Configuration: Systems Under Test: Templates
Overview
Use this page to create and maintain reusable performance counter templates. A counter template is a named, reusable collection of performance counters, such as CPU, memory, disk, and network metrics, that you build once and apply to many systems under test instead of selecting the same counters by hand on every machine you monitor during a load test.
Before you build a template, you typically need a LoadGen Agent that can reach the machine you want to sample and, if that machine requires authentication, a credential profile for it. Once a template exists, you attach it to the systems under test you monitor, through their profiles or machine records, so the counters it defines are collected automatically whenever those systems take part in a test.
This page lists every template, its description, and how many counters it contains. From here you create a new template, discover its counters by connecting to a live machine or adding them manually, edit or copy an existing template, and delete templates you no longer need. Built-in templates that ship with LoadGen are read-only until you copy them.
Key concepts
- counter template - A named, reusable collection of performance counters that you define once and reuse across multiple systems under test, instead of picking counters machine by machine. (related: Configuration: Systems Under Test: Profiles)
- performance counter - A single measurable metric exposed by a machine or application, such as CPU percent or disk queue length, organized under a category and an instance. (related: Configuration: Systems Under Test: Counter Units)
- named instance - The specific object instance, such as one disk or one CPU core, that a counter is collected from when its category exposes more than one instance. Leaving it blank collects the Default instance.
- built-in template - A template that ships with LoadGen and is kept current by platform updates, so it can't be edited directly; you copy it to create an independent, editable version.
- system under test - A machine or workload whose performance is sampled during a load test by having a LoadGen Agent query it for the counters defined in a template. (related: Configuration: Systems Under Test: Machines)
When to use it
- Before testing against a new type of system, to standardize the performance counters collected on it instead of configuring them per machine.
- When you want the same counter collection reused across multiple systems under test rather than built separately for each one.
- When a built-in template doesn't match your environment and you need an editable copy to add or remove counters.
- When you need to discover which performance counters actually exist on a specific host before building a template around them.
- When reviewing or cleaning up which counter templates exist and how many counters each one defines.
Before you begin
- Know which performance counters (category, instance, counter name) you want to collect, or have network access to a representative host so LoadGen can discover them for you.
- If you plan to discover counters from a live machine, create a credential profile for it first on Configuration: Credential Profiles.
- Have a LoadGen Agent available that can reach the target machine, set up on Configuration: LoadGen Agents: Full Agents.
- To use the finished template during a test, a Systems Under Test profile or machine must exist, configured on Configuration: Systems Under Test: Profiles or Configuration: Systems Under Test: Machines.
Common workflows
Create a counter template by discovering counters from a live machine
Persona: load-test admin
- Click New Template in the page header.
- Expect: An empty template editor opens with Template Name and Description fields and an empty counters tree.
- Enter a Template Name and optional Description, then click Browse from Machine....
- Expect: A dialog opens asking for the LoadGen Agent, Machine Name, and Credential Profile to use for discovery.
- Fill in the LoadGen Agent, Machine Name, and Credential Profile, then click Retrieve Counters.
- Expect: LoadGen sends a discovery request to the machine and, once it completes, lists the categories and counters found on that host.
- Select the counters you want and click Add.
- Expect: The selected counters are added to the template's counters tree and the Counters count updates.
- Click Save Template.
- Expect: The editor closes and the new template appears in the Templates list with its COUNTERS count reflecting the counters you added.
Verify: Open the new template from the TEMPLATE column and confirm the counters you selected are listed in the tree, organized by category and instance.
Create an editable copy of a built-in template
Persona: load-test admin
- Click a built-in template's name, for example Windows server baseline, in the TEMPLATE column.
- Expect: The editor opens in read-only mode with a notice that the template ships with LoadGen and is updated by Platform updates.
- Click Copy....
- Expect: A Copy dialog opens asking for a New template name.
- Enter a New template name and click Copy.
- Expect: An independent template is created with the same counters and appears as a new row in the Templates list; the original built-in template is unchanged.
