Narrowing down Linux performance in sixty seconds
Summary
Brendan Gregg arranges ten standard commands into a quick procedure for load, CPU, memory, disks and network. The procedure comprises ten commands. The first investigation takes about sixty seconds.
Ideas
- uptime shows the development of load over several time windows.
- dmesg reveals kernel and hardware events.
- vmstat combines processes, memory, paging and CPU time.
- iostat makes disk utilisation and queues visible.
Insights
- A fixed diagnostic procedure prevents premature single explanations.
- System metrics only gain meaning when viewed together over time.
- Quick triage decides which deeper tools make sense afterwards.
Facts
- The examples use common Linux tools.
Recommendations
- Collect timestamped output before making changes.
- Only dig deeper into measured bottlenecks with specialised tools.
References
Links to the original source and the Web Archive open in a new tab.