top(1) - Linux man page

Name

top - display Linux tasks

Synopsis

top -hv | -abcHimMsS -d delay -n iterations -p pid [, pid ...]

The traditional switches '-' and whitespace are optional.

Description

The top program provides a dynamic real-time view of a running system. It can
display system summary information as well as a list of tasks currently being
managed by the Linux kernel. The types of system summary information shown and the
types, order and size of information displayed for tasks are all user configurable
and that configuration can be made persistent across restarts.

The program provides a limited interactive interface for process manipulation as

well as a much more extensive interface for personal configuration -- encompassing
every aspect of its operation. And while top is referred to throughout this
document, you are free to name the program anything you wish. That new name,
possibly an alias, will then be reflected on top's display and used when reading
and writing a configuration file.
Overview

Documentation

The remaining Table of Contents 1. COMMAND-LINE Options 2. FIELDS / Columns a.

DESCRIPTIONS of Fields b. SELECTING and ORDERING Columns 3. INTERACTIVE Commands a.
GLOBAL Commands b. SUMMARY Area Commands c. TASK Area Commands d. COLOR Mapping 4.
ALTERNATE-DISPLAY Mode a. WINDOWS Overview b. COMMANDS for Windows 5. FILES a.
SYSTEM Configuration File b. PERSONAL Configuration File 6. STUPID TRICKS Sampler
a. Kernel Magic b. Bouncing Windows c. The Big Bird Window 7. BUGS, 8. HISTORY
Former top, 9. AUTHOR, 10. SEE ALSO

Operation

When operating top, the two most important keys are help ('h' or '?') and quit
('q') key. Alternatively, you could simply use the traditional interrupt key ('^C')
when you're done.

When you start top for the first time, you'll be presented with the traditional
screen elements: 1) Summary Area; 2) Message/Prompt Line; 3) Columns Header; 4)
Task Area. There will, however, be some differences when compared to the former
top.
Highlighting
Summary_Area: There is no highlighting for load/uptime and only values are
highlighted for other elements.

Task_Area: Tasks running (or ready to run) will be highlighted, and bold is
only one way of emphasizing such processes.
Content/Labels
Summary_Area: The program name is shown, perhaps a symlink or alias. The Cpu(s)
state label hints at other possibilities. The memory stats use a lower case 'k'.

Columns_Header: Will show a new field and some changed labels. More new fields
will be found as you customize your top.
Note: the width of top's display will be limited to 512 positions. Displaying all
fields requires a minimum of 160 characters. The remaining width could be used for
the 'Command' column.

Startup Defaults

The following startup defaults assume no configuration file, thus no user

customizations. Even so, items shown with an asterisk ('*') could be overridden
through the command-line.

Global_defaults 'A' - Alt display Off (full-screen) * 'd' - Delay time 3.0 seconds
'I' - Irix mode On (no, 'solaris' smp) * 'p' - PID monitoring Off * 's' - Secure
mode Off (unsecured) 'B' - Bold disable Off Summary_Area_defaults 'l' - Load
Avg/Uptime On (thus program name) 't' - Task/Cpu states On (1+1 lines, see '1') 'm'
- Mem/Swap usage On (2 lines worth) '1' - Single Cpu On (thus 1 line if smp)
Task_Area_defaults 'b' - Bold hilite On (not 'reverse') * 'c' - Command line Off
(name, not cmdline) * 'H' - Threads Off (show all threads) * 'i' - Idle tasks On
(show all tasks) 'R' - Reverse sort On (pids high-to-low) * 'S' - Cumulative time
Off (no, dead children) 'x' - Column hilite Off (no, sort field) 'y' - Row hilite
On (yes, running tasks) 'z' - color/mono Off (no, colors)

1. COMMAND-LINE Options

The command-line syntax for top consists of:

-hv | -abcHimMsS -d delay -n iterations -p pid [,pid...]

The typically mandatory switches ('-') and even whitespace are completely optional.

