PV is a command-line utility that enables the user to monitor the progress of data through a pipeline. It is an abbreviation for “Pipe Viewer” and is used to display progress information for the command currently executing on the command line. The command can be used to track the progress of a file transfer, data backup, or any other process that involves data transfer through a pipeline.
Overview
The PV command can be used to monitor the progress of a pipeline by displaying various information, including the percentage of data transferred, the current transfer rate, and the estimated time remaining. The command can be used with any pipeline that involves data transfer, including file transfers, data backups, and data processing.
The syntax for using the PV command is as follows:
pv [options] [file]
Where [options] are the various options available for the command, and [file] is the name of the file being transferred or processed.
Examples
Here are some examples of how to use the PV command:
Example 1: Transfer a file and monitor progress
pv file.txt > /mnt/backup/file.txt
This command transfers the file.txt to the /mnt/backup/ directory and displays the progress of the transfer.
Example 2: Monitor the progress of a data backup
tar -cf - /home | pv | gzip > backup.tar.gz
This command creates a backup of the /home directory and displays the progress of the backup using the PV command.
Example 3: Monitor the progress of a data processing pipeline
cat data.csv | pv -l | awk -F"," '{print $1}' | sort | uniq -c
This command processes a data.csv file and displays the progress of the pipeline using the PV command.
Options
Here are the available options for the PV command:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-f |
Force the output to be in a specific format |
-s |
Display the size of the input file |
-t |
Display the time elapsed |
-e |
Display the estimated time remaining |
-r |
Display the current transfer rate |
-a |
Display the average transfer rate |
-b |
Display the current transfer rate in bytes |
-h |
Display help information |
-V |
Display version information |
Troubleshooting tips
Here are some tips for troubleshooting common issues with the PV command:
- If the PV command does not display any progress information, ensure that the pipeline is correctly configured and that data is being transferred through it.
- If the PV command displays incorrect progress information, ensure that the correct options are being used and that the input file size is correctly specified.
- If the PV command displays an error message, check the command syntax and ensure that the correct options are being used.
Notes
- The PV command can be used with any pipeline that involves data transfer.
- The command is not installed by default on most Linux distributions and may need to be installed manually.
- PV is an open-source utility and is available under the GNU General Public License.