Azure Performance Diagnostics (PerfInsights) VM extension for Windows

Applies to: ✔️ Windows VMs

Performance Diagnostics is a troubleshooting tool that helps you identify and resolve performance issues on Azure virtual machines (VMs). This article describes the VM extension that enables Performance Diagnostics on Windows VMs and alternate methods on how to install it.

Extension schema

The following JSON shows the schema for Azure Performance Diagnostics VM Extension. The extension requires the name for a storage account to store the diagnostics output and report. The storage account key should be stored inside a protected setting configuration. Azure VM extension protected setting data is encrypted, and it is only decrypted on the target virtual machine. Note that storageAccountName and storageAccountKey are case-sensitive. Other required parameters are listed in the following section.

Specify the authentication type in the JSON file. If no authentication type is specified, the default authentication type is system-assigned managed identity, and you need to pass a storage account key.

{
    "name": "[concat(parameters('vmName'),'/AzurePerformanceDiagnostics')]",
    "type": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/extensions",
    "location": "[parameters('location')]",
    "apiVersion": "2015-06-15",
    "properties": {
      "publisher": "Microsoft.Azure.Performance.Diagnostics",
      "type": "AzurePerformanceDiagnostics",
      "typeHandlerVersion": "1.0",
      "autoUpgradeMinorVersion": true,
      "settings": {
        "storageAccountName": "[parameters('storageAccountName')]",
        "performanceScenario": "[parameters('performanceScenario')]",
        "enableContinuousDiagnostics": "[parameters('enableContinuousDiagnostics')]",
        "traceDurationInSeconds": "[parameter('traceDurationInSeconds')]",
        "perfCounterTrace": "[parameters('perfCounterTrace')]",
        "networkTrace": "[parameters('networkTrace')]",
        "xperfTrace": "[parameters('xperfTrace')]",
        "storPortTrace": "[parameters('storPortTrace')]",         
        "requestTimeUtc":  "[parameters('requestTimeUtc')]",
        "resourceId": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines', parameters('vmName'))]"
      },
    "protectedSettings": {
        "authenticationType": "[parameters('authenticationType')]",                         "storageAccountKey": "[parameters('storageAccountKey')]",
        "managedIdentityClientId": "[parameters('managedIdentityClientId')]",
       }
     }
   }

Property values

Remove the extension

To remove the extension from a virtual machine, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal, select the virtual machine from which you want to remove this extension, and then select the Extensions + applications blade.

2. Select the Performance Diagnostics Extension, and then select Uninstall.

   

Template deployment

Azure virtual machine extensions can be deployed with Azure Resource Manager templates, such as the following example.

{
 "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2015-01-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
 "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
 "parameters": {
   "vmName": {
     "type": "string",
     "defaultValue": "yourVMName"
   },
   "location": {
     "type": "string",
     "defaultValue": "southcentralus"
   },
   "storageAccountName": {
     "type": "securestring",
     "defaultValue": "yourStorageAccount"
   },
   "storageAccountKey": {
     "type": "securestring",
     "defaultValue": "yourStorageAccountKey"
   },
   "performanceScenario": {
     "type": "string",
     "defaultValue": "basic"
   },
 
"enableContinuousDiagnostics": {
     "type": "boolean",
     "defaultValue": "false"
  },
  "traceDurationInSeconds": {
   "type": "int",
   "defaultValue": 300
 },
   "perfCounterTrace": {
     "type": "string",
     "defaultValue": "p"
   },
   "networkTrace": {
     "type": "string",
     "defaultValue": ""
   },
   "xperfTrace": {
     "type": "string",
     "defaultValue": ""
   },
   "storPortTrace": {
     "type": "string",
     "defaultValue": ""
   },
   "requestTimeUtc": {
     "type": "string",
     "defaultValue": "10/2/2017 11:06:00 PM"
   },
   "authenticationType": {
	 "type": "string",
	 "defaultValue": "SystemManagedIdentity"
   },
   "managedIdentityClientId": {
	 "type": "string",
		 "defaultValue": ""
   }      
 },
 "resources": [
   {
     "name": "[concat(parameters('vmName'),'/AzurePerformanceDiagnostics')]",
     "type": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/extensions",
     "location": "[parameters('location')]",
     "apiVersion": "2015-06-15",
     "properties": {
       "publisher": "Microsoft.Azure.Performance.Diagnostics",
       "type": "AzurePerformanceDiagnostics",
       "typeHandlerVersion": "1.0",
       "autoUpgradeMinorVersion": true,
       "settings": {
         "storageAccountName": "[parameters('storageAccountName')]",
         "performanceScenario": "[parameters('performanceScenario')]",
"enableContinuousDiagnostics" : "[parameters('enableContinuousDiagnostics')]",
         "traceDurationInSeconds": "[parameters('traceDurationInSeconds')]",
         "perfCounterTrace": "[parameters('perfCounterTrace')]",
         "networkTrace": "[parameters('networkTrace')]",
         "xperfTrace": "[parameters('xperfTrace')]",
         "storPortTrace": "[parameters('storPortTrace')]",         
         "requestTimeUtc":  "[parameters('requestTimeUtc')]",
         "resourceId": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines', parameters('vmName'))]"
       },
       "protectedSettings": {
           "storageAccountKey": "[parameters('storageAccountKey')]"
       }
     }
   }
 ]
}

