TOP(1) User Commands TOP(1)
NAME
top - display Linux processes
SYNOPSIS
top -hv|-bcHisS -d delay -n limit -u|U user -p pid -w [cols]
The traditional switches '-' and whitespace are optional.
DESCRIPTION
The top program provides a dynamic real-time view of a running system. It can display system summary information as well
as a list of processes or threads currently being managed by the Linux kernel. The types of system summary information
shown and the types, order and size of information displayed for processes are all user configurable and that configuration
can be made persistent across restarts.
The program provides a limited interactive interface for process manipulation as well as a much more extensive interface
for personal configuration -- encompassing every aspect of its operation. And while top is referred to throughout this
document, you are free to name the program anything you wish. That new name, possibly an alias, will then be reflected on
top's display and used when reading and writing a configuration file.
OVERVIEW
Documentation
The remaining Table of Contents
1. COMMAND-LINE Options
2. SUMMARY Display
a. UPTIME and LOAD Averages
b. TASK and CPU States
c. MEMORY Usage
3. FIELDS / Columns Display
a. DESCRIPTIONS of Fields
b. MANAGING Fields
4. INTERACTIVE Commands
a. GLOBAL Commands
b. SUMMARY AREA Commands
c. TASK AREA Commands
1. Appearance
2. Content
3. Size
4. Sorting
d. COLOR Mapping
5. ALTERNATE-DISPLAY Provisions
a. WINDOWS Overview
b. COMMANDS for Windows
c. SCROLLING a Window
d. SEARCHING in a Window
6. FILES
a. SYSTEM Configuration File
b. PERSONAL Configuration File
7. STUPID TRICKS Sampler
a. Kernel Magic
b. Bouncing Windows
c. The Big Bird Window
8. BUGS, 9. HISTORY Former top, 10. AUTHOR, 11. SEE Also
Operation
When operating top, the two most important keys are the help ('h' or '?') key and quit ('q') key. Alternatively, you
could simply use the traditional interrupt key ('^C') when you're done.
Some of top's screens or functions require the use of cursor motion keys like the standard arrow keys plus the Home, End,
PgUp and PgDn keys. If your terminal or emulator does not provide those keys, the following keys are accepted for compati‐
bility:
key equivalents
Up alt + \ or alt + k
Down alt + / or alt + j
Left alt + < or alt + h
Right alt + > or alt + l (lower case L)
PgUp alt + Up
PgDn alt + Down
Home alt + Left
End alt + Right
When you start top for the first time, you'll be presented with these traditional screen elements: 1) Summary Area; 2)
Fields/Columns Header; 3) Task Area. These areas will be explored in the sections that follow. There is also an
Input/Message line between the Summary Area and Columns Header which needs no further explanation.
Note: the width of top's display will be limited to 512 positions. Displaying all fields requires approximately 250 char‐
acters. Remaining screen width is usually allocated to any variable width columns currently visible. The variable width
columns, such as COMMAND, are noted in topic 3a. DESCRIPTIONS of Fields. Actual output width may also be influenced by the
-w switch, which is discussed in topic 1. COMMAND-LINE Options.
Startup Defaults
The following startup defaults assume no configuration file, thus no user customizations. Even so, items shown with an
asterisk (´*´) could be overridden through the command-line. All are explained in detail in the sections that follow.
Global-defaults
'A' - Alt display Off (full-screen)
* 'd' - Delay time 3.0 seconds
* 'H' - Threads mode Off (summarize as tasks)
'I' - Irix mode On (no, 'solaris' smp)
* 'p' - PID monitoring Off (show all processes)
* 's' - Secure mode Off (unsecured)
'B' - Bold enable On (yes, bold globally)
Summary-Area-defaults
'l' - Load Avg/Uptime On (thus program name)
't' - Task/Cpu states On (1+1 lines, see '1')
'm' - Mem/Swap usage On (2 lines worth)
'1' - Single Cpu On (thus 1 line if smp)
Task-Area-defaults
'b' - Bold hilite On (not 'reverse')
* 'c' - Command line Off (name, not cmdline)
* 'i' - Idle tasks On (show all tasks)
'R' - Reverse sort On (pids high-to-low)
* 'S' - Cumulative time Off (no, dead children)
* 'u' - User filter Off (show euid only)
* 'U' - User filter Off (show any uid)
'x' - Column hilite Off (no, sort field)
'y' - Row hilite On (yes, running tasks)
'z' - color/mono Off (no, colors)
1. COMMAND-LINE Options
The command-line syntax for top consists of:
-hv | -bcHisS -d delay -n limit -u|U user | -p pid -w [cols]
The typically mandatory switches ('-') and even whitespace are completely optional.
-h | -v : Help/Version
Show library version and the usage prompt, then quit.
-b : Batch-mode operation
Starts top in 'Batch' mode, which could be useful for sending output from top to other programs or to a file. In this
mode, top will not accept input and runs until the iterations limit you've set with the '-n' command-line option or
until killed.
-c : Command-line/Program-name toggle
Starts top with the last remembered 'c' state reversed. Thus, if top was displaying command lines, now that field
will show program names, and visa versa. See the 'c' interactive command for additional information.
-d : Delay-time interval as: -d ss.tt (secs.tenths)
Specifies the delay between screen updates, and overrides the corresponding value in one's personal configuration file
or the startup default. Later this can be changed with the 'd' or 's' interactive commands.
Fractional seconds are honored, but a negative number is not allowed. In all cases, however, such changes are prohib‐
ited if top is running in 'Secure mode', except for root (unless the 's' command-line option was used). For addi‐
tional information on 'Secure mode' see topic 6a. SYSTEM Configuration File.
