choose the right one without opening it. | free text | No | - |
| Counters | The working list of counters the template will save, organized as Category, then Instance, then Counter. Add entries through Browse from Machine, Add Manually, or Common, and remove them individually or in bulk before saving. | hierarchical list (Category, Instance, Counter) | No | - |
| LoadGen Agent | Selects which agent performs the counter discovery request against the target machine. Choose an agent that has network access to that machine; discovery fails if the agent can't reach it. | dropdown | Yes | - |
| Machine Name | The hostname or IP address of the machine to query for available counters. Toggle Use pool instead if the target is already registered as a Systems Under Test machine. | text, placeholder "Hostname or IP address" | Yes | - |
| Credential Profile | The stored credentials used to authenticate to the target machine during discovery. Leave it unset only if the machine allows the agent's default access. | dropdown | No | - |
Column reference
| Column | What it shows | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| TEMPLATE | The template's name as it will appear anywhere it can be selected, such as in a Systems Under Test profile. | Select the name to open the template's editor and review or change its counters. |
| DESCRIPTION | A free-text note describing what the template covers. | Read this to understand the intended scope of the template before applying it to a system under test. |
| COUNTERS | The number of individual performance counters currently defined inside the template. | A value of 0 means the template collects nothing yet; a higher number means more metrics will be gathered, and more load placed on the monitored machine, wherever the template is applied. |
| ACTIONS | Row-level controls for managing an individual template. | The pencil icon opens the template for editing; the trash icon opens a confirmation to delete it. |
Controls reference
New Template
Opens the template editor in create mode with an empty Template Name, empty Description, and no counters.
When to use: When you need a new reusable counter collection for a machine type not yet covered by an existing template.
Side effects: Read-only on click; nothing is created until you click Save Template inside the editor.
Refresh
Reloads the Counter Templates list from the server.
When to use: After creating, editing, or deleting a template, or whenever you suspect the list on screen is stale.
Side effects: Read-only; no template data changes.
Edit
Opens the editor pre-filled with the selected template's name, description, and counter list.
When to use: To rename a template or change which counters it includes.
Side effects: Read-only until Save Template is clicked inside the editor.
Delete
Opens a Delete Template confirmation dialog naming the selected template.
When to use: To remove a template that is no longer needed.
Side effects: Mutating only after you confirm with the dialog's own Delete button; the template and its counter list are permanently removed once confirmed.
Browse from Machine...
Opens a sub-dialog to discover counters live from a running machine by selecting a LoadGen Agent and entering a Machine Name, or switching to an existing registered machine.
When to use: When you don't know the exact counter paths and want the agent to query the target machine for what's available.
Side effects: Read-only against the template until you click Add inside the sub-dialog to bring selected counters into the working list.
Add Manually...
Lets you type a counter's category, instance, and counter name directly without contacting a machine.
When to use: When you already know the exact counter path and don't need live discovery.
Side effects: Adds to the editor's working counter list only; not persisted until Save Template.
Common...
Inserts a predefined set of frequently used counters into the working counter list.
When to use: To quickly bootstrap a template with typical counters instead of adding them one by one.
Side effects: Adds to the editor's working list only; not persisted until Save Template.
Delete Selected
Removes every checked counter from the working counter list in one action.
When to use: When clearing several counters at once instead of removing them individually.
Side effects: Removes from the in-progress list only; final removal is saved when you click Save Template.
Clear selection
Unchecks all currently selected counters without deleting them.
When to use: To back out of a bulk-delete selection before confirming it.
Side effects: Read-only; no data change.
Save Template
Commits the template's name, description, and counter list.
When to use: Once you've named the template and defined its counters.
Side effects: Mutating: creates a new template or updates an existing one, and the Counter Templates table reflects the change.
Cancel (editor)
Closes the template editor without saving.
When to use: When you want to discard changes made since opening the editor.
Side effects: Read-only; any unsaved edits are lost.
Retrieve Counters
Sends a discovery request to the selected LoadGen Agent for the specified Machine Name, then lists the categories and counters it finds.
When to use: After filling in LoadGen Agent, Machine Name, and, if needed, Credential Profile.
Side effects: Read-only against the target machine; it queries available counters but populates a selectable list rather than changing anything.
Use pool
Switches the machine entry from a custom hostname or IP to selecting a machine already registered in your configured pool.
When to use: When the target is an existing Systems Under Test machine rather than an ad hoc host.
Side effects: Read-only toggle; changes which input fields are shown.
Add
Adds the counters you've checked from the discovery results into the template's working counter list.
When to use: After Retrieve Counters has returned results and you've selected the ones you want.
Side effects: Adds to the in-progress template list only; not saved until Save Template.
Cancel (Browse from Machine)
Closes the discovery sub-dialog without adding any discovered counters.
When to use: When you want to abandon the current discovery attempt.
Side effects: Read-only; no data change.
Verify the result
After saving, the template's name appears as a row in the Counter Templates table with the COUNTERS value matching the number of counters you added or kept. Clicking the template name, or its pencil Edit icon, reopens the same name, description, and counter tree you saved. If you deleted a template, its row no longer appears in the table at all. If the COUNTERS value still shows 0 after saving, or a deleted template still appears, click Refresh to confirm whether the change actually reached the server before investigating further.
Troubleshooting
- Symptom: The COUNTERS value stays at 0 after you click Save Template. Fix: Reopen the template with Edit and confirm counters were actually added to the Counters tree (via Browse from Machine..., Add Manually..., or Common...) before saving; an empty tree saves as 0.
- Symptom: Retrieve Counters never returns results in the Browse from Machine dialog. Fix: Confirm the selected LoadGen Agent is online and that Machine Name is reachable from that agent; a timeout message means the request didn't complete in time.
- Symptom: Discovery fails even though the machine is reachable. Fix: Select a Credential Profile for that machine; some hosts reject discovery without valid credentials.
- Symptom: New Template or Refresh aren't visible when the page first opens. Fix: Dismiss the Credentials expiring (or other account) notice in the header; it can overlap the toolbar even though the buttons are still there underneath.
- Symptom: Deleting a template doesn't seem to change existing monitoring. Fix: Templates only take effect where they're assigned; check Configuration: Systems Under Test: Profiles for profiles that referenced the deleted template and reassign them.
Related articles
- Prerequisite: Configuration: Systems Under Test: Machines - registers the machines you can browse for counters
- Prerequisite: Configuration: Credential Profiles - supplies credentials for authenticating to a target machine during discovery
- Prerequisite: Configuration: LoadGen Agents: Full Agents - the agent that performs counter discovery against a machine
- Next step: Configuration: Systems Under Test: Profiles - profiles apply a counter template's counters to systems under test
- See also: Configuration: Systems Under Test: PerfCounter Settings - controls how individual counters behave once collected
- See also: Insight: Dashboard - the page's own callout points to broader automatic metric collection