PowerShell deployment

Use the Set-AzVMExtension command to deploy Azure Performance Diagnostics VM Extension to an existing virtual machine:

• System-assigned managed identity

  $PublicSettings = @{ "storageAccountName"="mystorageaccount";"performanceScenario"="basic"; "enableContinuousDiagnostics" : $False;"traceDurationInSeconds"=300;"perfCounterTrace"="p";"networkTrace"="";"xperfTrace"="";"storPortTrace"="";"srNumber"="";"requestTimeUtc"="2024-10-20T22:08:53.736Z";"resourceId"="VMResourceId" }
  $ProtectedSettings = @{"storageAccountName"="mystorageaccount";"authenticationType"="SystemManagedIdentity" }
  
  Set-AzVMExtension -ExtensionName "AzurePerformanceDiagnostics" -ResourceGroupName "myResourceGroup" -VMName "myVM" -Publisher "Microsoft.Azure.Performance.Diagnostics" -ExtensionType "AzurePerformanceDiagnostics" -TypeHandlerVersion 1.0 -Settings $PublicSettings -ProtectedSettings $ProtectedSettings -Location WestUS
  

• User-assigned managed identity

  $PublicSettings = @{ "storageAccountName"="mystorageaccount";"performanceScenario"="basic"; "enableContinuousDiagnostics" : $False;"traceDurationInSeconds"=300;"perfCounterTrace"="p";"networkTrace"="";"xperfTrace"="";"storPortTrace"="";"srNumber"="";"requestTimeUtc"="2024-10-20T22:08:53.736Z";"resourceId"="VMResourceId" }
  $ProtectedSettings = @{"storageAccountName"="mystorageaccount";"authenticationType"="UserManagedIdentity";"managedIdentityClientId"="myUserManagedIdentityClientId"}
  
  Set-AzVMExtension -ExtensionName "AzurePerformanceDiagnostics" -ResourceGroupName "myResourceGroup" -VMName "myVM" -Publisher "Microsoft.Azure.Performance.Diagnostics" -ExtensionType "AzurePerformanceDiagnostics" -TypeHandlerVersion 1.0 -Settings $PublicSettings -ProtectedSettings $ProtectedSettings -Location WestUS
  

• Storage account access keys

  $PublicSettings = @{ "storageAccountName"="mystorageaccount";"performanceScenario"="basic"; "enableContinuousDiagnostics" : $False;"traceDurationInSeconds"=300;"perfCounterTrace"="p";"networkTrace"="";"xperfTrace"="";"storPortTrace"="";"srNumber"="";"requestTimeUtc"="2024-10-20T22:08:53.736Z";"resourceId"="VMResourceId" }
  $ProtectedSettings = @{"storageAccountKey"="mystoragekey" }
  
  Set-AzVMExtension -ExtensionName "AzurePerformanceDiagnostics" -ResourceGroupName "myResourceGroup" -VMName "myVM" -Publisher "Microsoft.Azure.Performance.Diagnostics" -ExtensionType "AzurePerformanceDiagnostics" -TypeHandlerVersion 1.0 -Settings $PublicSettings -ProtectedSettings $ProtectedSettings -Location WestUS
  

Troubleshoot and support

• Extension deployment status (in the notification area) might show "Deployment in progress" even though the extension is successfully provisioned. This issue can be safely ignored, as long as the extension status indicates that the extension is successfully provisioned.

• You can address some issues during installation by using the extension logs. Extension execution output is logged to files found in C:\WindowsAzure\Logs\Plugins\Microsoft.Azure.Performance.Diagnostics.AzurePerformanceDiagnostics\<version>.

• If you see the following errors in the Azure portal or Performance Diagnostics extension logs (AzPerfDiagExtension.log or PerfInsights.log), this usually means the HTTPS certificate chain is broken. To resolve the errors, ensure that you don't have a Network Security Group (NSG) blocking access to the Certificate Authority URLs described in Azure Certificate Authority details. Or ensure that you don't have any SSL inspection tool in your Network Virtual Appliance or firewall.

  • Provisioning Failed - message: Failed to upload the PerfInsights result to Azure storage account.
  • PerfInsights process exited with code 1700.
  • Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel. The remote certificate is invalid according to the validation procedure.

Contact us for help

If you have questions or need help, create a support request, or ask Azure community support. You can also submit product feedback to Azure feedback community.