Performance Counter read access very slow - How do

Question

Im trying to implement a performance monitoring tool, I want to monitor basic things such as Memory and CPU.

I am attempting to do so by using Performance Counters as I believe this is what Task Manager is using behind the scenes too. I have no idea how Task Manager is able to do this however as to me it seems to take a VERY long time to retrieve process data using this method:

class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            while (true)
            {
                var pcs = Process.GetProcesses()
                    .Select(p => new PerformanceCounter("Process", "Working Set - Private", p.ProcessName));

                var sw = Stopwatch.StartNew();

                foreach (var pc in pcs)
                    pc.NextValue();

                Console.WriteLine($"Time taken to read {pcs.Count()} performance counters: {sw.ElapsedMilliseconds}ms");

                Thread.Sleep(1000);
            }
        }
    }

Has anyone got any suggestions on how to do this or how even Task Manager or Process Explorer is able to do this?

Answer 1

How does Task Manager do it?

he used calls to ZwQuerySystemInformation, ZwQueryInformationProcess, ZwQueryInformationThread .. Task Manager maintain database of active processes and periodically update this info by calling ZwQuerySystemInformation(SystemProcessInformation,) - so got array of SYSTEM_PROCESS_INFORMATION on exit. add new entries if found new process, yet not in DB, remove entries for died processes, update info for lived SYSTEM_PROCESS_INFORMATION already containing a lot information of process. additional information can be get by open process and call ZwQueryInformationProcess with appropriate info class

if you want implement a performance monitoring tool, without "quantum effect" (when the measurement affects the state itself) you need use this ntdll api. for definitions look at http://processhacker.sourceforge.net/doc/ntexapi_8h_source.html despite this is undocumented, existing functions and structures not changed how minimum from win2000 (so ~17 years) - new version of windows add a lot new info classes, some fields which was spare/unused in old version - can become used, but old(legacy) not changed