Ubuntu Manpage: pmclient, pmclient_fg - a simple performance metrics client

NAME

       pmclient, pmclient_fg - a simple performance metrics client

SYNOPSIS

       pmclient [-PVz?]  [-a archive] [-A align] [-h host] [-n pmnsfile] [-O origin] [-s samples]
       [-S starttime] [-t interval] [-T endtime] [-Z timezone]

DESCRIPTION

pmclient and pmclient_fg are simple clients that use the Performance Metrics Application
Programming Interface (PMAPI) to report some high-level system performance metrics.

The real value of these tools is as sample clients using the PMAPI(3), interfaces and to
this end the source code is included with the Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) package (see
PCPIntro(1)), and is typically installed in /usr/share/pcp/demos/pmclient.

The pmclient_fg program differs to pmclient in that it uses the fetchgroup API extension
to the PMAPI, see pmFetchGroup(3).

Normally pmclient operates on the distributed Performance Metrics Name Space (PMNS),
however if the -n option is specified an alternative local PMNS is loaded from the file
pmnsfile.

Unless directed to another host by the -h option, or to an archive by the -a option,
pmclient will contact the Performance Metrics Collector Daemon (PMCD) on the local host to
obtain the required information. The argument to -a is a comma-separated list of names,
each of which may be the base name of an archive or the name of a directory containing one
or more archives. The -a and -h options are mutually exclusive.

By default, pmclient reports the time of day according to the local timezone on the system
where pmclient is run. The -Z option changes the timezone to timezone in the format of
the environment variable TZ as described in environ(7). The -z option changes the
timezone to the local timezone at the host that is the source of the performance metrics,
as identified via either the -h or -a options.

The output from pmclient is directed to standard output, and lists

+ Aggregate CPU utilization, in the range 0 to 1.

+ If the system has more than 1 CPU, the ordinal number of the busiest CPU, in the range
0 to ...

+ If the system has more than 1 CPU, the CPU utilization for the busiest CPU.

+ Real free memory in Mbytes.

+ Aggregate physical disk I/O operations per second (IOPS).

+ Load average over the last 1 minute and over the last 15 minutes.

OPTIONS

The available command line options are:

-a archive, --archive=archive
Performance metric values are retrieved from the set of Performance Co-Pilot (PCP)
archive log files identified by the archive argument, which is a comma-separated list
of names, each of which may be the base name of an archive or the name of a directory
containing one or more archives.

-A align, --align=align
Force the initial sample to be aligned on the boundary of a natural time unit align.
Refer to PCPIntro(1) for a complete description of the syntax for align.

-h host, --host=host
Fetch performance metrics from pmcd(1) on host, rather than from the default
localhost.

-n pmnsfile, --namespace=pmnsfile
Load an alternative Performance Metrics Name Space (PMNS(5)) from the file pmnsfile.

-O origin, --origin=origin
When reporting archived metrics, start reporting at origin within the time window
(see -S and -T). Refer to PCPIntro(1) for a complete description of the syntax for
origin.

-P, --pause
The default behavior for replaying a set of archives, is to replay at full speed.
The -P option may be used in conjunction with a set of archives, to request that the
prevailing real-time delay be applied between samples (see -t) to effect a pause.

-s samples, --samples=samples
The samples argument defines the number of samples to be retrieved and reported. If
samples is 0 or -s is not specified, pmclient will sample and report continuously (in
real time mode) or until the end of the set of PCP archives (in archive mode).

-S starttime, --start=starttime
The -S option may be used in conjunction with a set of archives to request that
display start at the starttime from the start of the archive(s). Refer to
PCPIntro(1) for a complete description of the syntax for starttime.

-t interval, --interval=interval
Set the reporting interval to something other than the default 5 seconds. The
interval argument follows the syntax described in PCPIntro(1), and in the simplest
form may be an unsigned integer (the implied units in this case are seconds).

-T endtime, --finish=endtime
When reporting archived metrics, the report will be restricted to those records
logged before or at endtime. Refer to PCPIntro(1) for a complete description of the
syntax for endtime.

-V, --version
Display version number and exit.

-z, --hostzone
Use the local timezone of the host that is the source of the performance metrics, as
identified by either the -h or the -a options. The default is to use the timezone of
the local host.

-Z timezone, --timezone=timezone
Use timezone for the date and time. Timezone is in the format of the environment
variable TZ as described in environ(7).

-?, --help
Display usage message and exit.

DIAGNOSTICS

       All are generated on standard error, and are intended to be self-explanatory.

FILES

       $PCP_DEMOS_DIR/pmclient
            source code, documentation, configuration files and Makefile when the PCP development
            package is installed

PCP ENVIRONMENT

       Environment variables with the prefix PCP_ are used to parameterize the file and directory
       names used by PCP.  On each installation, the file /etc/pcp.conf contains the local values
       for these variables.  The $PCP_CONF  variable  may  be  used  to  specify  an  alternative
       configuration file, as described in pcp.conf(5).

       For environment variables affecting PCP tools, see pmGetOptions(3).