Verify: The Templates list shows the new copy as a separate row; opening it shows an editable editor instead of the read-only notice.
Steps
Step 1
Open Counter Templates from Configuration: Systems Under Test.
Expected result: The page loads showing the Templates list, with the built-in Windows server baseline template, its description, and its current COUNTERS count.
This list is the starting point for creating, editing, copying, or deleting the counter templates you attach to systems under test.
- The TEMPLATE column entry is a link that opens the template editor.
- ACTIONS shows Edit and Delete icons for the row.
- The info banner about LoadGen Insight is a cross-sell message, not a functional control.
Field reference
| Field | Purpose | Format / Validation | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template Name | Identifies the template in the Templates list and wherever you attach it to a system under test. Give it a descriptive name, for example by role or operating system, since this is the only label shown when you pick a template later. | text | Yes | - |
| Description | Documents what the template collects or why, so you can tell templates apart in the Templates list without opening each one. | text | No | - |
| Named instance | Targets the counter at one specific object instance instead of every instance. Set this when a machine exposes multiple instances of the same object, for example several disks, and you only want to monitor one of them; leave it on Default instance to collect the first or only instance. | text | No | Default instance |
| LoadGen Agent | Selects which agent performs the discovery call against the target machine. Choose the agent that has network access to the host you're browsing; discovery fails if the agent can't reach it. | dropdown | Yes | - |
| Machine Name | The host LoadGen connects to in order to discover available counters. Enter the hostname or IP address of the system you want to sample. | text | Yes | - |
| Credential Profile | Supplies the credentials used to authenticate the discovery request to the target machine. Leave it unset only if the agent can already reach the machine without explicit credentials. | dropdown | No | - |
| New template name | Names the independent copy created from the template you're viewing. Use a distinct name from the original so you can tell the copy apart in the Templates list. | text | Yes | - |
Column reference
| Column | What it shows | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| TEMPLATE | - | A link; click the template name to open it in the editor, read-only if it's a built-in template. |
| DESCRIPTION | - | Shows the Description you entered when creating or editing the template, so you can distinguish templates without opening them. |
| COUNTERS | - | The number of counters currently defined in the template. A value of 0 means no counters have been added yet, either because the template is new or none were saved after being added. |
| ACTIONS | - | Shows an Edit (pencil) icon that opens the template and a Delete (trash) icon that opens a confirmation to remove it. |
Controls reference
Refresh
Reloads the Templates list from the server.
When to use: Use after another user or process may have changed templates, or if the list looks out of date.
Side effects: Read-only: reloads the list without changing any data.
New Template
Opens an empty template editor.
When to use: Use when you want to build a new counter template from scratch.
Side effects: Read-only until you click Save Template; no template is created by opening the editor alone.
Edit
Opens the selected template in the editor.
When to use: Use to inspect or change an existing template's name, description, or counters.
Side effects: Read-only on open; a built-in template opens in read-only mode with a notice that it can't be changed directly.
Delete
Opens a Delete Template confirmation dialog, and permanently removes the template once you confirm with Delete.
When to use: Use when a template is no longer needed by any system under test.
Side effects: Mutating and irreversible: confirming removes the template and its counters from the Templates list.
Save Template
Persists the template's name, description, and counters.
When to use: Use after building or changing a template in the editor and you want to keep the changes.
Side effects: Mutating: creates or updates the template record; the Templates list and COUNTERS count reflect the change afterward.
Copy...
Opens a Copy dialog asking for a New template name, then creates an independent duplicate of the current template under that name.
When to use: Use when viewing a built-in template you can't edit directly, or when you want a variant of an existing template without changing the original.
Side effects: Mutating: creates a new template with the same counters; the source template is unchanged.
Browse from Machine...
Opens a dialog to discover available performance counters by querying a live host through a selected LoadGen Agent.
When to use: Use when you want the template to only include counters that are confirmed to exist on a real machine.
Side effects: Read-only against the template until you select counters and add them; sends a network discovery request to the target machine.
