Re: /proc/loadavg disagrees with top and ps

From: Tim Connors (tconnors+linuxdebianuser1091766029_at_astro.swin.edu.au)
Date: 08/06/04

  • Next message: David P James: "Re: you may be even more embarassed if you can't deliver" 
    To: Reid Priedhorsky <reid@reidster.net>
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2004 14:23:18 +1000

    Reid Priedhorsky <reid@reidster.net> said on Thu, 05 Aug 2004 20:13:42 -0500:
    > Hmm. So, the general consensus is that it's not a problem; and it
    > certainly doesn't seem to affect interactivity or performance at all. It's
    > my home box, not a server or anything, and it normally has very low loads,
    > 10-15% maybe when I'm using it and essentially zero when I'm not. There
    > shouldn't be lots of processes doing I/O.
    >
    > The high load dropped back to normal shortly after I posted.
    >
    > I'm still interested in tools that would tell me what processes are doing
    > I/O, or whatever. It's unnerving for things to being going on with my box
    > that I don't understand.

    `ps axf` lists in the 3rd column the state a process is in. If you
    have a process in 'D' state, it will contribute a value of 1 to the
    load (as will 'R' - but then it is taking CPU and will appear in top's
    output).

    If it stays in D for long continuously (as opposed to intermitently
    and for a few seconds - eg. while accessing the disk), then there is
    probably a kernel bug involved somewhere.

    If however, the load goes away after some time, maybe it is not
    something to worry about. Were you waiting for slow IO from a disk or
    floopy, or maybe listening to music on a bad CD? Any oopsen in your
    syslog? 

    -- 
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
If I sit here and stare at nothing long enough, people might think
I'm an engineer working on something.
                -- S.R. McElroy
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