In Operations Manager 2007, a self-tuning threshold monitor uses a learning process to determine the normal values for a specified performance counter object and sets the threshold levels based on the learned values. You can use the Create a Unit Monitor Wizard to create a self-tuning threshold monitor, which you can open by clicking Create a monitor in the Actions pane of the Authoring area and then selecting Windows Performance Counter under Select the type of monitor to create.

Self-tuning monitors require a learning period, during which time Operations Manager 2007 automatically establishes a baseline that represents the regular and expected activity of a computer. The established baseline accurately reflects your organization's use of the IT infrastructure by taking into account patterns and variations in usage—for example, increased processor utilization on Monday mornings at 9:00 A.M.

After the initial learning period, Operations Manager 2007 continually logs subsequent activity of the computer and compares it to the baseline. The state of the monitor changes only when the performance counter exceeds the boundaries of the baseline. Using a performance baseline monitor can result in more accurate reporting of counters that vary during a business cycle.

Self-tuning monitors are divided into the following categories:

• Two-state monitor   Given a baseline, there is an area above the baseline (A), an area below the baseline (B), and the area within the baseline (W). A two-state monitor can be used to define alerts between any two of the three areas, A-W, W-B, or A-B.
  
  
• Three-state monitor   Given a baseline, there is an area above the baseline (A), an area below the baseline (B), and the area within the baseline (W). A healthy state is always defined as being in the area within the baseline. An error state can be defined for either the area above (A) or the area below (B). A warning state is defined for the remaining area that was not defined as error.
  
  

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