-H : Threads-mode operation
Instructs top to display individual threads. Without this command-line option a summation of all threads in each
process is shown. Later this can be changed with the 'H' interactive command.
-i : Idle-process toggle
Starts top with the last remembered 'i' state reversed. When this toggle is Off, tasks that have not used any CPU
since the last update will not be displayed. For additional information regarding this toggle see topic 4c. TASK AREA
Commands, SIZE.
-n : Number-of-iterations limit as: -n number
Specifies the maximum number of iterations, or frames, top should produce before ending.
-p : Monitor-PIDs mode as: -pN1 -pN2 ... or -pN1,N2,N3 ...
Monitor only processes with specified process IDs. This option can be given up to 20 times, or you can provide a
comma delimited list with up to 20 pids. Co-mingling both approaches is permitted.
A pid value of zero will be treated as the process id of the top program itself once it is running.
This is a command-line option only and should you wish to return to normal operation, it is not necessary to quit and
and restart top -- just issue any of these interactive commands: '=', 'u' or 'U'.
The 'p', 'u' and 'U' command-line options are mutually exclusive.
-s : Secure-mode operation
Starts top with secure mode forced, even for root. This mode is far better controlled through the system configura‐
tion file (see topic 6. FILES).
-S : Cumulative-time toggle
Starts top with the last remembered 'S' state reversed. When 'Cumulative time' mode is On, each process is listed
with the cpu time that it and its dead children have used. See the 'S' interactive command for additional information
regarding this mode.
-u | -U : User-filter-mode as: -u | -U number or name
Display only processes with a user id or user name matching that given. The '-u' option matches on effective user
whereas the '-U' option matches on any user (real, effective, saved, or filesystem).
The 'p', 'u' and 'U' command-line options are mutually exclusive.
-w : Output-width-override as: -w [ number ]
In 'Batch' mode, when used without an argument top will format output using the COLUMNS= and LINES= environment vari‐
ables, if set. Otherwise, width will be fixed at the maximum 512 columns. With an argument, output width can be
decreased or increased (up to 512) but the number of rows is considered unlimited.
In normal display mode, when used without an argument top will attempt to format output using the COLUMNS= and LINES=
environment variables, if set. With an argument, output width can only be decreased, not increased. Whether using
environment variables or an argument with -w, when not in 'Batch' mode actual terminal dimensions can never be
exceeded.
Note: Without the use of this command-line option, output width is always based on the terminal at which top was
invoked whether or not in 'Batch' mode.
2. SUMMARY Display
Each of the following three areas are individually controlled through one or more interactive commands. See topic 4b. SUM‐
MARY AREA Commands for additional information regarding these provisions.
2a. UPTIME and LOAD Averages
This portion consists of a single line containing:
program or window name, depending on display mode
current time and length of time since last boot
total number of users
system load avg over the last 1, 5 and 15 minutes
2b. TASK and CPU States
This portion consists of a minimum of two lines. In an SMP environment, additional lines can reflect individual CPU state
percentages.
Line 1 shows total tasks or threads, depending on the state of the Threads-mode toggle. That total is further classified
as:
running; sleeping; stopped; zombie
Line 2 shows CPU state percentages based on the interval since the last refresh. Where two labels are shown below, those
for more recent kernel versions are shown first.
us, user : time running un-niced user processes
sy, system : time running kernel processes
ni, nice : time running niced user processes
wa, IO-wait : time waiting for I/O completion
hi : time spent servicing hardware interrupts
si : time spent servicing software interrupts
st : time stolen from this vm by the hypervisor
2c. MEMORY Usage
This portion consists of two lines which may express values in kibibytes (KiB), mebibytes (MiB) or gibibytes (GiB) depend‐
ing on the amount of currently installed physical memory.
Line 1 reflects physical memory, classified as:
total, used, free, buffers
Line 2 reflects virtual memory, classified as:
total, used, free, cached
3. FIELDS / Columns
3a. DESCRIPTIONS of Fields
Listed below are top's available process fields (columns). They are shown in alphabetical order. You may customize their
position and whether or not they are displayable with the 'f' or 'F' (Fields Management) interactive commands.
Any field is selectable as the sort field, and you control whether they are sorted high-to-low or low-to-high. For addi‐
tional information on sort provisions see topic 4c. TASK AREA Commands, SORTING.
1. CGROUPS -- Control Groups
The names of the control group(s) to which a process belongs, or '-' if not applicable for that process.
Control Groups provide for allocating resources (cpu, memory, network bandwidth, etc.) among installation-defined
groups of processes. They enable fine-grained control over allocating, denying, prioritizing, managing and monitoring
those resources.
Many different hierarchies of cgroups can exist simultaneously on a system and each hierarchy is attached to one or
more subsystems. A subsystem represents a single resource.
Note: The 'CGROUPS' field, unlike most columns, is not fixed-width. When displayed, it plus any other variable width
columns will be allocated all remaining screen width (up to the maximum 512 characters).
2. CODE -- Code Size (KiB)
The amount of physical memory devoted to executable code, also known as the 'text resident set' size or TRS.
3. COMMAND -- Command Name or Command Line
Display the command line used to start a task or the name of the associated program. You toggle between command line
and name with 'c', which is both a command-line option and an interactive command.
When you've chosen to display command lines, processes without a command line (like kernel threads) will be shown with
only the program name in brackets, as in this example:
[ mdrecoveryd ]
Either form of display is subject to potential truncation if it's too long to fit in this field's current width. That
width depends upon other fields selected, their order and the current screen width.
