In Linux server administration, understanding how to monitor and manage memory usage is a critical skill. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of checking memory usage on a Linux server, including free memory, used physical memory, swap memory, and buffers used by the kernel. This knowledge is essential for maintaining optimal server performance and troubleshooting issues.
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Checking Memory Usage with the ‘top’ Command
The ‘top’ command is a powerful tool for monitoring system activity in real-time. It provides a dynamic, real-time view of the running system, displaying system summary information and a list of processes currently managed by the Linux kernel.
To use the ‘top’ command, simply type ‘top’ into the terminal or SSH login:
[root@server ~]# top
This command will display a variety of information, including the total number of tasks, the number of running tasks, CPU usage, and detailed memory usage.
top - 23:35:48 up 1:36, 1 user, load average: 0.00, 0.01, 0.02
Tasks: 67 total, 1 running, 66 sleeping, 0 stopped, 0 zombie
Cpu(s): 0.4%us, 1.8%sy, 0.1%ni, 95.6%id, 2.1%wa, 0.1%hi, 0.0%si, 0.0%st
Mem: 604324k total, 329952k used, 274372k free, 65428k buffers
Swap: 1052248k total, 0k used, 1052248k free, 208324k cached
PID USER PR NI VIRT RES SHR S %CPU %MEM TIME+ COMMAND
1 root 15 0 2156 640 548 S 0.0 0.1 0:01.03 init
2 root RT -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 migration/0
3 root 34 19 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 ksoftirqd/0
4 root RT -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 watchdog/0
5 root 10 -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 events/0
6 root 10 -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 khelper
7 root 11 -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kthread
10 root 10 -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.01 kblockd/0
11 root 20 -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kacpid
170 root 15 -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 cqueue/0
173 root 15 -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 khubd
175 root 10 -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kseriod
240 root 15 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 khungtaskd
241 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 pdflush
242 root 15 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.20 pdflush
243 root 15 -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kswapd0
244 root 15 -5 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 aio/0
Using the ‘vmstat’ Command to Monitor Memory
The ‘vmstat’ command, short for ‘virtual memory statistics’, provides information about system processes, memory, paging, block IO, traps, and CPU activity.
To use the ‘vmstat’ command, type ‘vmstat’ into the terminal or SSH login:
[root@server ~]# vmstat
The output of this command provides a snapshot of the system’s memory usage, including swap memory.
procs -----------memory---------- ---swap-- -----io---- --system-- -----cpu------ r b swpd free buff cache si so bi bo in cs us sy id wa st 0 0 0 273256 65688 208884 0 0 79 39 1039 84 0 2 96 2 0
Displaying Memory Usage with the ‘free’ Command
The ‘free’ command is a simple and easy-to-use tool that displays the total amount of free and used physical and swap memory in the system, as well as the buffers and caches used by the kernel.
The ‘free’ command can display the output in various units (bytes, KB, MB, or GB) using the -b, -k, -m, or -g options. For instance, to display the total memory in MB, use the following command:
[root@server ~]# free -m -t
The ‘-t’ option adds a line at the bottom of the output, showing the total physical and swap memory.
total used free shared buffers cached Mem: 590 323 266 0 64 204 -/+ buffers/cache: 54 535 Swap: 1027 0 1027 Total: 1617 323 1294
Checking Memory Usage via ‘/proc/meminfo’
The ‘/proc/meminfo’ file contains real-time information about the system’s memory usage. You can view its contents with the ‘cat’ command:
[root@server ~]# cat /proc/meminfo
The output provides detailed information aboutthe system’s memory, including total memory, free memory, memory used for buffers, and cached memory. It also provides information about swap memory and various other memory-related statistics.
MemTotal: 604324 kB MemFree: 272512 kB Buffers: 66040 kB Cached: 209256 kB SwapCached: 0 kB Active: 61864 kB Inactive: 222596 kB HighTotal: 0 kB HighFree: 0 kB LowTotal: 604324 kB LowFree: 272512 kB SwapTotal: 1052248 kB SwapFree: 1052248 kB Dirty: 1032 kB Writeback: 0 kB AnonPages: 9172 kB Mapped: 6468 kB Slab: 39896 kB PageTables: 972 kB NFS_Unstable: 0 kB Bounce: 0 kB CommitLimit: 1354408 kB Committed_AS: 76248 kB VmallocTotal: 417784 kB VmallocUsed: 4052 kB VmallocChunk: 413304 kB HugePages_Total: 0 HugePages_Free: 0 HugePages_Rsvd: 0 Hugepagesize: 4096 kB
Commands Mentioned
- top – Displays real-time system summary information and a list of processes currently managed by the Linux kernel.
- vmstat – Provides information about system processes, memory, paging, block IO, traps, and CPU activity.
- free – Displays the total amount of free and used physical and swap memory in the system, as well as the buffers and caches used by the kernel.
- cat /proc/meminfo – Displays real-time information about the system’s memory usage.
Conclusion
Monitoring memory usage is a vital part of Linux server administration. It allows you to understand how your server’s resources are being utilized and helps in identifying any potential issues that might affect performance. The ‘top’, ‘vmstat’, ‘free’, and ‘cat /proc/meminfo’ commands are powerful tools that provide detailed and real-time information about your server’s memory usage.
By understanding how to use these commands effectively, you can ensure that your server is running efficiently and troubleshoot any issues that arise. Whether you’re running a Apache, Nginx, or LiteSpeed server, on a dedicated, VPS, cloud, or shared hosting environment, these skills will be invaluable.
Remember, regular monitoring and maintenance are the keys to a healthy and high-performing server. Stay tuned for more in-depth tutorials and guides to help you navigate the world of web server administration.
FAQs
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What does the ‘top’ command do in Linux?
The ‘top’ command in Linux provides a dynamic real-time view of the running system. It displays system summary information and a list of processes currently being managed by the Linux kernel, including information about CPU usage and detailed memory usage.
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How does the ‘vmstat’ command help in monitoring memory?
The ‘vmstat’ command, short for ‘virtual memory statistics’, provides information about system processes, memory, paging, block IO, traps, and CPU activity. It gives a snapshot of the system’s memory usage, including swap memory, which can be useful for monitoring and troubleshooting.
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What information does the ‘free’ command provide?
The ‘free’ command in Linux displays the total amount of free and used physical and swap memory in the system, as well as the buffers and caches used by the kernel. The output can be displayed in various units such as bytes, KB, MB, or GB.
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How can I check memory usage via ‘/proc/meminfo’?
The ‘/proc/meminfo’ file in Linux contains real-time information about the system’s memory usage. You can view its contents with the ‘cat’ command, which provides detailed information about total memory, free memory, memory used for buffers, cached memory, and various other memory-related statistics.
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Why is monitoring memory usage important?
Monitoring memory usage is crucial for maintaining optimal server performance. It helps in identifying processes that are consuming excessive memory, which could slow down or even crash the system. Regular monitoring can help in troubleshooting issues, planning for upgrades, and ensuring efficient resource utilization.
