Ubuntu Manpage: pmchart - strip chart tool for Performance Co-Pilot

NAME

       pmchart - strip chart tool for Performance Co-Pilot

SYNOPSIS

       pmchart  [-CVWz]  [-A  align]  [-a  archive]  [-c  configfile] [-g geometry] [-h host] [-o
       outfile] [-O offset] [-p port] [-s samples] [-S starttime] [-T endtime] [-t interval]  [-v
       visible] [-Z timezone] [sources...]

DESCRIPTION

pmchart is a graphical utility that plots performance metrics values available through the
facilities of the Performance Co-Pilot (PCP). Multiple charts can be displayed
simultaneously, either aligned on the unified time axis (X-axis), and through the use of
multiple interface Tabs.

Metric values can be sourced from one or more live hosts (simultaneously). Alternatively,
one or more PCP archives can be used as a source of historical data. See PCPIntro(1) for
an in-depth discussion of the capabilities of the PCP framework, many of which are used by
pmchart.

Many aspects of the behaviour of pmchart can be customised through the interface. In
particular, the use of "views" (refer to the section describing VIEWS later in this
document) allows predefined sets of metrics and charting parameters like colors, scaling,
titles, legends, and so on to be stored for later use, or use with different hosts and
archives. In addition, the Preferences dialog allows customisations to the rest of the
pmchart user interface to be saved and restored between different invocations of the tool.
This allows the default background color, highlight color, contents and location of the
toolbar, and many other aspects to be configured.

pmchart makes extensive use of the pmtime(1) utility for time control, refer to the pmtime
manual page for further details of its operation.

Options which control the default source, timing and layout of the pmchart window are as
follows:

-a Performance metric values are retrieved from the Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) archive
log file identified by the base name archive, by default. The initial Tab created
will be an archive mode Tab. Multiple -a options can be presented, and the list of
archives is used for sourcing metric values. Any sources listed on the command line
are assumed to be archives if this option is used.

-c configfile specifies an initial view to load, using the default source of metrics.
Multiple -c views can be specified, and they will all be opened in the default Tab
with the default source of metrics.

-C Used with -c, the view(s) are parsed, any errors are reported, and the tool exits.
This is primarily intended for testing purposes. If a second -C option is presented,
pmchart also connects to pmcd(1) to check the semantics of metrics.

-g Generate image with the specified geometry (width and height). This option is only
useful when used in conjunction with the -o option for generating an output image.
The geometry argument takes the form "WxH" (e.g. 240x120).

-h Current performance metric values are retrieved from the nominated host machine by
default. Multiple -h options can be presented, and the list of hosts is used for
sourcing metric values. Any sources listed on the command line are assumed to be
hosts if this option is used.

-o Generate an image file named outfile, and then exit. This is most useful when run
with an archive and one or more views. The generated image will be in the format
specified as the file extension (automatically determined from outfile). If no
extension can be determined, then the GIF format is used and the generated file is
named with this extension. The supported image file formats include: bmp, jpeg, jpg,
png, ppm, tif, tiff, xbm, and xpm.

-p port number for connection to an existing pmtime time control process.

-s Specifies the number of samples that will be retained before discarding old data
(replaced by new values at the current time position). This value can subsequently
be modified through the Edit Tab dialog.

-t Sets the inital update interval to something other than the default 1 second. 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).

-v Sets the inital visible samples that will be displayed in all charts in the default
Tab. This value must be less than or equal to the total number of samples retained
(the -s value).

-V Display pmchart version number and exit

-W Export images using an opaque(white) background

-Z By default, pmtime reports the time of day according to the local timezone on the
system where pmchart is run. The -Z option changes the timezone to timezone in the
format of the environment variable TZ as described in environ(5).

-z Change the reporting 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 -S, -T, -O and -A options may be used to define a time window to restrict the samples
retrieved, set an initial origin within the time window, or specify a "natural" alignment
of the sample times; refer to PCPIntro(1) for a complete description of these options.

VIEWS

The primary pmchart configuration file is the "view", which allows the metadata associated
with one or more charts to be saved in the filesystem. This metadata describes all
aspects of the charts, including which PCP metrics and instances are to be used, which
hosts, which colors, the chart titles, use of chart legends, and much more.

From a conceptual point of view, there are two classes of view. These views share the
same configuration file format - refer to a later section for a complete description of
this format. The differences lie in where they are installed and how they are
manipulated.

The first class, the "system" view, is simply any view that is installed as part of the
pmchart package. These are stored in $PCP_VAR_DIR/config/pmchart. When the File→Open
View dialog is displayed, it is these views that are initially listed. The system views
cannot be modified by a normal user, and should not be modified even by a user with
suitable priviledges, as they will be overwritten during an upgrade.

