Tune in to your system with these popular diagnostic tools

Stat Pack

Article from Issue 139/2012
Author(s):

To check on the health of a Linux system, administrators can turn to vmstat, iostat, netstat, and ifstat. Or, you can just use the versatile dstat, which combines the features of several tools in a single package.

System administrators typically use multiple tools to monitor the resource load on a Linux system. But for some powerful, high-end monitoring applications, the overhead can be quite high, especially if you need to troubleshoot bottlenecks. Some tools need to run over an extended period of time, and, of course, these tools use resources themselves. This article introduces vmstat, iostat, netstat, and ifstat, four simple programs that fit well into any administrator’s toolbox. You’ll also learn about the multi-purpose dstat tool, which combines many functions of the other tools into a single utility.

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subs
Digisubs
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

  • Stat-like Tools for Admins

    ASCII tools can be life savers when they provide the only access you have to a misbehaving server. However, once you're on the node what do you do? In this article, we look at stat-like tools: vmstat, dstat, and mpstat.

    more »
  • Charly’s Column – Dstat

    Occasional worries about the system status are part of the sys admin’s daily life, and admins usually keep a fat toolbox of top and stat tools to alleviate them. Charly says he can manage with just one multitool – for the time being, at least.

    more »
  • Everything Must Go

    Every sys admin has a few favorite tools that they always carry with them, if only because they do not want to be without these often overlooked treasures. The gems dangling from Charly's key ring include Dstat, NetHogs, and nload.

    more »
  • Nmon

    Administrators often assume that if all nodes are functioning, the system is fine. However, a common problem is poor or unexpected application performance. In this case, you need a simple tool to help you understand what's happening on the nodes: nmon.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus

Visit Our Shop

Trial Subscription

Digital Subscription

Subscribe

Direct Download

Read full article as PDF:

Price $2.95

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Linux Pro Magazine Mobile Programming Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source