2. FIELDS / Columns
2a. DESCRIPTIONS of Fields
2b. SELECTING and ORDERING Columns
2a. DESCRIPTIONS of Fields
Listed below are top's available fields. They are always associated with 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.
- a: PID -- Process Id
The task's unique process ID, which periodically wraps,
though never restarting at zero.
- b: PPID -- Parent Process Pid
The process ID of a task's parent.
- c: RUSER -- Real User Name
The real user name of the task's owner.
- d: UID -- User Id
The effective user ID of the task's owner.
- e: USER -- User Name
The effective user name of the task's owner.
- f: GROUP -- Group Name
The effective group name of the task's owner.
- g: TTY -- Controlling Tty
The name of the controlling terminal.
This is usually the device (serial port, pty, etc.) from which the
process was started, and which it uses for input or output.
However, a task need not be associated with a terminal, in which case
you'll see '?' displayed.
- h: PR -- Priority
The priority of the task.
- i: NI -- Nice value
The nice value of the task.
A negative nice value means higher priority, whereas a positive nice value
means lower priority.
Zero in this field simply means priority will not be adjusted in determining a
task's dispatchability.
- j: #C -- Last used CPU (SMP)
A number representing the last used processor.
In a true SMP environment this will likely change frequently since the kernel
intentionally uses weak affinity.
Also, the very act of running top may break this weak affinity and cause more
processes to change CPUs more often (because of the extra demand for
cpu time).
- 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.
- n: %MEM -- Memory usage (RES)
A task's currently used share of available physical memory.
- o: VIRT -- Virtual Image (kb)
The total amount of virtual memory used by the task.
It includes all code, data and shared libraries plus pages that have been
swapped out.
VIRT = SWAP + RES.
- p: SWAP -- Swapped size (kb)
The swapped out portion of a task's total virtual memory image.
- q: RES -- Resident size (kb)
The non-swapped physical memory a task has used.
RES = CODE + DATA.
- r: CODE
Important: Use the man command (% man) to see how a command is used on your particular computer.
All commands:
Linux/Unix Command Library
Shell Command Library