This field may also be impacted by the 'forest view' display mode. See the 'V' interactive command for additional
information regarding that mode.
Note: The 'COMMAND' field, unlike most columns, is not fixed-width. When displayed, it plus any other variable width
columns will be allocated all remaining screen width (up to the maximum 512 characters).
4. %CPU -- CPU Usage
The task's share of the elapsed CPU time since the last screen update, expressed as a percentage of total CPU time. In
a true SMP environment, if 'Irix mode' is Off, top will operate in 'Solaris mode' where a task's cpu usage will be
divided by the total number of CPUs. You toggle 'Irix/Solaris' modes with the 'I' interactive command.
5. DATA -- Data + Stack Size (KiB)
The amount of physical memory devoted to other than executable code, also known as the 'data resident set' size or DRS.
6. Flags -- Task Flags
This column represents the task's current scheduling flags which are expressed in hexadecimal notation and with zeros
suppressed. These flags are officially documented in .
7. GID -- Group Id
The effective group ID.
8. GROUP -- Group Name
The effective group name.
9. %MEM -- Memory Usage (RES)
A task's currently used share of available physical memory.
10. NI -- Nice Value
The nice value of the task. A negative nice value means higher priority, whereas a positive nice value means lower
priority. Zero in this field simply means priority will not be adjusted in determining a task's dispatch-ability.
11. nDRT -- Dirty Pages Count
The number of pages that have been modified since they were last written to auxiliary storage. Dirty pages must be
written to auxiliary storage before the corresponding physical memory location can be used for some other virtual page.
12. nMaj -- Major Page Fault Count
The number of major page faults that have occurred for a task. A page fault occurs when a process attempts to read
from or write to a virtual page that is not currently present in its address space. A major page fault is when auxil‐
iary storage access is involved in making that page available.
13. nMin -- Minor Page Fault count
The number of minor page faults that have occurred for a task. A page fault occurs when a process attempts to read
from or write to a virtual page that is not currently present in its address space. A minor page fault does not
involve auxiliary storage access in making that page available.
14. nTH -- Number of Threads
The number of threads associated with a process.
15. P -- Last used CPU (SMP)
A number representing the last used processor. In a true SMP environment this will likely change frequently since the
kernel intentionally uses weak affinity. Also, the very act of running top may break this weak affinity and cause more
processes to change CPUs more often (because of the extra demand for cpu time).
16. PGRP -- Process Group Id
Every process is member of a unique process group which is used for distribution of signals and by terminals to arbi‐
trate requests for their input and output. When a process is created (forked), it becomes a member of the process
group of its parent. By convention, this value equals the process ID (see PID) of the first member of a process group,
called the process group leader.
17. PID -- Process Id
The task's unique process ID, which periodically wraps, though never restarting at zero. In kernel terms, it is a dis‐
patchable entity defined by a 'task_struct'.
This value may also be used as: a process group ID (see PGRP); a session ID for the session leader (see SID); a thread
group ID for the thread group leader (see TGID); and a TTY process group ID for the process group leader (see TPGID).
18. PPID -- Parent Process Id
The process ID (pid) of a task's parent.
19. PR -- Priority
The scheduling priority of the task. If you see 'rt' in this field, it means the task is running under 'real time'
scheduling priority.
Under linux, real time priority is somewhat misleading since traditionally the operating itself was not preemptable.
And while the 2.6 kernel can be made mostly preemptable, it is not always so.
20. RES -- Resident Memory Size (KiB)
The non-swapped physical memory a task has used.
21. RUID -- Real User Id
The real user ID.
22. RUSER -- Real User Name
The real user name.
23. S -- Process Status
The status of the task which can be one of:
'D' = uninterruptible sleep
'R' = running
'S' = sleeping
'T' = traced or stopped
'Z' = zombie
Tasks shown as running should be more properly thought of as 'ready to run' -- their task_struct is simply repre‐
sented on the Linux run-queue. Even without a true SMP machine, you may see numerous tasks in this state depending on
top's delay interval and nice value.
24. SHR -- Shared Memory Size (KiB)
The amount of shared memory available to a task, not all of which is typically resident. It simply reflects memory
that could be potentially shared with other processes.
25. SID -- Session Id
A session is a collection of process groups (see PGRP), usually established by the login shell. A newly forked process
joins the session of its creator. By convention, this value equals the process ID (see PID) of the first member of the
session, called the session leader, which is usually the login shell.
26. SUID -- Saved User Id
The saved user ID.
27. SUPGIDS -- Supplementary Group IDs
The IDs of any supplementary group(s) established at login or inherited from a task's parent. They are displayed in a
comma delimited list.
Note: The 'SUPGIDS' field, unlike most columns, is not fixed-width. When displayed, it plus any other variable width
columns will be allocated all remaining screen width (up to the maximum 512 characters).
28. SUPGRPS -- Supplementary Group Names
The names of any supplementary group(s) established at login or inherited from a task's parent. They are displayed in
a comma delimited list.
Note: The 'SUPGRPS' field, unlike most columns, is not fixed-width. When displayed, it plus any other variable width
columns will be allocated all remaining screen width (up to the maximum 512 characters).
29. SUSER -- Saved User Name
The saved user name.
30. SWAP -- Swapped Size (KiB)
The non-resident portion of a task's address space.
31. TGID -- Thread Group Id
The ID of the thread group to which a task belongs. It is the PID of the thread group leader. In kernel terms, it
represents those tasks that share an 'mm_struct'.
