What is load average
What is load average is typically caused by a normal system behavior worth understanding to distinguish it from real problems. Here is what to look for and what to do about it.
Likely causes
- Evidence suggests: load average appears in top, uptime, and /proc/loadavg
- Evidence suggests: 1-minute, 5-minute, and 15-minute values shown
Evidence to look for
load average appears in top, uptime, and /proc/loadavg
1-minute, 5-minute, and 15-minute values shown
values above CPU core count indicate saturation
What it usually means
This is generally normal system behavior. Understanding it helps you avoid false alarms and focus on real issues when they arise.
What to do next
- 1compare load average to CPU core count
- 2use 15-minute average for trend, 1-minute for current state
- 3high load with low CPU may indicate IO wait
See what's causing your CPU
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