-a : Sort by memory usage

This switch makes top to sort the processes by allocated memory
-b : Batch mode operation
Starts top in 'Batch mode', which could be useful for sending output from top
to other programs or to a file. In this mode, top will not accept input and runs
until the iterations limit you've set with the '-n' command-line option or until
killed.
-c : Command line/Program name toggle
Starts top with the last remembered 'c' state reversed. Thus, if top was
displaying command lines, now that field will show program names, and visa versa.
See the 'c' interactive command for additional information.
-d : Delay time interval as: -d ss.tt (seconds.tenths)
Specifies the delay between screen updates, and overrides the corresponding
value in one's personal configuration file or the startup default. Later this can
be changed with the 'd' or 's' interactive commands.

Fractional seconds are honored, but a negative number is not allowed. In all
cases, however, such changes are prohibited if top is running in 'Secure mode',
except for root (unless the 's' command-line option was used). For additional
information on 'Secure mode' see topic 5a. SYSTEM Configuration File.
-h : Help
Show library version and the usage prompt, then quit.
-H : Threads toggle
Starts top with the last remembered 'H' state reversed. When this toggle is On,
all individual threads will be displayed. Otherwise, top displays a summation of
all threads in a process.
-i : Idle Processes toggle
Starts top with the last remembered 'i' state reversed. When this toggle is
Off, tasks that are idled or zombied will not be displayed.
-m : VIRT/USED toggle
Reports USED (sum of process rss and swap total count) instead of VIRT
-M : Detect memory units
 Show memory units (k/M/G) and display floating point values in the memory
summary.
-n : Number of iterations limit as: -n number
Specifies the maximum number of iterations, or frames, top should produce
before ending.
-p : Monitor PIDs as: -pN1 -pN2 ... or -pN1, N2 [,...]
Monitor only processes with specified process IDs. This option can be given up
to 20 times, or you can provide a comma delimited list with up to 20 pids. Co-
mingling both approaches is permitted.

This is a command-line option only. And should you wish to return to normal
operation, it is not necessary to quit and and restart top -- just issue the '='
interactive command.
-s : Secure mode operation
Starts top with secure mode forced, even for root. This mode is far better
controlled through the system configuration file (see topic 5. FILES).
-S : Cumulative time mode toggle
Starts top with the last remembered 'S' state reversed. When 'Cumulative mode'
is On, each process is listed with the cpu time that it and its dead children have
used. See the 'S' interactive command for additional information regarding this
mode.
-u : Monitor by user as: -u somebody
Monitor only processes with an effective UID or user name matching that given.
-U : Monitor by user as: -U somebody
Monitor only processes with a UID or user name matching that given. This
matches real, effective, saved, and filesystem UIDs.
-v : Version
Show library version and the usage prompt, then quit.

2. FIELDS / Columns

2a. DESCRIPTIONS of Fields

Listed below are top's available fields. They are always associated with the letter
shown, regardless of the position you may have established for them with the 'o'
(Order fields) interactive command.

Any field is selectable as the sort field, and you control whether they are sorted
high-to-low or low-to-high. For additional information on sort provisions see topic
3c. TASK Area Commands.
a: PID -- Process Id
The task's unique process ID, which periodically wraps, though never restarting
at zero.
b: PPID -- Parent Process Pid
The process ID of a task's parent.
c: RUSER -- Real User Name
The real user name of the task's owner.
d: UID -- User Id
The effective user ID of the task's owner.
e: USER -- User Name
The effective user name of the task's owner.
f: GROUP -- Group Name
The effective group name of the task's owner.
g: TTY -- Controlling Tty
The name of the controlling terminal. This is usually the device (serial port,
pty, etc.) from which the process was started, and which it uses for input or
output. However, a task need not be associated with a terminal, in which case
you'll see '?' displayed.
h: PR -- Priority
 The priority of the task.
i: NI -- Nice value
The nice value of the task. A negative nice value means higher priority,
whereas a positive nice value means lower priority. Zero in this field simply means
priority will not be adjusted in determining a task's dispatchability.
j: P -- Last used CPU (SMP)
A number representing the last used processor. In a true SMP environment this
will likely change frequently since the kernel intentionally uses weak affinity.
Also, the very act of running top may break this weak affinity and cause more
processes to change CPUs more often (because of the extra demand for cpu time).
k: %CPU -- CPU usage
The task's share of the elapsed CPU time since the last screen update,
expressed as a percentage of total CPU time. In a true SMP environment, if 'Irix
mode' is Off, top will operate in 'Solaris mode' where a task's cpu usage will be
divided by the total number of CPUs. You toggle 'Irix/Solaris' modes with the 'I'
interactive command.
l: TIME -- CPU Time
Total CPU time the task has used since it started. When 'Cumulative mode' is
On, each process is listed with the cpu time that it and its dead children has
used. You toggle 'Cumulative mode' with 'S', which is a command-line option and an
interactive command. See the 'S' interactive command for additional information
regarding this mode.
m: TIME+ -- CPU Time, hundredths
The same as 'TIME', but reflecting more granularity through hundredths of a
second.
n: %MEM -- Memory usage (RES)
A task's currently used share of available physical memory.
o: VIRT -- Virtual Image (kb)
The total amount of virtual memory used by the task. It includes all code, data
and shared libraries plus pages that have been swapped out. (Note: you can define
the STATSIZE=1 environment variable and the VIRT will be calculated from the
/proc/#/state VmSize field.)
p: SWAP -- Swapped size (kb)
Per-process swap values are now taken from /proc/#/status VmSwap field.
q: RES -- Resident size (kb)
The non-swapped physical memory a task has used.