32. TIME -- CPU Time
Total CPU time the task has used since it started. When 'Cumulative mode' is On, each process is listed with the cpu
time that it and its dead children have used. You toggle 'Cumulative mode' with 'S', which is both a command-line
option and an interactive command. See the 'S' interactive command for additional information regarding this mode.
33. TIME+ -- CPU Time, hundredths
The same as 'TIME', but reflecting more granularity through hundredths of a second.
34. TPGID -- Tty Process Group Id
The process group ID of the foreground process for the connected tty, or -1 if a process is not connected to a termi‐
nal. By convention, this value equals the process ID (see PID) of the the process group leader (see PGRP).
35. TTY -- Controlling Tty
The name of the controlling terminal. This is usually the device (serial port, pty, etc.) from which the process was
started, and which it uses for input or output. However, a task need not be associated with a terminal, in which case
you'll see '?' displayed.
36. UID -- User Id
The effective user ID of the task's owner.
37. USER -- User Name
The effective user name of the task's owner.
38. VIRT -- Virtual Memory Size (KiB)
The total amount of virtual memory used by the task. It includes all code, data and shared libraries plus pages that
have been swapped out and pages that have been mapped but not used.
39. WCHAN -- Sleeping in Function
Depending on the availability of the kernel link map ('System.map'), this field will show the name or the address of
the kernel function in which the task is currently sleeping. Running tasks will display a dash ('-') in this column.
By displaying this field, top's own working set could be increased by over 700Kb, depending on the kernel version.
Should that occur, your only means of reducing that overhead will be to stop and restart top.
Note: The 'WCHAN' field, unlike most columns, is not fixed-width. When displayed, it plus any other variable width
columns will be allocated all remaining screen width (up to the maximum 512 characters).
3b. MANAGING Fields
After pressing the interactive command 'f' or 'F' (Fields Management) you will be presented with a screen showing: 1) the
´current´ window name; 2) the designated sort field; 3) all fields in their current order along with descriptions. Entries
marked with an asterisk are the currently displayed fields, screen width permitting.
o As the on screen instructions indicate, you navigate among the fields with the Up and Down arrow keys. The PgUp,
PgDn, Home and End keys can also be used to quickly reach the first or last available field.
o The Right arrow key selects a field for repositioning and the Left arrow key or the key commits that field's
placement.
o The 'd' key or the bar toggles a field's display status, and thus the presence or absence of the asterisk.
o The 's' key designates a field as the sort field. See topic 4c. TASK AREA Commands, SORTING for additional informa‐
tion regarding your selection of a sort field.
o The 'a' and 'w' keys can be used to cycle through all available windows and the 'q' or keys exit Fields Man‐
agement.
The Fields Management screen can also be used to change the ´current´ window/field group in either full-screen mode or
alternate-display mode. Whatever was targeted when 'q' or was pressed will be made current as you return to the top
display. See topic 5. ALTERNATE-DISPLAY Provisions and the 'g' interactive command for insight into ´current´ windows and
field groups.
Note: Any window that has been scrolled horizontally will be reset if any field changes are made via the Fields Management
screen. Any vertical scrolled position, however, will not be affected. See topic 5c. SCROLLING a Window for additional
information regarding vertical and horizontal scrolling.
4. INTERACTIVE Commands
Listed below is a brief index of commands within categories. Some commands appear more than once -- their meaning or
scope may vary depending on the context in which they are issued.
4a. Global-Commands
?, =, A, B, d, g, h, H, I, k, q, r, s, W, Z
4b. Summary-Area-Commands
C, l, t, 1, m
4c. Task-Area-Commands
Appearance: b, x, y, z
Content: c, f, F, S, u, U, V
Size: #, i, n
Sorting: <, >, f, F, R
4d. Color-Mapping
, a, B, b, H, M, q, S, T, w, z, 0 - 7
5b. Commands-for-Windows
-, _, =, +, A, a, g, G, w
5c. Scrolling-a-Window
C, Up, Dn, Left, Right, PgUp, PgDn, Home, End
5d. Searching-in-a-Window
L, &
4a. GLOBAL Commands
The global interactive commands are always available in both full-screen mode and alternate-display mode. However, some of
these interactive commands are not available when running in 'Secure mode'.
If you wish to know in advance whether or not your top has been secured, simply ask for help and view the system summary on
the second line.
or :Refresh-Display
These commands awaken top and following receipt of any input the entire display will be repainted. They also force
an update of any hotplugged cpu or physical memory changes.
Use either of these keys if you have a large delay interval and wish to see current status,
´?´ | ´h´ :Help
There are two help levels available. The first will provide a reminder of all the basic interactive commands. If
top is secured, that screen will be abbreviated.
Typing 'h' or '?' on that help screen will take you to help for those interactive commands applicable to alter‐
nate-display mode.
´=´ :Exit-Task-Limits
Removes restrictions on which tasks are shown. This command will reverse any 'i' (idle tasks) and 'n' (max tasks)
commands that might be active. It also provides for an 'exit' from pid monitoring and user filtering. See the '-p'
command-line option for a discussion of PID monitoring and the 'U' or 'u' interactive commands regarding user fil‐
tering.
Additionally, any window that has been scrolled will be reset with this command. See topic 5c. SCROLLING a Window
for additional information regarding vertical and horizontal scrolling.
When operating in alternate-display mode this command has a broader meaning.
´A´ :Alternate-Display-Mode toggle
This command will switch between full-screen mode and alternate-display mode. See topic 5. ALTERNATE-DISPLAY Provi‐
sions and the 'g' interactive command for insight into ´current´ windows and field groups.
