On Tue, Oct 04, 2005 at 09:35:20AM +0200, anders smith wrote: > how do I interpret loadaverage on mythtv backendstatus page or when running > top?
The numbers indicate the smoothed average number of processes running and waiting over a 1, 5, or 15 minute period. If your machine has one single-core processor then a load average of 1.00 suggests that the CPU is running at or below 100% capacity over the specified time period. Assume, for example, that you have two CPU-intensive processes that each take 30 seconds to complete. If you start one and wait for it to finish before starting the other then there is always one process running and non waiting (from the system's POV) so the one-minute load average is 1.0. If you start them at the same time then either of two things can happen: if one executes exclusively while the other waits, then your CPU queue is 2 for the first 30 seconds and 1 for the next 30 seconds, and the one-minute load would be approximately 1.5 (because there was always one process running and for half the time there was a process waiting). If the two processes share the CPU equally then each will take 60 seconds to complete, and the one-minute load average will be 2.0 (because there is always one running and one waiting). The work processed in 60 seconds was identical in all three cases, however the sequential tasking provided data earlier for one process. The first number (1-minute average) is a good indicator of real-time response. If it gets high then you will "feel" bogged down. The 3rd number (15-minute average) is a good indicator of long-term utilization. The range of acceptable values will depend on the system's usage. For example, running SETI in the background as a very low priority process will still drive up the load average without significantly affecting the system's response to foreground loading. > I usually get numbers around 4, but is that good or bad (when grabbing and > inserting it runs up to 6)? It depends. :-P Those numbers would be very high for a P-II or P-III but not so bad if you have a multi-CPU and/or multi-core system. -- A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet and in e-mail?
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