Windows Performance Tools Kit, v.4.1.1 (QFE) is, as the product's label states, a collection of performance analysis tools. The resources are an integral part of the Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5, and essentially offer an update to WPT Kit v.4.1.0. In fact, it is WPT Kit v.4.1.0 that was shipped as a part of the Windows Server 2008 SDK. With version 4.1.1 Microsoft has resolved a couple of issues, including the fact that Windows Performance Analyzer did not execute when double-clicking an ETL file, and failed to perform power state transition analysis.

"Windows Performance Tools Kit is now shipping along with Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5. A mouthful both, to be sure, but if you use either regularly it won't be long before they become just 'xperf' and 'the SDK'. The tools are a great help to analyze performance, especially for the trickier cases when I/O might be bottlenecked or lock contention might be involved (and I'm sure many other scenarios, although those are the once I have been involved in)," stated Marcelo Lopez Ruiz, Microsoft SDET Lead.

Windows Performance Tools Kit 4.1.1 can be used for Windows Vista, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008. Leveraging the Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) infrastructure, the tools are capable of reading the events generated by the Windows client and server platforms via ETW. Obviously, the target audience for the Windows Performance Tools Kit includes IT professionals, developers, hardware manufacturers, etc.

"The tools currently include an xperf trace capture tool, an xperfview visualization tool (also known as Performance Analyzer), and an xbootmgr boot trace capture tool. The tools are designed for the analysis of a wide range of performance problems including application start times, boot issues, deferred procedure calls and interrupt activity (DPCs and ISRs), system responsiveness issues, application resource usage, and interrupt storms. The MSIs containing these tools are available in the SDK bin directory (one per architecture)," Microsoft stated.

Windows Performance Tools Kit, v.4.1.1 can be downloaded from here.