12.3. Base Operating System tools

The following commands are the focus throughout this section.

  • vmstat

  • iostat

  • netstat

  • sar

12.3.1. Using the vmstat command

The vmstat command syntax is as follows:

vmstat [ -f ] [ -i ] [ -s ] [ PhysicalVolume ... ] [ Interval [ Count ] ]

The vmstat command reports statistics about kernel threads, virtual memory, disks, traps, and CPU activity. Reports generated by the vmstat command can be used to balance system load activity. These system-wide statistics (among all processors) are calculated either as averages for values expressed as percentages, or as sums.

The PhysicalVolume parameter can be used to specify one to four names. Transfer statistics are given for each specified drive in the order specified. This ...

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