Monitoring with the Sysstat tool collection
Process Watchers
© lydichka, Fotolia
The Sysstat tools, featuring sar, iostat, mpstat, and pidstat, acquire system parameters and calculate statistics.
Server performance is down or non-existent. To look for clues, you check the logfiles, take a quick look at the /proc directory, and run tools such as Vmstat or Top, but to no avail: time to launch the Sysstat collection [1]. Sysstat is a group of simple Linux command-line tools for performance analysis and monitoring. According to the Sysstat project, the toolset "… contains various utilities common to many commercial Unixes, and tools you can schedule via cron to collect and historize performance and activity data."
The Sysstat set collects system information, stores it for a period of time, and calculates mean values, letting you query individual system parameters at specific times for more flexible troubleshooting. The tools work well with cron so that you can take readings of system performance at predefined intervals for a flexible, customizable approach to data collection. The Sysstat project defines the collection as follows:
- iostat – reports input/output statistics for devices, partitions, and network filesystems.
- mpstat – monitors processor statistics.
- pidstat – reports on system processes.
- sar and a supporting cast of related utilities – monitor, collect, and report on system activities related to CPU, memory, interrupts, interfaces, kernel tables, and other factors.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
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
-
Xubuntu Site Possibly Hacked
It appears that the Xubuntu site was hacked and briefly served up a malicious ZIP file from its download page.
-
LMDE 7 Now Available
Linux Mint Debian Edition, version 7, has been officially released and is based on upstream Debian.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Reaches EOL
Linux kernel 6.16 has reached its end of life, which means you'll need to upgrade to the next stable release, Linux kernel 6.17.
-
Amazon Ditches Android for a Linux-Based OS
Amazon has migrated from Android to the Linux-based Vega OS for its Fire TV.
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).