(To learn what BranchCache is, see this FAQ. To learn how to enable BranchCache, see this FAQ.)
A. The easiest way to check if BranchCache is being used is to monitor the BranchCache performance counters, these three counters in particular:
- Retrieval: Bytes from cache—This shows how much data is being obtained via BranchCache instead of directly from the source server.
- Retrieval: Bytes from server—This shows how much is being obtained directly from the source server, not from BranchCache.
- Retrieval: Bytes served—This shows how data from the local machine's BranchCache has been sent to other BranchCache clients. This saves other clients from obtaining the data from the original source.
If BranchCache is being used, then you should see the Retrieval: Bytes from cache value incrementing across your machines after the data being read has been downloaded by at least one machine. In the example shown here, you can see that this machine has obtained most of its data via BranchCache. Only 1MB of the data it needed came directly from the source server. Remember that there will always be some communication with the source server to check permissions and to get hash values so that clients don't get stale information from BranchCache.
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