´B´ :Bold-Disable/Enable toggle
This command will influence use of the 'bold' terminfo capability and alters both the summary area and task area for
the ´current´ window. While it is intended primarily for use with dumb terminals, it can be applied anytime.
Note: When this toggle is On and top is operating in monochrome mode, the entire display will appear as normal text.
Thus, unless the 'x' and/or 'y' toggles are using reverse for emphasis, there will be no visual confirmation that
they are even on.
* ´d´ | ´s´ :Change-Delay-Time-interval
You will be prompted to enter the delay time, in seconds, between display updates.
Fractional seconds are honored, but a negative number is not allowed. Entering 0 causes (nearly) continuous
updates, with an unsatisfactory display as the system and tty driver try to keep up with top's demands. The delay
value is inversely proportional to system loading, so set it with care.
If at any time you wish to know the current delay time, simply ask for help and view the system summary on the sec‐
ond line.
´g´ :Choose-Another-Window/Field-Group
You will be prompted to enter a number between 1 and 4 designating the field group which should be made the ´cur‐
rent´ window. You will soon grow comfortable with these 4 windows, especially after experimenting with alter‐
nate-display mode.
´H´ :Threads-mode toggle
When this toggle is On, individual threads will be displayed for all processes in all visible task windows. Other‐
wise, top displays a summation of all threads in each process.
´I´ :Irix/Solaris-Mode toggle
When operating in 'Solaris mode' ('I' toggled Off), a task's cpu usage will be divided by the total number of CPUs.
After issuing this command, you'll be told the new state of this toggle.
* ´k´ :Kill-a-task
You will be prompted for a PID and then the signal to send. The default signal, as reflected in the prompt, is
SIGTERM. However, you can send any signal, via number or name.
If you wish to abort the kill process, do one of the following depending on your progress:
1) at the pid prompt, just press
2) at the signal prompt, type 0
´q´ :Quit
* ´r´ :Renice-a-Task
You will be prompted for a PID and then the value to nice it to. Entering a positive value will cause a process to
lose priority. Conversely, a negative value will cause a process to be viewed more favorably by the kernel.
´W´ :Write-the-Configuration-File
This will save all of your options and toggles plus the current display mode and delay time. By issuing this com‐
mand just before quitting top, you will be able restart later in exactly that same state.
´Z´ :Change-Color-Mapping
This key will take you to a separate screen where you can change the colors for the ´current´ window, or for all
windows. For details regarding this interactive command see topic 4d. COLOR Mapping.
* The commands shown with an asterisk (´*´) are not available in 'Secure mode', nor will they be shown on the level-1 help
screen.
4b. SUMMARY AREA Commands
The summary area interactive commands are always available in both full-screen mode and alternate-display mode. They
affect the beginning lines of your display and will determine the position of messages and prompts.
These commands always impact just the ´current´ window/field group. See topic 5. ALTERNATE-DISPLAY Provisions and the 'g'
interactive command for insight into ´current´ windows and field groups.
´l´ :Load-Average/Uptime toggle
This is also the line containing the program name (possibly an alias) when operating in full-screen mode or the
´current´ window name when operating in alternate-display mode.
´t´ :Task/Cpu-States toggle
This command affects from 2 to many summary area lines, depending on the state of the '1' toggle and whether or not
top is running under true SMP.
This portion of the summary area is also influenced by the 'H' interactive command toggle, as reflected in the total
label which shows either 'Tasks' or 'Threads'.
´1´ :Single/Separate-Cpu-States toggle
This command affects how the 't' command's Cpu States portion is shown. Although this toggle exists primarily to
serve massively-parallel SMP machines, it is not restricted to solely SMP environments.
When you see '%Cpu(s):' in the summary area, the '1' toggle is On and all cpu information is gathered in a single
line. Otherwise, each cpu is displayed separately as: '%Cpu0, %Cpu1, ...' up to available screen height.
´m´ :Memory/Swap-Usage toggle
This command affects the two summary area lines dealing with physical and virtual memory.
Note: If the entire summary area has been toggled Off for any window, you would be left with just the message line. In
that way, you will have maximized available task rows but (temporarily) sacrificed the program name in full-screen mode or
the ´current´ window name when in alternate-display mode.
4c. TASK AREA Commands
The task area interactive commands are always available in full-screen mode.
The task area interactive commands are never available in alternate-display mode if the ´current´ window's task display has
been toggled Off (see topic 5. ALTERNATE-DISPLAY Provisions).
APPEARANCE of task window
The following commands will also be influenced by the state of the global 'B' (bold enable) toggle.
´b´ :Bold/Reverse toggle
This command will impact how the 'x' and 'y' toggles are displayed. Further, it will only be available when at
least one of those toggles is On.
´x´ :Column-Highlight toggle
Changes highlighting for the current sort field. If you forget which field is being sorted this command can serve
as a quick visual reminder, providing the sort field is being displayed. The sort field might not be visible
because:
1) there is insufficient Screen Width
2) the 'f' interactive command turned it Off
´y´ :Row-Highlight toggle
Changes highlighting for "running" tasks. For additional insight into this task state, see topic 3a. DESCRIPTIONS
of Fields, the 'S' field (Process Status).
Use of this provision provides important insight into your system's health. The only costs will be a few additional
tty escape sequences.
´z´ :Color/Monochrome toggle
Switches the ´current´ window between your last used color scheme and the older form of black-on-white or white-on-
black. This command will alter both the summary area and task area but does not affect the state of the 'x', 'y' or
'b' toggles.
