cpustat

Name

cpustat -- Checks current CPU usage on the system.

Description

The cpustat module collects information on current CPU usage. This information is presented as a percentage of use at the moment the information is gathered. All operating systems provide at least percentage of CPU time used and idle, while most provide additional statistics. Non-Windows systems distinguish between CPU time taken by users and CPU time used by the system.

On Linux, CPU information is gathered through the "/proc/stat" file. This file is required in order for cpustat to work properly.

On the Solaris OS, CPU statistics are gathered using the "kstat" programming interface.

Windows 2000/XP/2003 uses the Performance Data Helper to gather CPU statistics. Windows 9x/NT uses the registry.

Configuration

Cpustat requires no additional configuration.

Thresholds

Thresholds can be defined on cpustat based on the information gathered. Each of the following can be used:

Provided the statistic is allowed on the given OS, thresholds can be formed by checking against a percent. Any of the basic logical operators are allowed (==, !=, <, >, <=, >=). Here are some examples:

# Example thresholds for cpustat
thresh1.threshold = CPUStat.user > 50%
thresh2.threshold = CPUStat.idle != 0%
thresh3.threshold = CPUStat.used == 100%
thresh4.threshold = CPUStat.user >= 30% AND CPUStat.system <= 40%
		

History Data

The cpustat module will save each CPU statistic. This data, using the RSP History Viewer or RSP Web tools, can be used to show trends in CPU usage over time.