RES = CODE + DATA.

r: CODE -- Code size (kb)
The amount of physical memory devoted to executable code, also known as the
'text resident set' size or TRS.
s: DATA -- Data+Stack size (kb)
The amount of physical memory devoted to other than executable code, also known
as the 'data resident set' size or DRS.
t: SHR -- Shared Mem size (kb)
The amount of shared memory used by a task. It simply reflects memory that
could be potentially shared with other processes.
u: nFLT -- Page Fault count
The number of major page faults that have occurred for a task. A page fault
occurs when a process attempts to read from or write to a virtual page that is not
currently present in its address space. A major page fault is when disk access is
involved in making that page available.
v: nDRT -- Dirty Pages count
The number of pages that have been modified since they were last written to
disk. Dirty pages must be written to disk before the corresponding physical memory
location can be used for some other virtual page.
w: S -- Process Status
The status of the task which can be one of: 'D' = uninterruptible sleep 'R' =
running 'S' = sleeping 'T' = traced or stopped 'Z' = zombie
 Tasks shown as running should be more properly thought of as 'ready to run' --
their task_struct is simply represented on the Linux run-queue. Even without a true
SMP machine, you may see numerous tasks in this state depending on top's delay
interval and nice value.
x: Command -- Command line or Program name
Display the command line used to start a task or the name of the associated
program. You toggle between command line and name with 'c', which is both a
command-line option and an interactive command.

When you've chosen to display command lines, processes without a command line
(like kernel threads) will be shown with only the program name in parentheses, as
in this example: ( mdrecoveryd )

Either form of display is subject to potential truncation if it's too long to

fit in this field's current width. That width depends upon other fields selected,
their order and the current screen width.

Note: The 'Command' field/column is unique, in that it is not fixed-width. When

displayed, this column will be allocated all remaining screen width (up to the
maximum 512 characters) to provide for the potential growth of program names into
command lines.
y: WCHAN -- Sleeping in Function
Depending on the availability of the kernel link map ('System.map'), this field
will show the name or the address of the kernel function in which the task is
currently sleeping. Running tasks will display a dash ('-') in this column.

Note: By displaying this field, top's own working set will be increased by over
700Kb. Your only means of reducing that overhead will be to stop and restart top.
z: Flags -- Task Flags
This column represents the task's current scheduling flags which are expressed
in hexadecimal notation and with zeros suppressed. These flags are officially
documented in <linux/sched.h>. Less formal documentation can also be found on the
'Fields select' and 'Order fields' screens.

2b. SELECTING and ORDERING Columns

After pressing the interactive commands 'f' (Fields select) or 'o' (Order fields)
you will be shown a screen containing the current fields string followed by names
and descriptions for all fields.

Here is a sample fields string from one of top's four windows/field groups and an
explanation of the conventions used:
-

Sample fields string: ANOPQRSTUVXbcdefgjlmyzWHIK

The order of displayed fields corresponds to the order of the letters in that
string.