CONTENT of task window
´c´ :Command-Line/Program-Name toggle
This command will be honored whether or not the 'COMMAND' column is currently visible. Later, should that field
come into view, the change you applied will be seen.
´f´ | ´F´ :Fields-Management
These keys display a separate screen where you can change which fields are displayed, their order and also designate
the sort field. For additional information on these interactive commands see topic 3b. MANAGING Fields.
´S´ :Cumulative-Time-Mode toggle
When 'Cumulative mode' is On, each process is listed with the cpu time that it and its dead children have used.
When Off, programs that fork into many separate tasks will appear less demanding. For programs like 'init' or a
shell this is appropriate but for others, like compilers, perhaps not. Experiment with two task windows sharing the
same sort field but with different 'S' states and see which representation you prefer.
After issuing this command, you'll be informed of the new state of this toggle. If you wish to know in advance
whether or not 'Cumulative mode' is in effect, simply ask for help and view the window summary on the second line.
´u' | 'U' :Show-Specific-User-Only
You will be prompted for the uid or name of the user to display. The '-u' option matches on effective user whereas
the '-U' option matches on any user (real, effective, saved, or filesystem).
Thereafter, in that task window only matching users will be shown, or possibly no processes will be shown. Differ‐
ent task windows can can be used to filter different users.
Later, if you wish to monitor all tasks again in the ´current´ window, re-issue this command but just press
at the prompt.
´V' :Forest-View-Mode toggle
In this mode, processes are reordered according to their parents and the layout of the COMMAND column resembles that
of a tree. In forest view mode it is still possible to toggle between program name and commamd line (see the 'c'
interactive command) or between processes and threads (see the 'H' interactive command).
Note: Typing any key affecting the sort order will exit forest view mode in the ´current´ window. See topic 4c.
TASK AREA Commands, SORTING for information on those keys.
SIZE of task window
´i´ :Idle-Process toggle
Displays all tasks or just active tasks. When this toggle is Off, tasks that have not used any CPU since the last
update will not be displayed. However, due to the granularity of the %CPU and TIME+ fields, some processes may
still be displayed that appear to have used no CPU.
If this command is applied to the last task display when in alternate-display mode, then it will not affect the win‐
dow's size, as all prior task displays will have already been painted.
´n´ | ´#´ :Set-Maximum-Tasks
You will be prompted to enter the number of tasks to display. The lessor of your number and available screen rows
will be used.
When used in alternate-display mode, this is the command that gives you precise control over the size of each cur‐
rently visible task display, except for the very last. It will not affect the last window's size, as all prior task
displays will have already been painted.
Note: If you wish to increase the size of the last visible task display when in alternate-display mode, simply
decrease the size of the task display(s) above it.
SORTING of task window
For compatibility, this top supports most of the former top sort keys. Since this is primarily a service to former top
users, these commands do not appear on any help screen.
command sorted-field supported
A start time (non-display) No
M %MEM Yes
N PID Yes
P %CPU Yes
T TIME+ Yes
Before using any of the following sort provisions, top suggests that you temporarily turn on column highlighting using
the 'x' interactive command. That will help ensure that the actual sort environment matches your intent.
The following interactive commands will only be honored when the current sort field is visible. The sort field might not
be visible because:
1) there is insufficient Screen Width
2) the 'f' interactive command turned it Off
´<´ :Move-Sort-Field-Left
Moves the sort column to the left unless the current sort field is the first field being displayed.
´>´ :Move-Sort-Field-Right
Moves the sort column to the right unless the current sort field is the last field being displayed.
The following interactive commands will always be honored whether or not the current sort field is visible.
´f´ | ´F´ :Fields-Management
These keys display a separate screen where you can change which field is used as the sort column, among other func‐
tions. This can be a convenient way to simply verify the current sort field, when running top with column high‐
lighting turned Off.
´R´ :Reverse/Normal-Sort-Field toggle
Using this interactive command you can alternate between high-to-low and low-to-high sorts.
Note: Field sorting uses internal values, not those in column display. Thus, the TTY and WCHAN fields will violate
strict ASCII collating sequence.
4d. COLOR Mapping
When you issue the 'Z' interactive command, you will be presented with a separate screen. That screen can be used to
change the colors in just the ´current´ window or in all four windows before returning to the top display.
The following interactive commands are available.
4 upper case letters to select a target
8 numbers to select a color
normal toggles available
'B' :bold disable/enable
'b' :running tasks "bold"/reverse
'z' :color/mono
other commands available
'a'/'w' :apply, then go to next/prior
:apply and exit
'q' :abandon current changes and exit
If you use 'a' or 'w' to cycle the targeted window, you will have applied the color scheme that was displayed when you left
that window. You can, of course, easily return to any window and reapply different colors or turn colors Off completely
with the 'z' toggle.
The Color Mapping screen can also be used to change the ´current´ window/field group in either full-screen mode or alter‐
nate-display mode. Whatever was targeted when 'q' or was pressed will be made current as you return to the top
display.
5. ALTERNATE-DISPLAY Provisions
5a. WINDOWS Overview
Field Groups/Windows:
In full-screen mode there is a single window represented by the entire screen. That single window can still be changed
to display 1 of 4 different field groups (see the 'g' interactive command, repeated below). Each of the 4 field groups
has a unique separately configurable summary area and its own configurable task area.
In alternate-display mode, those 4 underlying field groups can now be made visible simultaneously, or can be turned Off
individually at your command.
