Stat-like command-line tools for admins
Summary
Sometimes you only have simple shell or crash cart access to a wayward node, so you can't run X. That means you have to rely on simple ASCII tools to help debug the problems.
I have found vmstat invaluable for diagnosing misbehaving nodes or checking or profiling user applications. For example, often when a user's application starts running slower, it's simply a matter of the user's application swapping on the compute nodes. A quick vmstat **1 **10
lets me see the problem and address it quickly. However, sometimes other issues require that you diagnose a node, and vmstat can't help. Fortunately, other people have run into the same problem and dstat was created. I tend to use dstat to get more information than I can get with vmstat.
Another tool I use, but not really to debug nodes, is mpstat, which helps me understand what my code is doing on a node. For example, if I'm writing OpenMP code, I can use mpstat to see if the cores are being used by user applications and, if so, how much. Moreover, you can use mpstat to diagnose performance problems that answer the question, "Why isn't my code running faster?"
Infos
- "Top-like tools for admins" by Jeff Layton, ADMIN, issue 23, pg. 86, http://www.admin-magazine.com/Archive/2014/23/Top-like-tools-for-admins
- vmstat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vmstat
- vmstat man page: http://linux.die.net/man/8/vmstat
- Kibibyte: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibibyte
- VMSTAT Analyzer: http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/41848/VMSTAT-Analyzer
- VMLoad: https://gist.github.com/mmichaelis/1187126
- vmstat plotter: http://clusterbuffer.wordpress.com/admin-tools/vmstat-plotter/
- Web-vmstat: http://linoxide.com/tools/vmstat-graphical-mode/
- dstat: http://dag.wiee.rs/home-made/dstat/
- dstat man page: http://dag.wiee.rs/home-made/dstat/dstat.1.html
- Systat: http://sebastien.godard.pagesperso-orange.fr/
- mpstat: http://sebastien.godard.pagesperso-orange.fr/man_mpstat.html
- OpenMP: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenMP
« Previous 1 2
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
AlmaLinux OS Kitten 10 Gives Power Users a Sneak Preview
If you're looking to kick the tires of AlmaLinux's upstream version, the developers have a purrfect solution.
-
Gnome 47.1 Released with a Few Fixes
The latest release of the Gnome desktop is all about fixing a few nagging issues and not about bringing new features into the mix.
-
System76 Unveils an Ampere-Powered Thelio Desktop
If you're looking for a new desktop system for developing autonomous driving and software-defined vehicle solutions. System76 has you covered.
-
VirtualBox 7.1.4 Includes Initial Support for Linux kernel 6.12
The latest version of VirtualBox has arrived and it not only adds initial support for kernel 6.12 but another feature that will make using the virtual machine tool much easier.
-
New Slimbook EVO with Raw AMD Ryzen Power
If you're looking for serious power in a 14" ultrabook that is powered by Linux, Slimbook has just the thing for you.
-
The Gnome Foundation Struggling to Stay Afloat
The foundation behind the Gnome desktop environment is having to go through some serious belt-tightening due to continued financial problems.
-
Thousands of Linux Servers Infected with Stealth Malware Since 2021
Perfctl is capable of remaining undetected, which makes it dangerous and hard to mitigate.
-
Halcyon Creates Anti-Ransomware Protection for Linux
As more Linux systems are targeted by ransomware, Halcyon is stepping up its protection.
-
Valve and Arch Linux Announce Collaboration
Valve and Arch have come together for two projects that will have a serious impact on the Linux distribution.
-
Hacker Successfully Runs Linux on a CPU from the Early ‘70s
From the office of "Look what I can do," Dmitry Grinberg was able to get Linux running on a processor that was created in 1971.