Dstat is a versatile tool that allows you to monitor and analyze system resource usage in real-time. It provides a comprehensive overview of system performance, including CPU usage, disk I/O, network traffic, and memory usage. Dstat is a powerful tool for system administrators and developers who need to optimize system performance and troubleshoot issues.
Overview
Dstat provides a wide range of options for monitoring system resource usage. The basic syntax of the command is:
dstat [options] [interval [count]]
optionsare the various parameters you can use to customize the output of the command.intervalspecifies the time interval between updates in seconds.countspecifies the number of updates to display before exiting.
Here are some examples of how to use dstat:
- To monitor CPU usage, disk I/O, and network traffic:
dstat -cdngy
- To monitor memory usage and swap activity:
dstat -pm
- To monitor disk I/O and throughput:
dstat -d --output /tmp/dstat.csv
In the last example, we’re using the --output option to save the output to a CSV file for further analysis.
Options
Here are the available options for dstat:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -c | CPU usage |
| -d | Disk I/O |
| -g | Page statistics |
| -i | Interrupts |
| -l | Load average |
| -m | Memory usage |
| -n | Network traffic |
| -p | Process statistics |
| -r | System resources |
| -s | Swap usage |
| -y | System statistics |
| –aio | Asynchronous I/O |
| –fs | Filesystem usage |
| –ipc | IPC statistics |
| –lock | Locks |
| –raw | Raw system statistics |
| –socket | Socket statistics |
| –tcp | TCP statistics |
| –udp | UDP statistics |
| –unix | Unix socket statistics |
| –vm | Virtual memory statistics |
| –output | Save output to a file |
Troubleshooting tips
Here are some common issues you may encounter when using dstat, along with their solutions:
- Dstat is not installed: If you get a “command not found” error when running dstat, you may need to install it first. On Debian-based systems, you can use the following command:
sudo apt-get install dstat
- Output is hard to read: By default, dstat outputs a lot of information in a compact format. You can use the
--verboseoption to display more detailed information, or use the--outputoption to save the output to a file for further analysis.
Notes
Dstat is a powerful tool for monitoring and analyzing system resource usage in real-time. It provides a wide range of options for customizing the output, and can be used for a variety of use cases, including performance optimization and troubleshooting. By mastering the various options available, you can become a more effective Linux systems administrator or developer.