The summary area will always exist, even if it's only the message line. At any given time only one summary area can be
displayed. However, depending on your commands, there could be from zero to four separate task displays currently show‐
ing on the screen.
Current Window:
The ´current´ window is the window associated with the summary area and the window to which task related commands are
always directed. Since in alternate-display mode you can toggle the task display Off, some commands might be restricted
for the ´current´ window.
A further complication arises when you have toggled the first summary area line Off. With the loss of the window name
(the 'l' toggled line), you'll not easily know what window is the ´current´ window.
5b. COMMANDS for Windows
´-´ | ´_´ :Show/Hide-Window(s) toggles
The '-' key turns the ´current´ window's task display On and Off. When On, that task area will show a minimum of
the columns header you've established with the 'f' interactive command. It will also reflect any other task area
options/toggles you've applied yielding zero or more tasks.
The '_' key does the same for all task displays. In other words, it switches between the currently visible task
display(s) and any task display(s) you had toggled Off. If all 4 task displays are currently visible, this interac‐
tive command will leave the summary area as the only display element.
* ´=´ | ´+´ :Equalize-(re-balance)-Window(s)
The '=' key forces the ´current´ window's task display to be visible. It also reverses any 'i' (idle tasks), 'n'
(max tasks) and 'u'/'U' (user filter) commands that might be active. Also, if the window had been scrolled, it will
be reset with this command. See topic 5c. SCROLLING a Window for additional information regarding vertical and hor‐
izontal scrolling.
The '+' key does the same for all windows. The four task displays will reappear, evenly balanced. They will also
have retained any customizations you had previously applied, except for the 'i' (idle tasks), 'n' (max tasks),
'u'/'U' (user filter) and scrolling interactive commands.
* ´A´ :Alternate-Display-Mode toggle
This command will switch between full-screen mode and alternate-display mode.
The first time you issue this command, all four task displays will be shown. Thereafter when you switch modes, you
will see only the task display(s) you've chosen to make visible.
* ´a´ | ´w´ :Next-Window-Forward/Backward
This will change the ´current´ window, which in turn changes the window to which commands are directed. These keys
act in a circular fashion so you can reach any desired ´current´ window using either key.
Assuming the window name is visible (you have not toggled 'l' Off), whenever the ´current´ window name loses its
emphasis/color, that's a reminder the task display is Off and many commands will be restricted.
* ´g´ :Choose-Another-Window/Field-Group
You will be prompted to enter a number between 1 and 4 designating the field group which should be made the ´cur‐
rent´ window.
In full-screen mode, this command is necessary to alter the ´current´ window. In alternate-display mode, it is sim‐
ply a less convenient alternative to the 'a' and 'w' commands.
´G´ :Change-Window/Field-Group-Name
You will be prompted for a new name to be applied to the ´current´ window. It does not require that the window name
be visible (the 'l' toggle to be On).
* The interactive commands shown with an asterisk (´*´) have use beyond alternate-display mode.
´=', 'A', 'g' are always available
´a', 'w' act the same with color mapping
and fields management
5c. SCROLLING a Window
Typically a task window is a partial view into a systems's total tasks/threads which shows only some of the available
fields/columns. With these scrolling keys, you can move that view vertically or horizontally to reveal any desired task or
column.
Up,PgUp :Scroll-Tasks
Move the view up toward the first task row, until the first task is displayed at the top of the ´current´ window. The
Up arrow key moves a single line while PgUp scrolls the entire window.
Down,PgDn :Scroll-Tasks
Move the view down toward the last task row, until the last task is the only task displayed at the top of the ´current´
window. The Down arrow key moves a single line while PgDn scrolls the entire window.
Left,Right :Scroll-Columns
Move the view of displayable fields horizontally one column at a time.
Note: As a reminder, some fields/columns are not fixed-width but allocated all remaining screen width when visible.
When scrolling right or left, that feature may produce some unexpected results initially.
Home :Jump-to-Home-Position
Reposition the display to the un-scrolled coordinates.
End :Jump-to-End-Position
Reposition the display so that the rightmost column reflects the last displayable field and the bottom task row repre‐
sents the last task.
Note: From this position it is still possible to scroll down and right using the arrow keys. This is true until a sin‐
gle column and a single task is left as the only display element.
'C' :Show-scroll-coordinates toggle
Toggle an informational message which is displayed whenever the message line is not otherwise being used.
"scroll coordinates: y = n/n (tasks), x = n/n (fields)"
The coordinates shown as n/n are relative to the upper left corner of the ´current´ window.
y = n/n (tasks)
The first n represents the topmost visible task and is controlled by scrolling keys. The second n is updated auto‐
matically to reflect total tasks.
x = n/n (fields)
The first n represents the leftmost displayed column and is controlled by scrolling keys. The second n is the
total number of displayable fields and is established with the 'f' interactive command.
The above interactive commands are always available in full-screen mode but never available in alternate-display mode if
the ´current´ window's task display has been toggled Off.
5d. SEARCHING in a Window
You can use these interactive commands to locate a task row containing a particular value.
'L´ :Locate-a-string
You will be prompted for the case-sensitive string to locate starting from the current window coordinates. There are
no restrictions on search string content.
Searches are not limited to values from a single field or column. All of the values displayed in a task row are
allowed in a search string. You may include spaces, numbers, symbols and even forest view artwork.
Keying with no input will effectively disable the '&' key until a new search string is entered.
'&´ :Locate-next
Assuming a search string has been established, top will attempt to locate the next occurrence.
