blkpr - Linux

Overview

blkpr is a powerful command-line tool designed to provide real-time performance metrics and statistics for storage devices. It offers comprehensive monitoring capabilities, enabling administrators and users to track block I/O performance, identify bottlenecks, and optimize storage configurations.

Syntax

blkpr [options] <block_device_file>

Options/Flags

• -h, –help: Display help information.
• -v, –verbose: Enable verbose mode, providing more detailed output.
• -s, –sample: Set the sampling interval (in seconds). Default: 5
• -d, –duration: Specify the monitoring duration (in seconds). Default: Indefinite
• -o, –output: Specify the output file. Default: Print to standard output.
• -f, –format: Define the output format. Supports CSV, JSON, and graph (text-based). Default: graph
• –no-header: Suppress column headers in the output.

Examples

Simple monitoring of the root device:

blkpr /dev/sda

Verbose monitoring of all block devices for 10 minutes:

blkpr -v -d 600

Exporting CSV statistics to a file:

blkpr -o my_stats.csv /dev/sdb

Common Issues

• Ensure the specified block device file is valid and accessible.
• Check that the system has sufficient permissions to monitor the device.
• If the output is too verbose, adjust the sampling interval to reduce data volume.

Integration

Combine with I/O utilities:

• Use blktrace to capture raw I/O traces and analyze them with blkpr.
• Leverage iotop to identify processes responsible for high I/O utilization.

Automate monitoring:

• Create scripts or cron jobs to run blkpr periodically and monitor storage performance over time.
• Integrate blkpr into monitoring systems like Prometheus or Nagios for real-time alerts and dashboards.

Related Commands

• blktrace: Captures detailed I/O trace data.
• iotop: Monitors I/O utilization per process.
• smartctl: Manages and checks the health of storage devices.