NAME
virt-top - 'top'-like utility for virtualization stats
SUMMARY
virt-top [-options]
DESCRIPTION
virt-top is a top(1)-like utility for showing stats of virtualized
domains. Many keys and command line options are the same as for ordinary
*top*.
It uses libvirt so it is capable of showing stats across a variety of
different virtualization systems.
OPTIONS
-1 Display physical CPUs by default (instead of domains). When virt-top
is running, use the *1* key to toggle between physical CPUs and
domains display.
-2 Display network interfaces by default (instead of domains). When
virt-top is running, use the *2* key to toggle between network
interfaces and domains display.
-3 Display block devices (virtual disks) by default (instead of
domains). When virt-top is running, use the *3* key to toggle
between block devices and domains display.
-b Batch mode. In this mode keypresses are ignored.
-c uri or --connect uri
Connect to URI given. The default is to connect to the Xen
hypervisor.
-d delay
Set the delay between screen updates in seconds. The default is 3.0
seconds. You can change this while virt-top is running by pressing
either *s* or *d* key.
-n iterations
Set the number of iterations to run. The default is to run
continuously.
-o sort
Set the sort order to one of: cpu (sort by %CPU used), mem (sort by
memory used), time (sort by total time), id (sort by domain ID),
name (sort by domain name), netrx (sort by network received bytes),
nettx (sort by network transmitted bytes), blockrdrq (sort by block
device [disk] read requests), blockwrrq (sort by block device [disk]
write requests).
While virt-top is running you can change the sort order using keys
*P* (cpu), *M* (memory), *T* (total time), *N* (domain ID), *F*
(interactively select the sort field).
-s Secure mode. Currently this does nothing.
--hist-cpu secs
Set the time in seconds between updates of the historical %CPU at
the top right of the display.
--csv file.csv
Write the statistics to file *file.csv*. First a header is written
showing the statistics being recorded in each column, then one line
is written for each screen update. The CSV file can be loaded
directly by most spreadsheet programs.
Currently the statistics which this records vary between releases of
virt-top (but the column headers will stay the same, so you can use
those to process the CSV file).
Not every version of virt-top supports CSV output - it depends how
the program was compiled (see *README* file in the source
distribution for details).
--no-csv-cpu
Disable domain CPU stats in CSV output.
--no-csv-block
Disable domain block device stats in CSV output.
--no-csv-net
Disable domain network interface stats in CSV output.
--debug filename
Send debug and error messages to *filename*. To send error messages
to syslog you can do:
virt-top --debug >(logger -t virt-top)
See also REPORTING BUGS below.
--init-file filename
Read *filename* as the init file instead of the default which is
*$HOME/.virt-toprc*. See also INIT FILE below.
--no-init-file
Do not read any init file.
--script
Script mode. There will be no user interface. This is most useful
when used together with the *--csv* and *-n* options.
--help
Display usage summary.
KEYS
Note that keys are case sensitive. For example use upper-case *P* (shift
P) to sort by %CPU. *^* before a key means a Ctrl key, so *^L* is Ctrl
L.
*space* or *^L*
Updates the display.
*q* Quits the program.
*h* Displays help.
*s* or *d*
Change the delay between screen updates.
*0* (number 0)
Show the normal list of domains display.
*1* (number 1)
Toggle into showing physical CPUs. If pressed again toggles back to
showing domains (the normal display).
*2* Toggle into showing network interfaces. If pressed again toggles
back to showing domains.
*3* Toggle into showing block devices (virtual disks). If pressed again
toggles back to showing domains.
*P* Sort by %CPU.
*M* Sort by memory.
*T* Sort by total time.
*N* Sort by domain ID.
*F* Select the sort field interactively (there are other sort fields you
can choose using this key).
*W* This creates or overwrites the init file with the current settings.
This key is disabled if *--no-init-file* was specified on the
command line or if *overwrite-init-file false* is given in the init
file.
INIT FILE
When virt-top starts up, it reads initial settings from the file
*.virt-toprc* in the user's home directory.
The name of this file may be overridden using the *--init-file filename*
command line option or may be disabled entirely using *--no-init-file*.
The init file has a simple format. Blank lines and comments beginning
with *#* are ignored. Everything else is a set of *key value* pairs,
described below.
display *task|pcpu|block|net*
Sets the major display mode to one of *task* (tasks, the default),
*pcpu* (physical CPUs), *block* (block devices), or *net* (network
interfaces).
delay *secs*
Sets the delay between display updates in seconds.
hist-cpu *secs*
Sets the historical CPU delay in seconds.
iterations *n*
Sets the number of iterations to run before we exit. Setting this to
*-1* means to run continuously.
sort *cpu|mem|time|id|name|...*
Sets the sort order. The option names are the same as for the
command line *-o* option.
connect *uri*
Sets the default connection URI.
debug *filename*
Sets the default filename to use for debug and error messages.
csv *filename*
Enables CSV output to the named file.
csv-cpu *true|false*
Enable or disable domain CPU stats in CSV output.
csv-block *true|false*
Enable or disable domain block device stats in CSV output.
csv-net *true|false*
Enable or disable domain network interface stats in CSV output.
batch *true|false*
Sets batch mode.
secure *true|false*
Sets secure mode.
script *true|false*
Sets script mode.
overwrite-init-file *false*
If set to *false* then the *W* key will not overwrite the init file.
Note that in the current implementation, options specified in the init
file override options specified on the command line. This is a bug and
this behaviour may change in the future.
SEE ALSO
top(1), virsh(1), xm(1), xentop(1), ,
,
AUTHORS
Richard W.M. Jones
COPYRIGHT
(C) Copyright 2007 Red Hat Inc., Richard W.M. Jones http://libvirt.org/
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your
option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General
Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
REPORTING BUGS
Bugs can be viewed on the Red Hat Bugzilla page:
.
If you find a bug in virt-top, please follow these steps to report it:
1. Check for existing bug reports
Go to and search for similar bugs.
Someone may already have reported the same bug, and they may even
have fixed it.
2. Capture debug and error messages
Run
virt-top --debug virt-top.log
and keep *virt-top.log*. It contains error messages which you should
submit with your bug report.
3. Get version of virt-top and version of libvirt.
In virt-top, press the *h* (help) key, and write down the version of
virt-top and the version of libvirt. They are shown in the first
line.
4. Submit a bug report.
Go to and enter a new bug. Please
describe the problem in as much detail as possible.
Remember to include the version numbers (step 3) and the debug
messages file (step 2).
5. Assign the bug to rjones @ redhat.com
Assign or reassign the bug to rjones @ redhat.com (without the
spaces). You can also send me an email with the bug number if you
want a faster response.