Need help understanding TOP command and Linux Load.

[Guest_imported]

I ran "top" on a box running 800mhz P3, 192 mb ram, and 2.0.36 Linux, and typical output is as follows:

-----------------------------
8:57am up 33 days, 22:04, 1 user, load average: 1.86, 3.23, 2.53
96 processes: 92 sleeping, 2 running, 2 zombie, 0 stopped
CPU states: 1.1% user, 4.8% system, 0.0% nice, 95.1% idle
-----------------------------

My question is:

The CPU state shows 95.1% idle. But the darn system load is 1.86 which is over 100% utilization (correct?) Why the CPU is idle 95.1% of the time and still system load is going above 2-3 ??

What system load average is a reasonable value before I have to consider upgrading hardware and if so, what hardware typically? Like CPU? Harddisk? Memory? Thanks I am running

 

[ifincham]

Hi,

That's another wonder of linux ... > 100% cpu X-)

Actually, there's quite a good outline of 'top' here -->

http://laughs.linuxlots.com/miscellaneous/mobile/en/top.html

Regards

 

[Guest_imported]

I still do not understand this top command. The url you gave did not clear things up.

Why does the CPU usage show 95% idle and yet the load shows > 1 figure?

 

[ifincham]

Hi,









The 'load' numbers at the top are the average number of processes - not CPU %. (The top line of 'top' can also be obtained from the command 'uptime').







The following is from the top man page"









"This line displays the time the system has been up, and the three load averages for the system. The load averages are the average number of process ready to run during the last 1, 5 and 15 minutes."













see 'man top'











Regards

 

[Guest_imported]

Still do not understand

let us say the load average ofr the last 5 minutes is 1.25. How many processes are running in average? You mean only 1.25 in 5 minutes? That couldn't be right? Thanks again.