If the letter is upper case the corresponding field itself will then be shown as
part of the task display (screen width permitting). This will also be indicated by
a leading asterisk ('*'), as in this excerpt: ... * K: %CPU = CPU usage l: TIME =
CPU Time m: TIME+ = CPU Time, hundredths * N: %MEM = Memory usage (RES) * O: VIRT =
Virtual Image (kb) ...
Fields select screen -- the 'f' interactive command
You toggle the display of a field by simply pressing the corresponding letter.
Order fields screen -- the 'o' interactive command
You move a field to the left by pressing the corresponding upper case letter
and to the right with the lower case letter.

2c. SUMMARY Area Fields

The summary area fields describing CPU statistics are abbreviated. They provide
information about times spent in: us = user mode sy = system mode ni = low priority
user mode (nice) id = idle task wa = I/O waiting hi = servicing IRQs si = servicing
soft IRQs st = steal (time given to other DomU instances)

3. INTERACTIVE Commands

Listed below is a brief index of commands within categories. Some commands appear
more than once -- their meaning or scope may vary depending on the context in which
they are issued.

3a. GLOBAL_Commands <Ret/Sp> ?, =, A, B, d, G, h, I, k, q, r, s, W, Z 3b.

SUMMARY_Area_Commands l, m, t, 1 3c. TASK_Area_Commands Appearance: b, x, y, z
Content: c, f, H, o, S, u Size: #, i, n Sorting: <, >, F, O, R 3d. COLOR_Mapping
<Ret>, a, B, b, H, M, q, S, T, w, z, 0 - 7 4b. COMMANDS_for_Windows -, _, =, +, A,
a, G, g, w

3a. GLOBAL Commands

The global interactive commands are always available in both full-screen mode and
alternate-display mode. However, some of these interactive commands are not
available when running in 'Secure mode'.

If you wish to know in advance whether or not your top has been secured, simply ask
for help and view the system summary on the second line.
<Enter> or <Space> :Refresh_Display
These commands do nothing, they are simply ignored. However, they will awaken
top and following receipt of any input the entire display will be repainted.

Use either of these keys if you have a large delay interval and wish to see
current status,
'?' or 'h' :Help
There are two help levels available. The first will provide a reminder of all
the basic interactive commands. If top is secured, that screen will be abbreviated.

Typing 'h' or '?' on that help screen will take you to help for those
interactive commands applicable to alternate-display mode.
'=' :Exit_Task_Limits
Removes restrictions on which tasks are shown. This command will reverse any
'i' (idle tasks) and 'n' (max tasks) commands that might be active. It also
provides for an 'exit' from PID monitoring. See the '-p' command-line option for a
discussion of PID monitoring.

When operating in alternate-display mode this command has a slightly broader

meaning.
'A' :Alternate_Display_Mode_toggle
This command will switch between full-screen mode and alternate-display mode.
See topic 4. ALTERNATE-DISPLAY Mode and the 'G' interactive command for insight
into 'current' windows and field groups.
'B' :Bold_Disable/Enable_toggle
This command will influence use of the 'bold' terminfo capability and alters
both the summary area and task area for the 'current' window. While it is intended
primarily for use with dumb terminals, it can be applied anytime.

Note: When this toggle is On and top is operating in monochrome mode, the
entire display will appear as normal text. Thus, unless the 'x' and/or 'y' toggles
are using reverse for emphasis, there will be no visual confirmation that they are
even on.
* 'd' or 's' :Change_Delay_Time_interval
You will be prompted to enter the delay time, in seconds, between display
updates.

Fractional seconds are honored, but a negative number is not allowed. Entering
0 causes (nearly) continuous updates, with an unsatisfactory display as the system
and tty driver try to keep up with top's demands. The delay value is inversely
proportional to system loading, so set it with care.

If at any time you wish to know the current delay time, simply ask for help and
view the system summary on the second line.
'G' :Choose_Another_Window/Field_Group
You will be prompted to enter a number between 1 and 4 designating the
window/field group which should be made the 'current' window. You will soon grow
comfortable with these 4 windows, especially after experimenting with alternate-
display mode.
'I' :Irix/Solaris_Mode_toggle
When operating in 'Solaris mode' ('I' toggled Off), a task's cpu usage will be
divided by the total number of CPUs. After issuing this command, you'll be informed
of the new state of this toggle.
'u' :select a user
You will be prompted for a UID or username. Only processes belonging to the
selected user will be displayed. This option matches on the effective UID.
'U' :select a user
You will be prompted for a UID or username. Only processes belonging to the
selected user will be displayed. This option matches on the real, effective, saved,
and filesystem UID.
* 'k' :Kill_a_task
You will be prompted for a PID and then the signal to send. The default signal,
as reflected in the prompt, is SIGTERM. However, you can send any signal, via
number or name.