Retrieve Counters
Sends the discovery request to the specified machine and lists the counter categories and counters it finds.
When to use: Use after filling in the LoadGen Agent, Machine Name, and Credential Profile in the Browse from Machine dialog.
Side effects: Read-only against the template; depends on network and credential access to the target machine, and can time out if the machine doesn't respond.
Add Manually...
Opens a way to add a counter by its category, instance, and counter name without connecting to a live host.
When to use: Use when you already know the exact counter path, or the target host isn't reachable for live discovery.
Side effects: Mutating within the editor: adds the counter to the template's tree; not saved to the template until you click Save Template.
Common...
Adds a predefined set of commonly used counters to the template in one action.
When to use: Use to quickly populate a template with standard counters instead of adding each one individually.
Side effects: Mutating within the editor: adds counters to the tree; not saved until you click Save Template.
Delete Selected
Removes the checked counters from the template's counters tree in one action.
When to use: Use after checking one or more counters you no longer want in the template.
Side effects: Mutating within the editor: removes the checked counters from the tree; not applied to the saved template until you click Save Template.
Clear selection
Unchecks any counters currently selected in the counters tree.
When to use: Use to reset your selection before choosing a different set of counters to remove.
Side effects: Read-only: changes which counters are checked, without modifying the template.
Use pool
Switches the Browse from Machine dialog to pick a machine from the selected agent's pool instead of typing a hostname or IP address.
When to use: Use when the host you want to discover counters from is already managed by the LoadGen Agent's pool.
Side effects: Read-only: changes the dialog's input mode; no data is modified until you retrieve counters and add them.
Close / Cancel
Dismisses the template editor, Copy dialog, or Delete Template dialog without applying changes.
When to use: Use when you opened a dialog to inspect something and decide not to proceed.
Side effects: Read-only: discards unsaved changes in that dialog; the Templates list is unaffected.
Verify the result
When a counter template exists, it appears as a row in the Templates list with a name, a description, and a COUNTERS count showing how many counters it defines. Opening the template from the TEMPLATE column shows every counter you added, organized by category and instance. A newly created or copied template appears in the list immediately after you save or copy it, without needing Refresh, though Refresh confirms it persisted. If the COUNTERS count stays at 0 after you expected counters to be present, the counters were added to the editor's tree but the template was never saved with Save Template, so reopen it and add them again.
Troubleshooting
- Symptom: Opening a template only lets you view it, not change it. Fix: The template ships with LoadGen and is kept current by platform updates; click Copy... inside the editor to create an editable version instead.
- Symptom: Retrieve Counters in Browse from Machine never returns any categories. Fix: Confirm the Machine Name is reachable from the selected LoadGen Agent and that the Credential Profile has rights to query performance counters on that host; the request ends on a client-side timeout if the machine doesn't respond.
- Symptom: A counter in the template is marked as not yet verified on a real host. Fix: Use Browse from Machine against an actual machine to confirm the counter resolves, since unverified counters may fail to open when a test runs.
- Symptom: The COUNTERS count shows 0 even though you added counters. Fix: Reopen the template and check whether the counters are still in the tree, then click Save Template; counters added in the editor are discarded if you close or cancel instead of saving.
- Symptom: The bulk delete bar for counters stays active after you finish removing counters. Fix: Click Clear selection to reset the checked counters in the tree.
Related articles
- Next step: Configuration: Systems Under Test: Profiles - profiles attach counter templates to systems under test for monitoring during a test
- Prerequisite: Configuration: Systems Under Test: Machines - the machines you discover counters from or apply templates to are registered here
- Prerequisite: Configuration: Credential Profiles - Browse from Machine authenticates to the target host using a credential profile created here
- Prerequisite: Configuration: LoadGen Agents: Full Agents - the agent that performs counter discovery on a target machine is configured here
- See also: Configuration: Systems Under Test: Counter Units - counter units define how the values collected by a template are displayed
- See also: Configuration: Systems Under Test: PerfCounter Settings - related performance counter configuration for systems under test