The second class of view is the "user" view. These views are created on-the-fly using the
File→Save View dialog. This is a mechanism for individual users to save their commonly
used views. Access to these views is achieved through the File→Open View dialog, as with
the system views. Once the dialog is opened, the list of views can be toggled between
user and system views by clicking on the two toggle buttons in the top right corner. User
views are stored in $HOME/.pcp/pmchart.

TABS

       pmchart provides the common user interface concept of the Tab, which is most prevalent  in
       modern  web  browsers.   Tabs  allow pmchart to update many more charts than the available
       screen real estate allows, by providing a user interface mechanism to  stack  (and  switch
       between)  different  vertical  sets  of  charts.   Switching  between  Tabs is achieved by
       clicking on the Tab labels, which are located along the top of  the  display  beneath  the
       Menu and Tool bars).

       Each  Tab has a mode of operation (either live or archive - pmchart can support both modes
       simultaneously), the total number of samples and currently visible  points,  and  a  label
       describing  the  Tab which is displayed at the top of the pmchart window.  New Tabs can be
       created using the File→Add Tab dialog.

       In order to save on vertical screen real estate, note that the user interface element  for
       changing  between different Tabs (and its label) are only displayed when more than one Tab
       exists.  A Tab can be dismissed using the File→Close Tab menu, which removes  the  current
       Tab and any charts it contained.

IMAGES and PRINTING

       A  static copy of the currently displayed vertical series of charts can be captured in two
       ways.

       When the intended display device is the screen, the  File→Export  menu  option  should  be
       used.   This  allows  exporting  the  charts in a variety of image formats, including PNG,
       JPEG, GIF, and BMP.  The image size can be scaled up or down in any dimension.

       Alternatively, when the intended display device is paper, the File→Print menu  option  can
       be   used.   This  supports  the  usual  set  of  printing  options  (choice  of  printer,
       grayscale/color, landscape/portrait, scaling  to  different  paper  sizes,  etc),  and  in
       addition  allows  printing  to the intermediate printer formats of PostScript and Portable
       Document Format (PDF).

RECORDING

       It is possible to make a recording of a  set  of  displayed  charts,  for  later  playback
       through  pmchart  or  any  of  the  other  Performance  Co-Pilot  tools.  The Record→Start
       functionality is simple to configure through the user interface, and allows fine-tuning of
       the  recording  process  (including  record  frequencies that differ to the pmchart update
       interval, alternate file locations, etc).

       pmchart produces recordings that are compatible with the PCP  pmafm(1)  replay  mechanism,
       for  later  playback  via  a new instance of pmchart.  In addition, when recording through
       pmchart one can also replay the recording immediately, as on termination of the  recording
       (through the Record→Stop menu item), an archive mode Tab will be created with the captured
       view.

       Once recording is active in a Live Tab, the Time Control status button in the bottom  left
       corner  of the pmchart window is displayed with a distinctive red dot.  At any time during
       a pmchart recording session, the amount of space used in the filesystem by that  recording
       can be displayed using the Record→Query menu item.

       Finally,  the Record→Detach menu option provides a mechanism whereby the recording process
       can be completely divorced from the running pmchart process, and allowed  to  continue  on
       when pmchart exits.  A dialog displaying the current size and estimated rate of growth for
       the recording is presented.  On the other hand, if pmchart is terminated  while  recording
       is  in  process,  then  the  recording  process  will  prompt the user to choose immediate
       cessation of recording or for it to continue on independently.

       All of the record mode services available from pmchart are implemented with the assistance
       of  the base Performance Co-Pilot logging services - refer to pmlogger(1) and pmafm(1) for
       an extensive description of the capabilities of these tools.

CONFIGURATION FILE SYNTAX

       pmchart loads predefined chart  configurations  (or  "views")  from  external  files  that
       conform  to  the  following rules.  In the descriptions below keywords (shown in bold) may
       appear in upper, lower or mixed case, elements shown in [stuff] are  optional,  and  user-
       supplied  elements are shown as <other stuff>.  A vertical bar (|) is used where syntactic
       elements are alternatives.  Quotes (") may be used to enclose lexical  elements  that  may
       contain white space, such as titles, labels and instance names.

       1. The first line defines the configuration file type and should be
               #kmchart
          although  pmchart  provides  backwards compatibility for the older pmchart view formats
          with an initial line of
               #pmchart

       2. After the first line, lines beginning with "#" as the first non-white  space  character
          are treated as comments and skipped.  Similarly blank lines are skipped.

       3. The next line should be
               version <n> <host-clause>
          where <n> depends on the configuration file type, and is 1 for pmchart else 1.1, 1.2 or
          2.0 for pmchart.
          The <host-clause> part is optional (and ignored) for pmchart configuration  files,  but
          required for the pmchart configuration files, and is of the form
               host literal
          or
               host dynamic

       4. A configuration contains one or more charts defined as follows:
               chart [title <title>] style <style> <options>
          If specified, the title will appear centred and above the graph area of the chart.  The
          <title> is usually enclosed in quotes (") and if it contains  the  sequence  "%h"  this
          will be replaced by the short form of the hostname for the default source of metrics at
          the time this chart was loaded.  After the view is loaded,  the  title  visibility  and
          setting can be manipulated using the Chart Title text box in the Edit→Chart dialog.

