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SA (8)

summarizes accounting information

SYNOPSIS

    0

    sa

      [ -a | --list-all-names ] [ -b | --sort-sys-user-div-calls ] [ -c | --percentages ] [ -d | --sort-avio ] [ -D | --sort-tio ] [ -f | --not-interactive ] [ -i | --dont-read-summary-file ] [ -j | --print-seconds ] [ -k | --sort-cpu-avmem ] [ -K | --sort-ksec ] [ -l | --separate-times ] [ -m | --user-summary ] [ -n | --sort-num-calls ] [ -r | --reverse-sort ] [ -s | --merge ] [ -t | --print-ratio ] [ -u | --print-users ] [ -v num | --threshold num ] [ --debug ] [ -V | --version ] [ -h | --help ] [ --other-usracct-file filename ] [ --other-savacct-file filename ] [ [ --other-acct-file ] filename ]

DESCRIPTION

    sa summarizes information about previously executed commands as recorded in the /var/log/pacct file. In addition, it condenses this data into a summary file (usually /var/log/savacct), which contains the number of times the command was called and the system resources used. The information can also be summarized on a per-user basis; sa will save this information into /var/log/usracct.

    If no arguments are specified, sa will print information about all of the commands in the /var/log/pacct file.

    If called with a file name as the last argument, sa will use that file instead of /var/log/pacct.

    By default, sa will sort the output by sum of user and system time. If command names have unprintable characters, or are only called once, sa will sort them into a group called `***other'. If more than one sorting option is specified, the list will be sorted by the one specified last on the command line.

    The output fields are labeled as follows:

    cpu

      sum of system and user time in cpu seconds

    re

      "real time" in cpu seconds

    k

      cpu-time averaged core usage, in 1k units

    avio

      average number of I/O operations per execution

    tio

      total number of I/O operations

    k*sec

      cpu storage integral (kilo-core seconds)

    u

      user cpu time in cpu seconds

    s

      system time in cpu seconds

    An asterisk will appear after the name of commands that forked but didn't call exec.

    GNU sa takes care to implement a number of features not found in other versions. For example, most versions of sa don't pay attention to flags like `--print-seconds' and `--sort-num-calls' when printing out commands when combined with the `--user-summary' or `--print-users' flags. GNU sa pays attention to these flags if they are applicable. Also, MIPS' sa stores the average memory use as a short rather than a double, resulting in some round-off errors. GNU sa uses double the whole way through.

OPTIONS

    -a, --list-all-names

      Force sa not to sort those command names with unprintable characters and those used only once into the ***other group.

    -b, --sort-sys-user-div-calls

      Sort the output by the sum of user and system time divided by the number of calls.

    -c, --percentages

      Print percentages of total time for the command's user, system, and real time values.

    -d, --sort-avio

      Sort the output by the average number of disk I/O operations.

    -D, --sort-tio

      Print and sort the output by the total number of disk I/O operations.

    -f, --not-interactive

      When using the `--threshold' option, assume that all answers to interactive queries will be affirmative.

    -i, --dont-read-summary-file

      Don't read the information in /var/log/savacct.

    -j, --print-seconds

      Instead of printing total minutes for each category, print seconds per call.

    -k, --sort-cpu-avmem

      Sort the output by cpu time average memory usage.

    -K, --sort-ksec

      Print and sort the output by the cpu-storage integral.

    -l, --separate-times

      Print separate columns for system and user time; usually the two are added together and listed as `cpu'.

    -m, --user-summary

      Print the number of processes and number of CPU minutes on a per-user basis.

    -n, --sort-num-calls

      Sort the output by the number of calls. This is the default sorting method.

    -r, --reverse-sort

      Sort output items in reverse order.

    -s, --merge

      Merge the summarized accounting data into the summary files /var/log/savacct and /var/log/usracct.

    -t, --print-ratio

      For each entry, print the ratio of real time to the sum of system and user times. If the sum of system and user times is too small to report--the sum is zero--`*ignore*' will appear in this field.

    -u, --print-users

      For each command in the accounting file, print the userid and command name. After printing all entries, quit. *Note*: this flag supersedes all others.

    -v num --threshold num

      Print commands which were executed num times or fewer and await a reply from the terminal. If the response begins with `y', add the command to the `**junk**' group.

    --separate-forks

      It really doesn't make any sense to me that the stock version of sa separates statistics for a particular executable depending on whether or not that command forked. Therefore, GNU sa lumps this information together unless this option is specified.

    --debug

      Print verbose internal information.

    -V, --version

      Print the version number of sa.

    -h, --help

      Prints the usage string to stderr.

    --other-usracct-file filename

      Write summaries by user ID to filename rather than the default /var/log/usracct.

    --other-savacct-file filename

      Write summaries by command name to filename rather than the default /var/log/savacct.

    --other-file filename

      Read from the file filename instead of /var/log/pacct.

FILES

    /var/log/pacct

      The raw system wide process accounting file.

    /var/log/savacct

      A summary of system process accounting sorted by command.

    /var/log/usracct

      A summary of system process accounting sorted by user ID.

BUGS

    There is not yet a wide experience base for comparing the output of GNU sa with versions of sa in many other systems. The problem is that the data files grow big in a short time and therefore require a lot of disk space.

AUTHOR

    The GNU accounting utilities were written by Noel Cragg <noel@gnu.ai.mit.edu>. The man page was adapted from the accounting texinfo page by Susan Kleinmann <sgk@sgk.tiac.net>.

SEE ALSO