When a match is found, the current window is repositioned vertically so the task row containing that string is first. The
scroll coordinates message can provide confirmation of such vertical repositioning (see the 'C' interactive command). Hor‐
izontal scrolling, however, is never altered via searching.
The availability of a matching string will be influenced by the following factors.
a. Which fields are displayable from the total available,
see topic 3b. MANAGING Fields.
b. Scrolling a window vertically and/or horizontally,
see topic 5c. SCROLLING a Window.
c. The state of the command/command-line toggle,
see the 'c' interactive command.
d. The stability of the chosen sort column,
for example PID is good but %CPU bad.
If a search fails, restoring the ´current´ window home (unscrolled) position, scrolling horizontally, displaying command-
lines or choosing a more stable sort field could yet produce a successful '&' search.
The above interactive commands are always available in full-screen mode but never available in alternate-display mode if
the ´current´ window's task display has been toggled Off.
Note: Whenever a search key is typed, top forces idle tasks On and user filtering Off to ensure that every task is encoun‐
tered. See the 'i' and 'u/U' interactive commands for additional information on how displayed tasks might be filtered.
6. FILES
6a. SYSTEM Configuration File
The presence of this file will influence which version of the 'help' screen is shown to an ordinary user. More impor‐
tantly, it will limit what ordinary users are allowed to do when top is running. They will not be able to issue the fol‐
lowing commands.
k Kill a task
r Renice a task
d or s Change delay/sleep interval
The system configuration file is not created by top. Rather, you create this file manually and place it in the /etc direc‐
tory. Its name must be 'toprc' and must have no leading '.' (period). It must have only two lines.
Here is an example of the contents of /etc/toprc:
s # line 1: 'secure' mode switch
5.0 # line 2: 'delay' interval in seconds
6b. PERSONAL Configuration File
This file is written as '$HOME/.your-name-4-top' + 'rc'. Use the 'W' interactive command to create it or update it.
Here is the general layout:
global # line 1: the program name/alias notation
" # line 2: id,altscr,irixps,delay,curwin
per ea # line a: winname,fieldscur
window # line b: winflags,sortindx,maxtasks
" # line c: summclr,msgsclr,headclr,taskclr
If the $HOME variable is not present, top will try to write the personal configuration file to the current directory, sub‐
ject to permissions.
7. STUPID TRICKS Sampler
Many of these 'tricks' work best when you give top a scheduling boost. So plan on starting him with a nice value of -10,
assuming you've got the authority.
7a. Kernel Magic
For these stupid tricks, top needs full-screen mode.
o The user interface, through prompts and help, intentionally implies that the delay interval is limited to tenths of a
second. However, you're free to set any desired delay. If you want to see Linux at his scheduling best, try a delay of
.09 seconds or less.
For this experiment, under x-windows open an xterm and maximize it. Then do the following:
. provide a scheduling boost and tiny delay via:
nice -n -10 top -d.09
. keep sorted column highlighting Off so as to
minimize path length
. turn On reverse row highlighting for emphasis
. try various sort columns (TIME/MEM work well),
and normal or reverse sorts to bring the most
active processes into view
What you'll see is a very busy Linux doing what he's always done for you, but there was no program available to illus‐
trate this.
o Under an xterm using 'white-on-black' colors, on top's Color Mapping screen set the task color to black and be sure that
task highlighting is set to bold, not reverse. Then set the delay interval to around .3 seconds.
After bringing the most active processes into view, what you'll see are the ghostly images of just the currently running
tasks.
o Delete the existing rcfile, or create a new symlink. Start this new version then type 'T' (a secret key, see topic 4c.
Task Area Commands, SORTING) followed by 'W' and 'q'. Finally, restart the program with -d0 (zero delay).
Your display will be refreshed at three times the rate of the former top, a 300% speed advantage. As top climbs the
TIME ladder, be as patient as you can while speculating on whether or not top will ever reach the top.
7b. Bouncing Windows
For these stupid tricks, top needs alternate-display mode.
o With 3 or 4 task displays visible, pick any window other than the last and turn idle processes Off using the 'i' command
toggle. Depending on where you applied 'i', sometimes several task displays are bouncing and sometimes it's like an
accordion, as top tries his best to allocate space.
o Set each window's summary lines differently: one with no memory ('m'); another with no states ('t'); maybe one with
nothing at all, just the message line. Then hold down 'a' or 'w' and watch a variation on bouncing windows -- hopping
windows.
o Display all 4 windows and for each, in turn, set idle processes to Off using the 'i' command toggle. You've just
entered the "extreme bounce" zone.
7c. The Big Bird Window
This stupid trick also requires alternate-display mode.
o Display all 4 windows and make sure that 1:Def is the ´current´ window. Then, keep increasing window size with the 'n'
interactive command until all the other task displays are "pushed out of the nest".
When they've all been displaced, toggle between all visible/invisible windows using the '_' command toggle. Then ponder
this:
is top fibbing or telling honestly your imposed truth?
8. BUGS
To report bugs, follow the instructions at:
http://www.debian.org/Bugs/Reporting
9. HISTORY Former top
The original top was written by Roger Binns, based on Branko Lankester's ps program.
Robert Nation adapted it for the proc file system.
Helmut Geyer added support for configurable fields.
Plus many other individuals contributed over the years.
10. AUTHOR
This entirely new and enhanced replacement was written by:
Jim Warner,
With invaluable help from:
Craig Small,
Albert Cahalan,
11. SEE Also
free(1), ps(1), uptime(1), atop(1), slabtop(1), vmstat(8), w(1).
procps-ng April 2011 TOP(1)
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