xenial (1) pmclient.1.gz

NAME

       pmclient - a simple performance metrics client

SYNOPSIS

       pmclient  [-a  archive] [-h host] [-n pmnsfile] [-p] [-S numsec] [-s samples] [-t interval] [-Z timezone]
       [-z]

DESCRIPTION

       pmclient is a simple client that uses the Performance Metrics Application Programming  Interface  (PMAPI)
       to report some high-level system performance metrics.

       The  real  value  of  pmclient  is  as a sample client 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.

       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 -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.

       Other options control the specific information to be reported.

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

       -S numsec
              The -S option may be used in conjunction with an archive to request that display start at the time
              numsec seconds from the start of the archive.

       -s samples
              The argument samples 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 PCP archive (in archive mode).

       -t interval
              The default update interval may be set 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).

       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.

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).

SEE ALSO

       PCPIntro(1), pmcd(1), pmchart(1), pmgenmap(1), pmstat(1), PMAPI(3), pcp.conf(5) and pcp.env(5).

DIAGNOSTICS

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