Load

This parameter displays the 1-minute load average from the uptime command. Load average is the average number of processes in the kernel's run queue during an interval (1 minute in this case).
The data from this parameter is often more useful when looked at in combination with other parameters (such as Utilization). A high load average along with low CPU utilization can indicate problems (most likely in the I/O subsystem).

For most AIX systems, the load average from the uptime command is not a pure measure of CPU use because it includes processes waiting for disk and network I/O. However, used with other parameters, Load can help to identify several problems as shown in the Recommendations section below.

Recommendations

If your system appears to be slow, run the uptime command to check the 5-minute and 15-minute load average. (Consult your system documentation for information on the uptime command. Some systems have a different implementation of this command.) If the 15-minute load average is higher than the 1- or 5-minute load averages, then the average is falling, and the problem may resolve itself shortly.

A consistently high load average can indicate performance bottlenecks in one or more of the following areas:

• Memory: If the number of page faults (PageFaults) and/or page-outs (PagesOut) is high and your load average is high, your system probably needs additional memory to improve performance.
• Disk/controllers: If your load average is high and the CPU has excessive waits for I/O operations (IOWaitTime), then your system can probably benefit by the addition of a controller and/or disk drive.
• CPU: If the first two areas are normal, then you may have reached the limit of your system's resources. The following suggestions may help:
  • If your CPU load is high and a particular process that is important to you is not executing quickly enough, you can use the renice command to increase the process' priority. Refer to your system's documentation for information on the renice command.
  • If you have batch processes running, you can schedule some jobs to run during non-peak times.
  • If the previous bulleted items do not help, you may need to increase your system's CPU capacity.

Because each AIX system may have vastly different characteristics, no range thresholds have been set by default. With the combination of your experience with your system and your system documentation, you can set ranges that are useful.

PATROL properties

TrueSight/BMC Helix Operations Management properties