Difference between a LOADed CPU & a non IDLE CPU ???

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4 total messages Started by Cyrille MAUCCI Wed, 11 Oct 2000 00:00

#4071

Author: Cyrille MAUCCI
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 00:00

9 lines
1625 bytes

Hi,

I am desperately looking for an answer to the following question:
when my Unix system is getting slow, I just run 'top'
sometimes, the average LOAD is high (at least 3), but CPU seems to be IDLE (close to 100%)
sometimes, the average LOAD is correct (around 1), but CPU seems to work!!!

I think I understand what the CPU TIME processing is, but I don't see how a machine can be LOADed with no CPU consuming process...
Can you help me on this?

Thanks
Cyrille

Re: Difference between a LOADed CPU & a non IDLE CPU ???

#4072

Author: Thomas Nemeth
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 00:00

19 lines
1749 bytes

Le Wed, 11 Oct 2000 20:26:20 +0200, Cyrille MAUCCI a tapot� :
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| b3dpbmcgcXVlc3Rpb246DQp3aGVuIG15IFVuaXggc3lzdGVtIGlzIGdldHRpbmcgc2xvdywgSSBq
| dXN0IHJ1biAndG9wJw0Kc29tZXRpbWVzLCB0aGUgYXZlcmFnZSBMT0FEIGlzIGhpZ2ggKGF0IGxl
| YXN0IDMpLCBidXQgQ1BVIHNlZW1zIHRvIGJlIElETEUgKGNsb3NlIHRvIDEwMCUpDQpzb21ldGlt
| ZXMsIHRoZSBhdmVyYWdlIExPQUQgaXMgY29ycmVjdCAoYXJvdW5kIDEpLCBidXQgQ1BVIHNlZW1z
| IHRvIHdvcmshISENCg0KSSB0aGluayBJIHVuZGVyc3RhbmQgd2hhdCB0aGUgQ1BVIFRJTUUgcHJv
| Y2Vzc2luZyBpcywgYnV0IEkgZG9uJ3Qgc2VlIGhvdyBhIG1hY2hpbmUgY2FuIGJlIExPQURlZCB3
| aXRoIG5vIENQVSBjb25zdW1pbmcgcHJvY2Vzcy4uLg0KQ2FuIHlvdSBoZWxwIG1lIG9uIHRoaXM/
| DQoNClRoYW5rcw0KQ3lyaWxsZQ0K

	<AOL>
	Moi aussi.
	</AOL>


-- 
BOFH excuse #10:
hardware stress fractures

Re: Difference between a LOADed CPU & a non IDLE CPU ???

#4074

Author: Andreas K�h�ri
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 00:00

46 lines
1845 bytes

In article <8s2av7$k0g$1@wanadoo.fr>,
Cyrille MAUCCI <cyrille.maucci@wanadoo.fr> wrote:
>Hi,

>

>I am desperately looking for an answer to the following question:

>when my Unix system is getting slow, I just run 'top'

>sometimes, the average LOAD is high (at least 3), but CPU seems to be
>IDLE (close to 100%)

>sometimes, the average LOAD is correct (around 1), but CPU seems to work!!!

>

>I think I understand what the CPU TIME processing is, but I don't see
>how a machine can be LOADed with no CPU consuming process...

>Can you help me on this?

>

>Thanks

>Cyrille

The value of the load is the length of the queue of processes waiting
for their time to run (you may see it that way anyway). There may be
more things that stops them from running than the CPU being used 100%,
such as e.g. too much disk activity.

If there is only one highly active process running, then the load will
be around 1 and the CPU will be 100% used. Start 2 instances of that
program and the load will be 2 and the CPU will be 100% used.

/A

-- 
Andreas K�h�ri, 
Uppsala University, Sweden.
=============================={ "free", as in "software" --> www.gnu.org

Re: Difference between a LOADed CPU & a non IDLE CPU ???

#4073

Author: Peter Sundstrom
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 03:41

18 lines
1771 bytes

Cyrille MAUCCI <cyrille.maucci@wanadoo.fr> wrote in message
news:8s2av7$k0g$1@wanadoo.fr...
> Hi,
>
> I am desperately looking for an answer to the following question:
> when my Unix system is getting slow, I just run 'top'
> sometimes, the average LOAD is high (at least 3), but CPU seems to be IDLE
(close to 100%)
> sometimes, the average LOAD is correct (around 1), but CPU seems to
work!!!
>
> I think I understand what the CPU TIME processing is, but I don't see how
a machine can be LOADed with no CPU consuming process...
> Can you help me on this?

Load averages are just that; an average.  The three sets of figures are the
1 min, 5min and 15min averages.

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