If you wish to abort the kill process, do one of the following depending on
your progress: 1) at the pid prompt, just press <Enter> 2) at the signal prompt,
type 0
'q' :Quit
* 'r' :Renice_a_Task
You will be prompted for a PID and then the value to nice it to. Entering a
positive value will cause a process to lose priority. Conversely, a negative value
will cause a process to be viewed more favorably by the kernel.
'W' :Write_the_Configuration_File
This will save all of your options and toggles plus the current display mode
and delay time. By issuing this command just before quitting top, you will be able
restart later in exactly that same state.
'Z' :Change_Color_Mapping
This key will take you to a separate screen where you can change the colors for
the 'current' window, or for all windows. For details regarding this interactive
command see topic 3d. COLOR Mapping.
*

The commands shown with an asterisk ('*') are not available in 'Secure mode', nor
will they be shown on the level-1 help screen.
3b. SUMMARY Area Commands

The summary area interactive commands are always available in both full-screen mode
and alternate-display mode. They affect the beginning lines of your display and
will determine the position of messages and prompts.

These commands always impact just the 'current' window/field group. See topic 4.
ALTERNATE-DISPLAY Mode and the 'G' interactive command for insight into 'current'
windows and field groups.
'l' :Toggle_Load_Average/Uptime -- On/Off
This is also the line containing the program name (possibly an alias) when
operating in full-screen mode or the 'current' window name when operating in
alternate-display mode.
'm' :Toggle_Memory/Swap_Usage -- On/Off
This command affects two summary area lines.
't' :Toggle_Task/Cpu_States -- On/Off
This command affects from 2 to many summary area lines, depending on the state
of the '1' toggle and whether or not top is running under true SMP.
'1' :Toggle_Single/Separate_Cpu_States -- On/Off
This command affects how the 't' command's Cpu States portion is shown.
Although this toggle exists primarily to serve massively-parallel SMP machines, it
is not restricted to solely SMP environments.

When you see 'Cpu(s):' in the summary area, the '1' toggle is On and all cpu
information is gathered in a single line. Otherwise, each cpu is displayed
separately as: 'Cpu0, Cpu1, ...'
Note: If the entire summary area has been toggled Off for any window, you would be
left with just the message line. In that way, you will have maximized available
task rows but (temporarily) sacrificed the program name in full-screen mode or the
'current' window name when in alternate-display mode.

3c. TASK Area Commands

The task area interactive commands are always available in full-screen mode.

The task area interactive commands are never available in alternate-display mode if
the 'current' window's task display has been toggled Off (see topic 4. ALTERNATE-
DISPLAY Mode).

APPEARANCE of task window

The following commands will also be influenced by the state of the global 'B' (bold
disable) toggle.
'b' :Bold/Reverse_toggle
This command will impact how the 'x' and 'y' toggles are displayed. Further, it
will only be available when at least one of those toggles is On.
'x' :Column_Highlight_toggle
Changes highlighting for the current sort field. You probably don't need a
constant visual reminder of the sort field and top hopes that you always run with
'column highlight' Off, due to the cost in path-length.

If you forget which field is being sorted this command can serve as a quick
visual reminder.
'y' :Row_Highlight_toggle
Changes highlighting for "running" tasks. For additional insight into this task
state, see topic 2a. DESCRIPTIONS of Fields, Process Status.

Use of this provision provides important insight into your system's health. The
only costs will be a few additional tty escape sequences.
'z' :Color/Monochrome_toggle
Switches the 'current' window between your last used color scheme and the older
form of black-on-white or white-on-black. This command will alter both the summary
area and task area but does not affect the state of the 'x', 'y' or 'b' toggles.
CONTENT of task window
'c' :Command_Line/Program_Name_toggle
This command will be honored whether or not the 'Command' column is currently
visible. Later, should that field come into view, the change you applied will be
seen.
'f' and 'o' :Fields_select or Order_fields
These keys display separate screens where you can change which fields are
displayed and their order. For additional information on these interactive commands
see topic 2b. SELECTING and ORDERING Columns.
'H' :Threads_toggle
When this toggle is On, all individual threads will be displayed. Otherwise,
top displays a summation of all threads in a process.
'S' :Cumulative_Time_Mode_toggle
When 'Cumulative mode' is On, each process is listed with the cpu time that it
and its dead children have used.

