AIX Performance Tools and Commands
Below you will find the following sections
- The Top Six commands
- AIX General Tools by Resource
- AIX In-Depth Tools
- AIX Trace based tools
- NEW AIX Performance Commands for Micro Partitions
The Top Six
There are the most used performance commands on AIX are:
| Name |
Comments |
| vmstat |
Run queue, virtual memory statistics, paging, CPU Utilization and more - consider using the -Iwt flags |
| iostat |
Disk and adapters statistics and CPU Utilization - consider using the -malT flags with MPIO hdisks and the -alDT flags with non-MPIO hdisks, but if using the -a flag, apply the fix for APAR IZ08753 (IOSTAT -A FLAG CAUSES BAD VALUES FOR AVGSERV, RPS, WPS) |
| netstat |
Network statistics (obviously) but hard to use to monitor |
| topas |
Excellent online screen and a good summary of everything you need |
| ps |
Process list with lots of options and details |
| ??? |
What would be your choice for the next tool? |
General AIX Performance Tools by Resource
The following AIX performance tools provide general information and metrics related to performance.
| Resource |
Command |
| CPU Monitoring |
vmstat, iostat, topas, sar, time/timex |
| Memory Monitoring |
vmstat, topas, ps, lsps, ipcs |
| I/O Subsystem |
vmstat, topas, iostat, lvmstat, lsps, lsatt/lsdev, lspv/lsvg/lslv |
| Network |
netstat, topas, atmstat, entstat, tokstat, fddistat, nfsstat, ifconfig |
| Processes & Threads |
ps, pstat, topas |
In Depth Tools
The following AIX performance tools provide in-depth information and metrics related to performance.
| Resource |
Command |
| CPU Monitoring |
netpmon |
| Memory Monitoring |
svmon, netpmon, and filemon |
| I/O Subsystem |
filemon, fileplace |
| Network |
netpmon, tcpdump |
| Processes & Threads |
svmon, truss,kdb, dbx, gprof, fuser, prof |
Trace based commands
An Event Based Trace Facility collects information about events that occur on the system such as scheduling dispatches, interrupts, and I/O. Trace points are inserted in the kernel code to record the events to a trace buffer. User level tools are provided to view the trace events in a time sequenced fashion. The events can be analyzed to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of the system.
| Resource |
Command |
| CPU Monitoring |
tprof, curt, splat, trace, trcrpt |
| Memory Monitoring |
trace, trcrpt |
| I/O Subsystem |
trace, trcrpt |
| Network |
iptrace, ipreport, trace, trcrpt |
| Processes & Threads |
tprof, pprof, trace, trcrpt |
NEW AIX Performance Commands for Micro Partitions
| Name |
Comments |
| mpstat |
Collects and displays performance statistics for all logical CPUs in the system |
| lparstat |
Reports logical partition (LPAR) related information and statistics |
| LPAR2RRD |
LPAR CPU statistics and documentation tool |
Profiling Tools
Code profiling tools collect information about the code executing on the system. The system is periodically interrupted so the information can be collected. The information is then used to analyze the performance of the code. Code profiling data may identify "hot spots" in code. The hot spots can then be analyzed further for performance defects.
- Code profiling tools collect information about the code executing on the system
- The system is periodically interrupted so the information can be collected.
- The information is then used to analyze the performance of the code
 The postings on this site solely reflect the personal views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views, positions, strategies or opinions of IBM or IBM management.
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