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Old 06-12-2008, 10:55 AM   #1
sameer29
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top command - Time shown


Hello all,

I am a new linux user and a bit confused with the time parameter on using the top command. I my job (abaqus) has been running for less than 2 days according to the clock time. But using the top command the time shown (time + column) is about 4340.19.I am assuming that the time is in minutes. If so , then the time my job has been running according to the top command is approximately 3 days whihc is a day more than the clock time. Am I missing something here?? I appreciate your help in clearing my confusion.

Thanks,
Sameer
 
Old 06-12-2008, 12:15 PM   #2
watcher69b
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I think that the time in the top command is CPU time.
more here ->
http://linux.about.com/od/commands/l/blcmdl1_top.htm

what i would do is 1st run the 'uptime' command to see how long the system has been running
 
Old 06-12-2008, 02:18 PM   #3
sameer29
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Thanks for your reply..My understanding was that the cpu time is shown when top command is used. But for some reason the CPU time is larger than the wall clock time in this case. Is it possible??
 
Old 06-12-2008, 02:59 PM   #4
salasi
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Quote (slightly reformatted):

"2. FIELDS / Columns
2a. DESCRIPTIONS of Fields
Listed below are top’s available fields. They are always associatedwith the letter shown, regardless of the position you may have established for them with the ’o’ (Order fields) interactive command.

Any field is selectable as the sort field, and you control whether they are sorted high-to-low or low-to-high. For additional information on sort provisions see topic 3c. TASK Area Commands....




k: %CPU -- CPU usage
The task’s share of the elapsed CPU time since the last screen update, expressed as a percentage of total CPU time. In a true SMP environment, if ’Irix mode’ is Off, top will operate in ’Solaris mode’ where a task’s cpu usage will be divided by the total number of CPUs. You toggle ’Irix/Solaris’ modes with the ’I’ interactive command.

l: TIME -- CPU Time
Total CPU time the task has used since it started. When ’Cumulative mode’ is On, each process is listed with the cpu time that it and its dead children has used. You toggle ’Cumulative mode’ with ’S’, which is a command-line option and an interactive command. See the ’S’ interactive command for additional information regarding this mode.

m: TIME+ -- CPU Time, hundredths
The same as ’TIME’, but reflecting more granularity through hundredths of a second."

So, the previous answer was correct and it is completely comprehensible, although you could use a change of mode to make it less comprehensible, if you want. All this and more brought to you by courtesy of the man pages.
 
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