OK, this thread will hopefully be shorter, but while using the command "uptime", what does "users 3" or "users 4" mean, as in

uptime 133 days, users 4, load average: .3, .2, .25

It's gotta mean more than 3 or 4 users on a server with over 400 clients.

Actually chris, it -does- mean that there are 4 users logged on at that time.

So, it just means "logged-on users" not how many people are accessing pages, huh?

Yes, it means the number of users logged on to Shell :)

Originally posted by rochen
Yes, it means the number of users logged on to Shell :)

Interesting, so if someone like httpme who doesn't offer shell access to their customers, shows 3 users, then it means that 3 of their staff are probably logged into shell?

Funny, I've never seen that user number get into the double digits at any host.

If you run the command w it will show you just who is logged in.

Thanks Haze. I'm off to try it. I really need to refer to my shell commands for the ones I don't remember or use often. *sigh*

Originally posted by chrisb
Interesting, so if someone like httpme who doesn't offer shell access to their customers, shows 3 users, then it means that 3 of their staff are probably logged into shell?

I've noticed this too. I like to believe that AussieBob and his tech crew are always logged into the server and are watching things to make sure everything is working.

Literally "keeping their finger on the pulse.."

:D :cartman:

maybe they're all just blissing out watching top - it gets very hypnotic on an active server :D

Greg Moore

Originally posted by akashik
maybe they're all just blissing out watching top - it gets very hypnotic on an active server :D

Greg Moore
:buck:

I saw a top long ago someone hacked together with different colors for different things, oh man get on a 19" monitor, maximize your shell session and just run top. Wish I could find that again it was neat.

Chrisb, here are some top options for you...


top -d Specifies the delay between screen updates. You can change this with the s interactive command.

top -q This causes top to refresh without any delay. If the caller has superuser priviledges, top runs with the highest possible priority.

top -i Start top ignoring any idle or zombie processes. See the interactive command i below.

top -C display total CPU states in addition to individual CPUs. This option only affects SMP systems.

top -c display command line instead of the command name only. The default behaviour has been changed as this seems to be more useful.


You can combine them also...
top -qiCc
However, you might see your top using a lot of CPU itself in doing that. I prefer top -Cc because it gives you this output on a dual cpu machine (total cpu)

CPU states: 16.4% user, 18.8% system, 0.0% nice, 164.6% idle
CPU0 states: 8.3% user, 9.1% system, 0.0% nice, 82.0% idle
CPU1 states: 7.4% user, 9.2% system, 0.0% nice, 82.3% idle

It also shows you the full command of each process. You will add an additional 6%-12% cpu usage by using combinations..so when you see cpu usage suddenly jump up...well you get the drift..

Yeah, I'm familiar with those, Webdude. I wondered why top showed me using 4% of the CPU. I didn't realize that running the top command used so much CPU power. I thought it was just a simple shell process.

Originally posted by chrisb
Yeah, I'm familiar with those, Webdude. I wondered why top showed me using 4% of the CPU. I didn't realize that running the top command used so much CPU power. I thought it was just a simple shell process.

Yes, and it's a method at which a malicious user can cause problems. A user can log into shell numorous times at once, run combination commands for top and other shell programs.......and crash the system. When I say an Admin needs to know his system security, I mean it. This example is one reason normal users on our network do not have access to top and many others unless it is their own dedicated server.

How about restricting number of concurrent login connections?

Then they wont' be able to login to SSH more than once..

Well, I won't be running that command often because I sure don't want to drag down the server.

Some companies we host have numorous people that login for their stuff. They would be none too happy when they can only log in one at a time. We do have a limit, but it's not just one..

Would be nice if that option was dynamic for each user.. you could then specify 4 logins for userA and only 1 login for all other users, etc..

Kinda like doing quota's for users.. but not really. ;)

I think AussieBob has 3 shells opened by himself. :)