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Essential Linux Commands for System Monitoring and Performance Analysis

#linux #devops #sysadmin #monitoring

Hardware & System Information

lshw - List Hardware 

lshw
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Displays detailed hardware information including CPU, memory, storage, and devices.

Performance Analysis & Monitoring

iostat - I/O Statistics (sysstat) 

iostats
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Reports CPU and input/output statistics for devices and partitions. Useful for identifying disk I/O bottlenecks.

sar - System Activity Reporter 

sar 5 5
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Collects, reports, and saves system activity information. The command above runs 5 samples at 5-second intervals.

vmstat - Virtual Memory Statistics 

vmstat -s
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Reports memory statistics including virtual memory, physical memory, and swap usage.

swapon - Show Swap Information 

swapon --show
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Displays active swap spaces and their usage.

Networking

ifconfig - Network Configuration (net-tools) 

ifconfig
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Shows network interface configuration and status. Note: ip command is the modern alternative.

arp - Address Resolution Protocol 

arp
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Displays ARP table showing MAC addresses mapped to IP addresses.

netstat - Network Statistics 

netstat -tulpn
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Shows all TCP and UDP sockets in listening state with associated processes.

netstat -rn
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Displays the kernel routing table.

Quick Reference

Command Purpose
lshw Hardware inventory
iostat Disk I/O statistics
sar 5 5 System activity (5 samples, 5s intervals)
vmstat -s Virtual memory summary
swapon --show Active swap spaces
ifconfig Network interface config
arp ARP table (IP-MAC mappings)
netstat -tulpn Listening ports & processes
netstat -rn Routing table

Modern Alternatives

For newer systems, consider these alternatives:

  • lshw → lsblk, lscpu
  • ifconfig → ip addr show
  • arp → ip neigh
  • netstat → ss, ip route

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