Profiling SharePoint - ANTS Performance Profiler

ANTS Performance Profiler can profile managed code that runs on a Microsoft SharePoint server because Microsoft SharePoint 2007 is implemented as an ASP.NET web application.

Please note that ANTS Performance Profiler was not designed to support SharePoint 2010, but a workaround may allow you to profile managed code running on a Sharepoint 2010 server with IIS 7. For details, see Profiling Sharepoint 2010.

Setting up the Performance Profiler

To profile SharePoint, perform the following steps:

1. Open Internet Information Server (IIS) Manager and stop the website.
2. In ANTS Performance Profiler, on the ANTS Performance Profiler Settings dialog box, under Choose application type to profile, click ASP.NET web application (IIS).
3. Enter the path to the ASP .NET web application that hosts your site collection. The path should be in the following format:
   http://server:port/

   The server is the name of the local server and the port is the TCP port on which the web application normally runs. If the site collection is on the root virtual directory for the site, you must include the trailing slash.

   Note that you must enter the path manually, because the drop-down list of available sites does not support SharePoint.

4. Select the required Profiling mode, SQL and file I/O, and Profile child processes options; see Working with Application Settings.
5. Select the port on which to profile your application:
   • If you are using IIS 6 or IIS 7, select Unused port and choose a port that is not used by IIS.

     Note that this will not work if your application's code specifically binds to a specific port.

   • If you are using IIS 5, or if you are using IIS 6 or 7 and your application binds to a specific port, select Original port.

     IIS will restart so that the profiler can attach to the port.

     If IIS does not restart correctly, use IIS Manager to stop the website until you have finished profiling.

   The port where the application will be profiled is displayed at the bottom of the ANTS Performance Profiler Settings dialog box.

6. If required, select Manually specify ASP.NET account details and enter the User name, Password and Domain.

   ANTS Performance Profiler profiles your web application as the Windows Local System user. If the Windows Local System user might not have appropriate permissions to use SharePoint site collection, enter the credentials of a user who does have the required permissions. Note that the user you specify must be an administrator.

7. If required, change the performance counters to record; see Setting up Charting Options.
8. Click .

Use your SharePoint 2007 site collection as normal. Any additions that you have coded, such as web parts and lists, will be reflected in the ANTS Performance Profiler results if these objects have been accessed.

During a profiling session you can interact with the profiler whilst your site collection is still being profiled, and obtain results by selecting areas of the timeline.

When you have finished interacting with your web application, click the  Stop Profiling button in ANTS Performance Profiler.

Note that you can only profile SharePoint site collections running on the computer where the profiler is installed.