When Off, programs that fork into many separate tasks will appear less
demanding. For programs like 'init' or a shell this is appropriate but for others,
like compilers, perhaps not. Experiment with two task windows sharing the same sort
field but with different 'S' states and see which representation you prefer.

After issuing this command, you'll be informed of the new state of this toggle.
If you wish to know in advance whether or not 'Cumulative mode' is in effect,
simply ask for help and view the window summary on the second line.
'u' :Show_Specific_User_Only
You will be prompted to enter the name of the user to display. Thereafter, in
that task window only matching User ID's will be shown, or possibly no tasks will
be shown.

Later, if you wish to monitor all tasks again, re-issue this command but just
press <Enter> at the prompt, without providing a name.
SIZE of task window
'i' :Idle_Processes_toggle
Displays all tasks or just active tasks. When this toggle is Off, idled or
zombied processes will not be displayed.

If this command is applied to the last task display when in alternate-display

mode, then it will not affect the window's size, as all prior task displays will
have already been painted.
'n' or '#' :Set_Maximum_Tasks
You will be prompted to enter the number of tasks to display. The lessor of
your number and available screen rows will be used.

When used in alternate-display mode, this is the command that gives you precise
control over the size of each currently visible task display, except for the very
last. It will not affect the last window's size, as all prior task displays will
have already been painted.

Note: If you wish to increase the size of the last visible task display when in
alternate-display mode, simply decrease the size of the task display(s) above it.
SORTING of task window
For compatibility, this top supports most of the former top sort keys. Since this
is primarily a service to former top users, these commands do not appear on any
help screen. command sorted field supported A start time (non-display) No M %MEM
Yes N PID Yes P %CPU Yes T TIME+ Yes
Before using any of the following sort provisions, top suggests that you
temporarily turn on column highlighting using the 'x' interactive command. That
will help ensure that the actual sort environment matches your intent.

The following interactive commands will only be honored when the current sort field
is visible. The sort field might not be visible because: 1) there is insufficient
Screen Width 2) the 'f' interactive command turned it Off
'<' :Move_Sort_Field_Left
Moves the sort column to the left unless the current sort field is the first
field being displayed.
'>' :Move_Sort_Field_Right
Moves the sort column to the right unless the current sort field is the last
field being displayed.
The following interactive commands will always be honored whether or not the
current sort field is visible.
'F' or 'O' :Select_Sort_Field
These keys display a separate screen where you can change which field is used
as the sort column.

If a field is selected which was not previously being displayed, it will be

forced On when you return to the top display. However, depending upon your screen
width and the order of your fields, this sort field may not be displayable.

This interactive command can be a convenient way to simply verify the current
sort field, when running top with column highlighting turned Off.
'R' :Reverse/Normal_Sort_Field_toggle
Using this interactive command you can alternate between high-to-low and low-
to-high sorts.
Note: Field sorting uses internal values, not those in column display. Thus, the
TTY and WCHAN fields will violate strict ASCII collating sequence.

3d. COLOR Mapping

When you issue the 'Z' interactive command, you will be presented with a separate
screen. That screen can be used to change the colors in just the 'current' window
or in all four windows before returning to the top display.

Available interactive commands 4 upper case letters to select a target 8 numbers to

select a color normal toggles available 'B' :bold disable/enable 'b' :running tasks
"bold"/reverse 'z' :color/mono other commands available 'a'/'w' :apply, then go to
next/prior <Enter> :apply and exit 'q' :abandon current changes and exit

If your use 'a' or 'w' to cycle the targeted window, you will have applied the
color scheme that was displayed when you left that window. You can, of course,
easily return to any window and reapply different colors or turn colors Off
completely with the 'z' toggle.

The Color Mapping screen can also be used to change the 'current' window/field
group in either full-screen mode or alternate-display mode. Whatever was targeted
when 'q' or <Enter> was pressed will be made current as you return to the top
display.

