Linux From Scratch - Version 7.2

Chapter 6. Installing Basic System Software

6.30. Procps-3.2.8

The Procps package contains programs for monitoring processes.

Approximate build time: 0.1 SBU
Required disk space: 2.6 MB

6.30.1. Installation of Procps

Apply a patch to prevent an error message from being displayed when determining the kernel clock tick rate: 

patch -Np1 -i ../procps-3.2.8-fix_HZ_errors-1.patch

Apply a patch to fix a unicode related issue in the watch program: 

patch -Np1 -i ../procps-3.2.8-watch_unicode-1.patch

Fix a bug in the Makefile, which prevents procps from building with make-3.82: 

sed -i -e 's@\*/module.mk@proc/module.mk ps/module.mk@' Makefile

Compile the package: 

make

This package does not come with a test suite.

Install the package: 

make install

6.30.2. Contents of Procps

Installed programs: free, kill, pgrep, pkill, pmap, ps, pwdx, skill, slabtop, snice, sysctl, tload, top, uptime, vmstat, w, and watch
Installed library: libproc.so

Short Descriptions

free

Reports the amount of free and used memory (both physical and swap memory) in the system

kill

Sends signals to processes

pgrep

Looks up processes based on their name and other attributes

pkill

Signals processes based on their name and other attributes

pmap

Reports the memory map of the given process

ps

Lists the current running processes

pwdx

Reports the current working directory of a process

skill

Sends signals to processes matching the given criteria

slabtop

Displays detailed kernel slap cache information in real time

snice

Changes the scheduling priority of processes matching the given criteria

sysctl

Modifies kernel parameters at run time

tload

Prints a graph of the current system load average

top

Displays a list of the most CPU intensive processes; it provides an ongoing look at processor activity in real time

uptime

Reports how long the system has been running, how many users are logged on, and the system load averages

vmstat

Reports virtual memory statistics, giving information about processes, memory, paging, block Input/Output (IO), traps, and CPU activity

w

Shows which users are currently logged on, where, and since when

watch

Runs a given command repeatedly, displaying the first screen-full of its output; this allows a user to watch the output change over time

libproc

Contains the functions used by most programs in this package