sa -  summarizes accounting information


SYNOPSIS

       sa     [ -a | --list-all-names ]
              [ -b | --sort-sys-user-div-calls ]
              [ -c | --percentages ] [ -d | --sort-avio ]
              [ -D | --sort-tio ] [ -f | --not-interactive ]
              [ -i | --dont-read-summary-file ]
              [ -j | --print-seconds ] [ -k | --sort-cpu-avmem ]
              [ -K | --sort-ksec ] [ -l | --separate-times ]
              [ -m | --user-summary ] [ -n | --sort-num-calls ]
              [ -r | --reverse-sort ] [ -s | --merge ]
              [ -t | --print-ratio ] [ -u | --print-users ]
              [ -v num | --threshold num ] [ --sort-real-time ]
              [ --debug ] [ -V | --version ] [ -h | --help ]
              [ --other-usracct-file filename ]
              [ --other-savacct-file filename ]
              [ [ --other-acct-file ] filename ]


DESCRIPTION

       sa summarizes information about previously executed
       commands as recorded in the acct file.  In addition, it
       condenses this data into a summary file named savacct
       which contains the number of times the command was called
       and the system resources used.  The information can also
       be summarized on a per-user basis; sa will save this
       information into a file named usracct.

       If no arguments are specified, sa will print information
       about all of the commands in the acct file.

       If called with a file name as the last argument, sa will
       use that file instead of the system's default acct file.

       By default, sa will sort the output by sum of user and
       system time.  If command names have unprintable
       characters, or are only called once, sa will sort them
       into a group called `***other'.  If more than one sorting
       option is specified, the list will be sorted by the one
       specified last on the command line.

       The output fields are labeled as follows:

       cpu     sum of system and user time in cpu seconds

       re      "real time" in cpu seconds

       k       cpu-time averaged core usage, in 1k units

       avio    average number of I/O operations per execution

       tio     total number of I/O operations


       u       user cpu time in cpu seconds

       s       system time in cpu seconds

       An asterisk will appear after the name of commands that
       forked but didn't call exec.

       GNU sa takes care to implement a number of features not
       found in other versions.  For example, most versions of sa
       don't pay attention to flags like `--print-seconds' and
       `--sort-num-calls' when printing out commands when
       combined with the `--user-summary' or `--print-users'
       flags.  GNU sa pays attention to these flags if they are
       applicable.  Also, MIPS' sa stores the average memory use
       as a short rather than a double, resulting in some round-
       off errors.  GNU sa uses double the whole way through.


OPTIONS

       -a, --list-all-names
              Force sa not to sort those command names with
              unprintable characters and those used only once
              into the ***other group.
       -b, --sort-sys-user-div-calls
              Sort the output by the sum of user and system time
              divided by the number of calls.
       -c, --percentages
              Print percentages of total time for the command's
              user, system, and real time values.
       -d, --sort-avio
              Sort the output by the average number of disk I/O
              operations.
       -D, --sort-tio
              Print and sort the output by the total number of
              disk I/O operations.
       -f, --not-interactive
              When using the `--threshold' option, assume that
              all answers to interactive queries will be
              affirmative.
       -i, --dont-read-summary-file
              Don't read the information in the system's default
              savacct file.
       -j, --print-seconds
              Instead of printing total minutes for each
              category, print seconds per call.
       -k, --sort-cpu-avmem
              Sort the output by cpu time average memory usage.
       -K, --sort-ksec
              Print and sort the output by the cpu-storage
              integral.
       -l, --separate-times
              Print separate columns for system and user time;
              usually the two are added together and listed as

       -m, --user-summary
              Print the number of processes and number of CPU
              minutes on a per-user basis.
       -n, --sort-num-calls
              Sort the output by the number of calls.  This is
              the default sorting method.
       -r, --reverse-sort
              Sort output items in reverse order.
       -s, --merge
              Merge the summarized accounting data into the
              summary files savacct and usracct.
       -t, --print-ratio
              For each entry, print the ratio of real time to the
              sum of system and user times.  If the sum of system
              and user times is too small to report--the sum is
              zero--`*ignore*' will appear in this field.
       -u, --print-users
              For each command in the accounting file, print the
              userid and command name.  After printing all
              entries, quit.  *Note*: this flag supersedes all
              others.
       -v num --threshold num
              Print commands which were executed num times or
              fewer and await a reply from the terminal.  If the
              response begins with `y', add the command to the
              `**junk**' group.
       --separate-forks
              It really doesn't make any sense to me that the
              stock version of sa separates statistics for a
              particular executable depending on whether or not
              that command forked.  Therefore, GNU sa lumps this
              information together unless this option is
              specified.
       --debug
              Print verbose internal information.
       -V, --version
              Print the version number of sa.
       -h, --help
              Prints the usage string and default locations of
              system files to standard output and exits.
       --sort-real-time
              Sort the output by the "real time" field.
       --other-usracct-file filename
              Write summaries by user ID to filename rather than
              the system's default usracct file.
       --other-savacct-file filename
              Write summaries by command name to filename rather
              than the system's default SAVACCT file.
       --other-file filename
              Read from the file filename instead of the system's
              default ACCT file.

FILES

       acct   The raw system wide process accounting file. See

       savacct
              A summary of system process accounting sorted by
              command.
       usracct
              A summary of system process accounting sorted by
              user ID.


BUGS

       There is not yet a wide experience base for comparing the
       output of GNU sa with versions of sa in many other
       systems.  The problem is that the data files grow big in a
       short time and therefore require a lot of disk space.


AUTHOR

       The GNU accounting utilities were written by Noel Cragg
       <noel@gnu.ai.mit.edu>. The man page was adapted from the
       accounting texinfo page by Susan Kleinmann
       <sgk@sgk.tiac.net>.

SEE ALSO

       acct(5), ac(8)


Man(1) output converted with man2html