4. ALTERNATE-DISPLAY Mode

4a. WINDOWS Overview

Field Groups/Windows:
In full-screen mode there is a single window represented by the entire screen.
That single window can still be changed to display 1 of 4 different field groups
(see the 'G' interactive command, repeated below). Each of the 4 field groups has a
unique separately configurable summary area and its own configurable task area.

In alternate-display mode, those 4 underlying field groups can now be made

visible simultaneously, or can be turned Off individually at your command.

The summary area will always exist, even if it's only the message line. At any
given time only one summary area can be displayed. However, depending on your
commands, there could be from zero to four separate task displays currently showing
on the screen.
Current Window:
The 'current' window is the window associated with the summary area and the
window to which task related commands are always directed. Since in alternate-
display mode you can toggle the task display Off, some commands might be restricted
for the 'current' window.

A further complication arises when you have toggled the first summary area line
Off. With the loss of the window name (the 'l' toggled line), you'll not easily
know what window is the 'current' window.

4b. COMMANDS for Windows

'-' and '_' :Show/Hide_Window(s)_toggles

The '-' key turns the 'current' window's task display On and Off. When On, that
task area will show a minimum of the columns header you've established with the 'f'
and 'o' commands. It will also reflect any other task area options/toggles you've
applied yielding zero or more tasks.

The '_' key does the same for all task displays. In other words, it switches
between the currently visible task display(s) and any task display(s) you had
toggled Off. If all 4 task displays are currently visible, this interactive command
will leave the summary area as the only display element.
* '=' and '+' :Equalize_(re-balance)_Window(s)
The '=' key forces the 'current' window's task display to be visible. It also
reverses any 'i' (idle tasks) and 'n' (max tasks) commands that might be active.

The '+' key does the same for all windows. The four task displays will
reappear, evenly balanced. They will also have retained any customizations you had
previously applied, except for the 'i' (idle tasks) and 'n' (max tasks) commands.
* 'A' :Alternate_Display_Mode_toggle
This command will switch between full-screen mode and alternate-display mode.

The first time you issue this command, all four task displays will be shown.
Thereafter when you switch modes, you will see only the task display(s) you've
chosen to make visible.
* 'a' and 'w' :Next_Window_Forward/Backward
This will change the 'current' window, which in turn changes the window to
which commands are directed. These keys act in a circular fashion so you can reach
any desired 'current' window using either key.

Assuming the window name is visible (you have not toggled 'l' Off), whenever
the 'current' window name loses its emphasis/color, that's a reminder the task
display is Off and many commands will be restricted.
* 'G' :Choose_Another_Window/Field_Group
You will be prompted to enter a number between 1 and 4 designating the
window/field group which should be made the 'current' window.

In full-screen mode, this command is necessary to alter the 'current' window.

In alternate-display mode, it is simply a less convenient alternative to the 'a'
and 'w' commands.
'g' :Change_Window/Field_Group_Name
You will be prompted for a new name to be applied to the 'current' window. It
does not require that the window name be visible (the 'l' toggle to be On).
*

The interactive commands shown with an asterisk ('*') have use beyond alternate-
display mode. '=', 'A', 'G' are always available 'a', 'w' act the same when color
mapping

5. FILES

5a. SYSTEM Configuration File

The presence of this file will influence which version of the 'help' screen is
shown to an ordinary user. More importantly, it will limit what ordinary users are
allowed to do when top is running. They will not be able to issue the following
commands. k Kill a task r Renice a task d or s Change delay/sleep interval

The system configuration file is not created by top. Rather, you create this file
manually and place it in the /etc directory. Its name must be 'toprc' and must have
no leading '.' (period). It must have only two lines.

Here is an example of the contents of /etc/toprc: s # line 1: 'secure' mode switch

5.0 # line 2: 'delay' interval in seconds

5b. PERSONAL Configuration File

This file is written as '$HOME/.your-name-4-top' + 'rc'. Use the 'W' interactive

command to create it or update it.

Here is the general layout: global # line 1: the program name/alias notation " #
line 2: id,altscr,irixps,delay,curwin per ea # line a: winname,fieldscur window #
line b: winflags,sortindx,maxtasks " # line c: summclr,msgsclr,headclr,taskclr

If the $HOME variable is not present, top will try to write the personal
configuration file to the current directory, subject to permissions.

