SA(8)
NAME
sa - summarizes accounting information
SYNOPSIS
sa [ -a | --list-all-names ]
[ -b | --sort-sys-user-div-calls ]
[ -c | --percentages ] [ -d | --sort-avio ]
[ -D | --sort-tio ] [ -f | --not-interactive ]
[ -i | --dont-read-summary-file ]
[ -j | --print-seconds ] [ -k | --sort-cpu-avmem ]
[ -K | --sort-ksec ] [ -l | --separate-times ]
[ -m | --user-summary ] [ -n | --sort-num-calls ]
[ -r | --reverse-sort ] [ -s | --merge ]
[ -t | --print-ratio ] [ -u | --print-users ]
[ -v num | --threshold num ] [ --sort-real-time ]
[ --debug ] [ -V | --version ] [ -h | --help ]
[ --other-usracct-file filename ]
[ --other-savacct-file filename ]
[ [ --other-acct-file ] filename ]
DESCRIPTION
sa summarizes information about previously executed
commands as recorded in the /var/log/pacct file. In
addition, it condenses this data into a summary file
(usually /var/log/savacct), which contains the number of
times the command was called and the system resources
used. The information can also be summarized on a per-
user basis; sa will save this information into
/var/log/usracct.
If no arguments are specified, sa will print information
about all of the commands in the /var/log/pacct file.
If called with a file name as the last argument, sa will
use that file instead of /var/log/pacct.
By default, sa will sort the output by sum of user and
system time. If command names have unprintable
characters, or are only called once, sa will sort them
into a group called `***other'. If more than one sorting
option is specified, the list will be sorted by the one
specified last on the command line.
The output fields are labeled as follows:
cpu sum of system and user time in cpu seconds
re "real time" in cpu seconds
k cpu-time averaged core usage, in 1k units
avio average number of I/O operations per execution
tio total number of I/O operations
k*sec cpu storage integral (kilo-core seconds)
u user cpu time in cpu seconds
s system time in cpu seconds
An asterisk will appear after the name of commands that
forked but didn't call exec.
GNU sa takes care to implement a number of features not
found in other versions. For example, most versions of sa
don't pay attention to flags like `--print-seconds' and
`--sort-num-calls' when printing out commands when
combined with the `--user-summary' or `--print-users'
flags. GNU sa pays attention to these flags if they are
applicable. Also, MIPS' sa stores the average memory use
as a short rather than a double, resulting in some round-
off errors. GNU sa uses double the whole way through.
OPTIONS
-a, --list-all-names
Force sa not to sort those command names with
unprintable characters and those used only once
into the ***other group.
-b, --sort-sys-user-div-calls
Sort the output by the sum of user and system time
divided by the number of calls.
-c, --percentages
Print percentages of total time for the command's
user, system, and real time values.
-d, --sort-avio
Sort the output by the average number of disk I/O
operations.
-D, --sort-tio
Print and sort the output by the total number of
disk I/O operations.
-f, --not-interactive
When using the `--threshold' option, assume that
all answers to interactive queries will be
affirmative.
-i, --dont-read-summary-file
Don't read the information in /var/log/savacct.
-j, --print-seconds
Instead of printing total minutes for each
category, print seconds per call.
-k, --sort-cpu-avmem
Sort the output by cpu time average memory usage.
-K, --sort-ksec
Print and sort the output by the cpu-storage
integral.
-l, --separate-times
Print separate columns for system and user time;
usually the two are added together and listed as
`cpu'.
-m, --user-summary
Print the number of processes and number of CPU
minutes on a per-user basis.
-n, --sort-num-calls
Sort the output by the number of calls. This is
the default sorting method.
-r, --reverse-sort
Sort output items in reverse order.
-s, --merge
Merge the summarized accounting data into the
summary files /var/log/savacct and
/var/log/usracct.
-t, --print-ratio
For each entry, print the ratio of real time to the
sum of system and user times. If the sum of system
and user times is too small to report--the sum is
zero--`*ignore*' will appear in this field.
-u, --print-users
For each command in the accounting file, print the
userid and command name. After printing all
entries, quit. *Note*: this flag supersedes all
others.
-v num --threshold num
Print commands which were executed num times or
fewer and await a reply from the terminal. If the
response begins with `y', add the command to the
`**junk**' group.
--separate-forks
It really doesn't make any sense to me that the
stock version of sa separates statistics for a
particular executable depending on whether or not
that command forked. Therefore, GNU sa lumps this
information together unless this option is
specified.
--debug
Print verbose internal information.
-V, --version
Print the version number of sa.
-h, --help
Prints the usage string to stderr.
--sort-real-time
Sort the output by the "real time" field.
--other-usracct-file filename
Write summaries by user ID to filename rather than
the default /var/log/usracct.
--other-savacct-file filename
Write summaries by command name to filename rather
than the default /var/log/savacct.
--other-file filename
Read from the file filename instead of
/var/log/pacct.
FILES
/var/log/pacct
The raw system wide process accounting file.
/var/log/savacct
A summary of system process accounting sorted by
command.
/var/log/usracct
A summary of system process accounting sorted by
user ID.
BUGS
There is not yet a wide experience base for comparing the
output of GNU sa with versions of sa in many other
systems. The problem is that the data files grow big in a
short time and therefore require a lot of disk space.
AUTHOR
The GNU accounting utilities were written by Noel Cragg
lt;noel@gnu.ai.mit.edu. The man page was adapted from the
accounting texinfo page by Susan Kleinmann
lt;sgk@sgk.tiac.net.
SEE ALSO
acct(5) ac(8)