Even if your computer is humming along today, you can be sure that at some point in the future you will run out of capacity. That's because newer software often uses more hardware to get its job done. You will find over time that your hardware resources are not keeping up with your use of the system.
Bosses like to have advance notice of any hardware requirements, along with lots of documentation showing the need for new equipment. In Chapter 8 we'll discuss how to collect data on a regular basis so you can predict your future equipment needs. Windows NT includes tools for easily archiving the capacity planning data for your computer or network.
Monitoring your system on a regular basis will also provide you with essential information for bottleneck detection. One of the topics we will cover in detail in this book is the equipment-dependent nature of performance counters. For example, the maximum transfer rate of a disk drive is dependent on many aspects of your system. No one can just provide you with a "good" number. But by having a record of your computer in normal operation, you can build an understanding of reasonable values for your counters. Then, if you make a change or something slows down, you have a baseline against which to compare your new situation. Without this baseline, the detection of bottlenecks can be tricky.