xload(XC)

xload -- load average display for X

Syntax

xload [-toolkitoption...] [-scale integer] [-update seconds] [-hl color] [-highlight color] [-jumpscroll pixels] [-label string] [-nolabel]

Description

The xload program displays a periodically updating histogram of the system load average.

Options

xload accepts all of the standard X Toolkit command line options (see X(X) The order of the options in unimportant. xload also accepts the following additional options:

-hl color or -highlight color: This option specifies the color of the scale lines.
-jumpscroll number of pixels: The number of pixels to shift the graph to the left when the graph reaches the right edge of the window. The default value is 1/2 the width of the current window. Smooth scrolling can be achieved by setting it to 1.
-label string: The string to put into the label above the load average.
-nolabel: If this command line option is specified then no label will be displayed above the load graph.
-scale integer: This option specifies the minimum number of tick marks in the histogram, where one division represents one load average point. If the load goes above this number xload will create more divisions, but it will never use fewer than this number. The default is 1.
-update seconds: This option specifies the frequency in seconds at which xload updates its display. The minimum amount of time allowed between updates is 1 second (the default is 5 seconds).

Resources

In addition to the resources available to each of the widgets used by xload there is one resource defined by the application itself.

showLabel (class Boolean): If False then no label will be displayed.

Widgets

In order to specify resources, it is useful to know the hierarchy of the widgets which compose xload. In the notation below, indentation indicates hierarchical structure. The widget class name is given first, followed by the widget instance name.

XLoad xload
Paned paned
Label label
StripChart load

Environment variables

DISPLAY: to get the default host and display number.
XENVIRONMENT: to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.

Files

/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/XLoad specifies required resources

Known limitations

This program requires the ability to open and read the special system file /dev/kmem. Sites that do not allow general access to this file should make xload belong to the same group as /dev/kmem and turn on the set group id permission flag.

Reading /dev/kmem is inherently non-portable. Therefore, the routine used to read it (get_load.c) must be ported to each new operating system.