tload Command in Linux



The tload command in Linux prints the current system load in the form of a graph. It displays a graph of the current system load average on the specified terminal (TTY). If no terminal is specified, it defaults to the terminal where the tload process is running.

Table of Contents

Here is a comprehensive guide to the options available with the tload command −

Syntax of tload Command

The syntax of the tload command in Linux is as follows −

tload [options] [tty]

In the above syntax, the [options] argument is used to specify the options to change the command’s output. The [tty] argument is optional to specify the terminal where the graph should be displayed.

tload Command Options

The options of the tload command are listed below −

Short Option Long Option Description
-s number --scale number Sets vertical scale (characters per tick)
-d seconds --delay seconds Sets the graph update interval
-h --help Displays help information
-V --version Displays version info

Examples of tload Command in Linux

This section explains how to use the tload command in Linux with examples −

  • Displaying System Load Graph in the Current Terminal
  • Displaying System Load Graph in a Specific Terminal
  • Updating the Graph after a Specific Delay
  • Setting Vertical Scale
  • Combining Delay and Scale
  • Printing Usage Help

Displaying System Load Graph in the Current Terminal

To print the system load graph in the current terminal, run the tload command −

tload
tload Command in Linux1

Displaying System Load Graph in a Specific Terminal

To display the graph in a specific terminal, use the tload command followed by the terminal name −

tload /dev/pts/1
tload Command in Linux2

To find the current tty, use the following command −

tty

Updating the Graph after a Specific Delay

To update the graph after a specific delay, use the -d or --delay option followed by a number of seconds. For example, to update the graph after every 5 seconds −

tload -d 5

Setting Vertical Scale

To set the vertical scale or characters per tick, use the -s or --scale option followed by a number.

tload -s 1

In the about command, -s 1 means 1 minute per character. The smaller values produce a larger, more stretched graph, while larger values result in a more compressed graph.

Combining Delay and Scale

To combine delay and scale, use both -d/--delay and -s/--scale options −

tload -d 5 -s 1

Printing Usage Help

To print the usage help for the tload command, use the -h or --help option −

tload -h

Conclusion

The tload command in Linux provides a simple way to monitor system load using a graphical display in the terminal. It shows the load average over time and can be customized with options to set the update delay and vertical scale of the graph.

In this brief tutorial, we covered the tload command, its syntax, options, and usage in Linux with examples.

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