blkiomon - Linux
Overview
blkiomon is a powerful Linux command that monitors and reports Input/Output (I/O) bandwidth utilized by block devices. It offers detailed insights into I/O activity patterns, ensuring efficient I/O resource management.
Syntax
blkiomon [-P PID] [-c device] [-h] [-s] [-v]
Options
- -P, –pid PID: Monitor I/O activity of a specific process using its PID.
- -c, –device DEVICE: Monitor I/O activity of a specific device.
- -h, –help: Display help information.
- -s, –seconds: Specify the interval in seconds between measurements. Default: 1 second.
- -v, –verbose: Display additional information, including process names.
Examples
1. Monitor I/O activity of all devices:
blkiomon
2. Monitor I/O activity of a specific process:
blkiomon -P 1234
3. Monitor I/O activity of a specific device:
blkiomon -c /dev/vda
4. Monitor I/O activity and display process names:
blkiomon -v
Common Issues
- No output is displayed: Check if the device or process being monitored is active and has I/O activity.
- Negative values are reported: This can occur when the underlying device changes its size.
Integration
blkiomon can be integrated with other commands to gather more comprehensive information.
- Chain with ‘pidstat’: To combine process statistics with I/O activity:
pidstat -d | grep PID | blkiomon -P PID
- Extract data to a file: Monitor I/O activity and save the output to a file:
blkiomon -c /dev/vda -s 5 | tee io_monitoring.log
Related Commands
- iostat: Provides a summary of system-wide I/O statistics.
- iotop: Displays a real-time view of I/O activity sorted by process.
- sar: Collects and reports system statistics, including I/O related metrics.