From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Thu Mar 29 18:18:13 2007
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id DC93A16A406
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:18:13 +0000 (UTC)
	(envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu)
Received: from gizmo.acns.msu.edu (gizmo.acns.msu.edu [35.8.1.43])
	by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 76D1113C45A
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:18:13 +0000 (UTC)
	(envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu)
Received: from gizmo.acns.msu.edu (localhost [127.0.0.1])
	by gizmo.acns.msu.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6) with ESMTP id l2TIGwFW055268;
	Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:16:58 -0400 (EDT)
	(envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu)
Received: (from jerrymc@localhost)
	by gizmo.acns.msu.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6/Submit) id l2TIGwjI055267;
	Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:16:58 -0400 (EDT) (envelope-from jerrymc)
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:16:58 -0400
From: Jerry McAllister <jerrymc@msu.edu>
To: Laszlo Nagy <gandalf@designaproduct.biz>
Message-ID: <20070329181658.GB55191@gizmo.acns.msu.edu>
References: <460BFEC1.2060901@designaproduct.biz>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
In-Reply-To: <460BFEC1.2060901@designaproduct.biz>
User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.2i
Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: interpreting uptime output
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5
Precedence: list
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:18:13 -0000

On Thu, Mar 29, 2007 at 08:00:33PM +0200, Laszlo Nagy wrote:

> From the manual:
> >NAME
> >     uptime -- show how long system has been running
> >
> >SYNOPSIS
> >     uptime
> >
> >DESCRIPTION
> >     The uptime utility displays the current time, the length of time 
> >the sys-
> >     tem has been up, the number of users, and the load average of the 
> >system
> >     over the last 1, 5, and 15 minutes.
> This is great, except that it does not tell me what "0.5" means? Example:
> 
> 1:41PM  up 5 days,  2:22, 4 users, load averages: 0.36, 0.42, 0.51
> 
> The only referenced material in the man page is w(1) which tells this:
> 
> > The load average numbers give the number of jobs in the run queue 
> averaged over 1, 5 and 15 minutes.
> 
> What are those "jobs"? I guess they are not processes. What is that "run 
> queue"? Which is better, the lower or the higher number?

They are processes waiting to be run and/or currently running.
Most things pop in and out so quickly that they are hardly noticable.
But their bits of time add up.

////jerry

> 
> Thanks,
> 
>   Laszlo
> 
> _______________________________________________
> freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list
> http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions
> To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org"