          The  <style> controls the initial plotting style of the chart, and should be one of the
          keywords plot (line graph), bar, stacking (stacked bar), area  or  utilization.   After
          the  view  is  loaded,  the  plotting  style  can be changed using the Edit→Chart Style
          dropdown list.

          The <options> are zero or more of the optional elements:
               [scale [from] <ymin> [to] <ymax>] [legend <onoff>]
          If scale is specfied, the vertical scaling is set for all plots in the chart  to  a  y-
          range  defined  by  <ymin>  and <ymax>.  Otherwise the vertical axis will be autoscaled
          based on the values currently being plotted.

          <onoff> is one of the keywords on or off and the legend clause controls the presence or
          absence  of  the plot legend below the graph area.  The default is for the legend to be
          shown.  After the view is loaded, the legend visibility can be toggled using  the  Show
          Legend button in the Edit→Chart dialog.

       5. pmchart  supports  a  global  clause  to specify the dimensions of the top-level window
          (using the width and height keywords), the number of visible  points  (points  keyword)
          and  the  starting X and Y axis positions on the screen (xpos and ypos keywords).  Each
          of these global attributes takes an integer value as the sole qualifier.

       6. Each chart has one or more plots associated with it, as defined by one of the following
          specifications:
               plot
                   [legend <title>] [color <colorspec>] [host <hostspec>]
                   metric <metricname>
                   [ instance <inst> | matching <pat> | not-matching <pat> ]

          The  keyword  plot may be replaced with the keyword optional-plot, in which case if the
          source of performance data does not include the  specified  performance  metric  and/or
          instance, then this plot is silently dropped from the chart.

          If  specified,  the  title  will  appear  in  the chart legend.  The <title> is usually
          enclosed in quotes (") and if it contains the sequence "%i" this will  be  replaced  by
          the metric instance name (if any).

          For  older  pmchart  configuration  files,  the  keyword  title must be used instead of
          legend.  Nowadays pmchart supports either keyword.

          The color clause is  optional  for  newer  pmchart  configuration  files,  but  it  was
          mandatory in the original pmchart configuration file format.  <colorspec> may be one of
          the following:
               #-cycle
               rgbi:rr:gg:bb
               #rgb
               #rrggbb
               #rrrgggbbb
               #rrrrggggbbbb
               <Xcolor>
          where each of r, g and b are hexidecimal digits (0-9 and A-F) representing respectively
          the  red, green and blue color components.  <Xcolor> is one of the color names from the
          X color database, e.g. red or steelblue, see also the output from showrgb(1).

          The "color" #-cycle specifies that pmchart should use the next in a  pallet  of  colors
          that  it  uses  cyclically  for each chart.  This is the default if the color clause is
          omitted.

          The <hostspec> in the host clause may be a hostname, an IP address or an asterisk  (*);
          the  latter  is  used  to  mean  the  default source of performance metrics.  For older
          pmchart configuration  files,  the  host  clause  must  be  present,  for  new  pmchart
          configuration  files  it  is optional, and if missing the default source of performance
          metrics will be used.

          The optional instance specification,

          (a)
             is omitted in which case one  plot  will  be  created  for  every  instance  of  the
             <metricname> metric

          (b)
             starts with instance, in which case only the instance named <inst> will be plotted

          (c)
             starts  with  matching,  in  which  case all instances whose names match the pattern
             <pat> will be plotted; the pattern uses extended regular expression notation in  the
             style of egrep(1) (refer to the PMCD view for an example)

          (d)
             starts with not-matching, in which case all instances whose names do   not match the
             pattern <pat> will be plotted; the pattern uses extended regular expression notation
             in the style of egrep(1) (refer to the Netbytes view for an example)

          pmchart  uses a bizarre syntactic notation where <inst> and <pat> extend from the first
          non-white space character to the end of the  input  line.   For  pmchart  configuration
          files these elements are either delimited by white space, or enclosed in quotes (").

       7. The  optional tab directive can be used to create views with multiple charts which span
          multiple Tabs.  The syntax is as follows:
               tab <label> [host <host>] [points <points> [samples <samples>]]

          All chart specifications following this keyword will be created
          on the new Tab, until the end of the configuration file or until
          another tab keyword is encountered.

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(4).

       Of  particular  note,  the  $PCP_XCONFIRM_PROG  setting  is explicitly and unconditionally
       overridden by pmchart.  This is set to the pmconfirm(1), utility, in order that some popup
       dialogs  (particularly  in the area of Recording) maintain a consistent look-and-feel with
       the rest of the pmchart application.