---
title: "SQL Server:Buffer Node object"
description: Learn about the Buffer Node object, which provides counters to monitor the SQL Server buffer pool page distribution for each NUMA node.
author: MikeRayMSFT
ms.author: mikeray
ms.date: 12/04/2023
ms.service: sql
ms.subservice: performance
ms.topic: reference
helpviewer_keywords:
  - "SQLServer:Buffer Node"
  - "Buffer Node object"
---
# SQL Server:Buffer Node object
 [!INCLUDE [SQL Server](../../includes/applies-to-version/sqlserver.md)]

  The **Buffer Node** object provides counters that complement counters provided by the **Buffer Manager** object. It allows you to monitor the [!INCLUDE [ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] buffer pool page distribution for each non-uniform memory access (NUMA) node. There is an instance of the **Buffer Node** object for each NUMA node in use. On non-NUMA architecture, there will be a single instance of the **Buffer Node** object.  
  
## Buffer Node Performance Objects
 This table describes the [!INCLUDE [ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] **Buffer Node** performance objects.  
  
|**SQL Server Buffer Node** counters|Description|  
|-------------------------------------|-----------------|  
|**Database pages**|Indicates the number of pages in the buffer pool on this node with database content.|  
|**Local node page lookups/sec**|Indicates the number of lookup requests from this node that were satisfied from this node.|  
|**Page life expectancy**|Indicates the minimum number of seconds a page stays in the buffer pool on this node without references.|  
|**Remote node page lookups/sec**|Indicates the number of lookup requests from this node that were satisfied from other nodes.|  
  
 If SQL Server is running on non-NUMA hardware, the counters of **Buffer Node** and **Buffer Manager** objects should match.  
  
 On NUMA hardware, sums of respective counters of all **Buffer Nodes** should match their counterparts of **Buffer Manager**.  
  
> [!NOTE]  
>  The counter values and sums might not match precisely due to the dynamic nature of the counters and the sampling accuracy.  
  
  
## Example

You begin to explore the query performance counters in this object using this T-SQL query on the [sys.dm_os_performance_counters](../system-dynamic-management-views/sys-dm-os-performance-counters-transact-sql.md) dynamic management view:

```sql
SELECT * FROM sys.dm_os_performance_counters
WHERE object_name LIKE '%Buffer Node%';
```  

## Related content

- [SQL Server, Buffer Manager object](sql-server-buffer-manager-object.md)
- [Server memory configuration options](../../database-engine/configure-windows/server-memory-server-configuration-options.md)
- [Monitor Resource Usage (Performance Monitor)](monitor-resource-usage-system-monitor.md)
- [sys.dm_os_performance_counters (Transact-SQL)](../system-dynamic-management-views/sys-dm-os-performance-counters-transact-sql.md)