System Monitoring Techniques with htop and netdata
As a system administrator, monitoring your server’s performance is crucial to ensure optimal resource utilization and prevent potential issues. Two popular tools for system monitoring are htop and netdata. In this article, we will explore 20 system monitoring techniques using these two powerful tools.
What is htop?
htop is an interactive version of the classic command-line utility top. It provides a real-time view of your system’s processes, CPU usage, memory usage, disk usage, and more. With htop, you can sort, filter, and manipulate processes with ease.
What is netdata?
netdata is a network monitoring tool that provides detailed metrics on various aspects of your system, including CPU, memory, disk I/O, network traffic, and more. It uses a web-based interface for easy visualization of system performance.
System Monitoring Techniques using htop
1. Display current processes
Run htop in the terminal to view all running processes:
bash
$ htop
2. Sort processes by CPU usage
Press F4 to sort processes by CPU usage, and press F5 to sort them by memory usage.
3. Filter processes by name or ID
Type the process name or ID in the search bar (default key: F7) to filter out specific processes.
4. Kill a process
Select the process you want to kill and press F9.
5. View detailed process information
Press Shift+I to view detailed information about a selected process, including its memory map.
System Monitoring Techniques using netdata
6. Monitor CPU usage
Access the web interface of netdata (default port: 19999) and navigate to the “CPU” dashboard to see real-time CPU usage metrics.
7. View detailed CPU utilization history
Click on the “History” tab in the “CPU” dashboard to view a detailed graph of CPU usage over time.
8. Monitor memory usage
Access the “Memory” dashboard to see real-time memory usage and usage history graphs.
9. Check network traffic metrics
Navigate to the “Network” dashboard to see bandwidth, packet rate, and error metrics for each network interface.
10. View disk I/O statistics
Visit the “Disk” dashboard to view detailed read/write statistics for each disk device.
Additional Techniques using htop and netdata
11. Monitor system resource usage over time with htop’s built-in graphs
Press F6 in htop to display a graph of CPU, memory, or disk I/O utilization over time.
12. Use netdata’s web interface to visualize system performance
Access the netdata web interface and navigate to different dashboards to view various system metrics.
13. Monitor specific processes with netdata’s process monitoring feature
Enable process monitoring in netdata (default key: F7) to track detailed information about specific processes.
14. Set up alerts for potential issues using netdata’s alerting feature
Configure custom alert rules in netdata (default key: Ctrl+Shift+A) to notify you when certain conditions are met.
15. Integrate netdata with other tools and services
Use the netdata API or plugins to integrate it with other monitoring tools, such as Prometheus or Grafana.
16. Use htop’s built-in command-line interface for scripting and automation
Access htop through a terminal and use its various commands (e.g., top, ps, kill) for scripting and automation tasks.
17. Monitor system file system usage with netdata’s file system monitoring feature
Visit the “File System” dashboard to view real-time metrics on disk usage, including free space and used space for each mount point.
18. Use htop to monitor network traffic statistics
Access htop (default key: F5) and navigate to the “Network” tab to view real-time network I/O metrics.
19. Monitor system load average with netdata’s load average monitoring feature
Visit the “Load Average” dashboard to see real-time graphs of current load averages for each CPU core.
20. View detailed system hardware information with htop and netdata
Access htop (default key: F9) or visit the “Hardware” dashboard in netdata to view detailed information about your system’s hardware components.
By mastering these system monitoring techniques using htop and netdata, you’ll be able to ensure optimal performance, troubleshoot issues more efficiently, and maintain a healthy server environment.
