How to Diagnose high load with the “ps” command

In this guide, you will find how to diagnose high load with the ‘ps’ command, which helps identify which processes are consuming excessive resources, allowing you to address performance issues effectively.

Follow these steps:

1. The ps command lets you view all processes running on the server:

   ps faux

2. Here are a few practical examples:
   1. To sort processes by memory usage and display the top 10:

      ps faux --sort -rss | head -10

   2. To sort processes by CPU usage and display the top 10:

      ps faux --sort -%cpu | head -10

If you are having trouble identifying the process causing high load, it is advisable to contact your System administrator; they will surely help you out.

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