6. STUPID TRICKS Sampler

Many of these 'tricks' work best when you give top a scheduling boost. So plan on
starting him with a nice value of -10, assuming you've got the authority.

6a. Kernel Magic

For these stupid tricks, top needs full-screen mode.

-*-

The user interface, through prompts and help, intentionally implies that the delay
interval is limited to tenths of a second. However, you're free to set any desired
delay. If you want to see Linux at his scheduling best, try a delay of .09 seconds
or less.
For this experiment, under x-windows open an xterm and maximize it. Then do the
following: . provide a scheduling boost and tiny delay via: nice -n -10 top -d.09 .
keep sorted column highlighting Off to minimize path length . turn On reverse row
highlighting for emphasis . try various sort columns (TIME/MEM work well), and
normal or reverse sorts to bring the most active processes into view
What you'll see is a very busy Linux doing what he's always done for you, but there
was no program available to illustrate this.
-*-

Under an xterm using 'white-on-black' colors, try setting top's task color to black
and be sure that task highlighting is set to bold, not reverse. Then set the delay
interval to around .3 seconds.
After bringing the most active processes into view, what you'll see are the ghostly
images of just the currently running tasks.
-*-

Delete the existing rcfile, or create a new symlink. Start this new version then
type 'T' (a secret key, see topic 3c. TASK Area Commands, Sorting) followed by 'W'
and 'q'. Finally, restart the program with -d0 (zero delay).
Your display will be refreshed at three times the rate of the former top, a 300%
speed advantage. As top climbs the TIME ladder, be as patient as you can while
speculating on whether or not top will ever reach the top.

6b. Bouncing Windows

For these stupid tricks, top needs alternate-display mode.

-*-

With 3 or 4 task displays visible, pick any window other than the last and turn
idle processes Off. Depending on where you applied 'i', sometimes several task
displays are bouncing and sometimes it's like an accordion, as top tries his best
to allocate space.

-*-

Set each window's summary lines differently: one with no memory; another with no
states; maybe one with nothing at all, just the message line. Then hold down 'a' or
'w' and watch a variation on bouncing windows -- hopping windows.

-*-

Display all 4 windows and for each, in turn, set idle processes to Off. You've just
entered the "extreme bounce" zone.

6c. The Big Bird Window

This stupid trick also requires alternate-display mode.

-*-

Display all 4 windows and make sure that 1:Def is the 'current' window. Then, keep
increasing window size until the all the other task displays are "pushed out of the
nest".
When they've all been displaced, toggle between all visible/invisible windows. Then
ponder this:
is top fibbing or telling honestly your imposed truth?

7. BUGS

Send bug reports to: Albert D. Cahalan, <[email protected]>

The top command calculates Cpu(s) by looking at the change in CPU time values
between samples. When you first run it, it has no previous sample to compare to, so
these initial values are the percentages since boot. It means you need at least two
loops or you have to ignore summary output from the first loop. This is problem for
example for batch mode. There is a possible workaround if you define the CPULOOP=1
environment variable. The top command will be run one extra hidden loop for CPU
data before standard output.
8. HISTORY Former top

The original top was written by Roger Binns, based on Branko Lankester's
<[email protected]> ps program.

Robert Nation <[email protected]> adapted it for the proc file

system.

Helmut Geyer <[email protected]> added support for configurable

fields.

Plus many other individuals contributed over the years.

9. AUTHOR

This entirely new and enhanced replacement was written by: Jim / James C. Warner,
<[email protected]>

With invaluable help from: Albert D. Cahalan, <[email protected]> Craig Small,

<[email protected]>
10. SEE ALSO

free(1), ps(1), uptime(1), atop(1), slabtop(1), vmstat(8), w(1).

Referenced By
apple2(1), apple2(6), dstat(1), ftop(1), htop(1), iotop(1), ntop(8), passenger-
memory-stats(8), passenger-status(8), phosphor(1), phosphor(6), pidstat(1),
pmie(1), processcsv.py(1), pstree(1), smem(8), starwars(1), starwars(6),
tcptrack(1), tload(1), topless(1), virt-top(1), whowatch(1), xrestop(1)