System monitor
Encyclopedia
A system monitor is a hardware- or software- based system used to monitor resources and performance in a computer system.
Software monitors occur more commonly, sometimes as a part of a widget engine
. These monitoring systems are often used to keep track of system resources, such as CPU
usage and frequency , or the amount of free RAM. They are also used to display items such as free space on one or more hard drives, the temperature of the CPU and other important components, and networking information including the system IP address
and current rates of upload and download. Other possible displays may include the date and time, system uptime
, computer name, username, hard drive S.M.A.R.T
data, fan
speeds, and the voltages being provided by the power supply.
Less common are hardware-based systems monitoring similar information. Customarily these occupy one or more drive bay
s on the front of the computer case
, and either interface directly with the system hardware or connect to a software data-collection system via USB
. With either approach to gathering data, the monitoring system displays information on a small LCD
panel or on series of small analog or LED numeric displays. Some hardware-based system monitors also allow direct control of fan speeds, allowing the user to quickly customize the cooling in the system.
A few very high-end models of hardware system monitor are designed to interface with only a specific model of motherboard. These systems directly utilize the sensors built into the system, providing more detailed and accurate information than less-expensive monitoring systems customarily provide.
Software versions are becoming more common, with even the Microsoft Windows Vista
sidebar including a meter to monitor CPU and RAM usage. Hardware versions are very rare on OEM
computers, with the exception of high-end servers. However, computer enthusiasts often install such hardware-based monitors.
Software monitors occur more commonly, sometimes as a part of a widget engine
Widget engine
In computer software, a widget engine is a software service available to users for running and displaying applets on a graphical user interface, such as that of the desktop.The widget model in widget engines is attractive because of ease of development...
. These monitoring systems are often used to keep track of system resources, such as CPU
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
usage and frequency , or the amount of free RAM. They are also used to display items such as free space on one or more hard drives, the temperature of the CPU and other important components, and networking information including the system IP address
IP address
An Internet Protocol address is a numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing...
and current rates of upload and download. Other possible displays may include the date and time, system uptime
Uptime
Uptime is a measure of the time a machine has been up without any downtime.It is often used as a measure of computer operating system reliability or stability, in that this time represents the time a computer can be left unattended without crashing, or needing to be rebooted for administrative or...
, computer name, username, hard drive S.M.A.R.T
Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology
S.M.A.R.T. is a monitoring system for computer hard disk drives to detect and report on various indicators of reliability, in the hope of anticipating failures....
data, fan
Computer fan
A computer fan is any fan inside, or attached to, a computer case used for cooling purposes, and may refer to fans that draw cooler air into the case from the outside, expel warm air from inside, or move air across a heatsink to cool a particular component...
speeds, and the voltages being provided by the power supply.
Less common are hardware-based systems monitoring similar information. Customarily these occupy one or more drive bay
Drive bay
A drive bay is a standard-sized area for adding hardware to a computer. Most drive bays are fixed to the inside of a case, but some can be removed....
s on the front of the computer case
Computer case
A computer case is the enclosure that contains most of the components of a computer...
, and either interface directly with the system hardware or connect to a software data-collection system via USB
Universal Serial Bus
USB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
. With either approach to gathering data, the monitoring system displays information on a small LCD
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
panel or on series of small analog or LED numeric displays. Some hardware-based system monitors also allow direct control of fan speeds, allowing the user to quickly customize the cooling in the system.
A few very high-end models of hardware system monitor are designed to interface with only a specific model of motherboard. These systems directly utilize the sensors built into the system, providing more detailed and accurate information than less-expensive monitoring systems customarily provide.
Software versions are becoming more common, with even the Microsoft Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
sidebar including a meter to monitor CPU and RAM usage. Hardware versions are very rare on OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer
An original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, manufactures products or components that are purchased by a company and retailed under that purchasing company's brand name. OEM refers to the company that originally manufactured the product. When referring to automotive parts, OEM designates a...
computers, with the exception of high-end servers. However, computer enthusiasts often install such hardware-based monitors.
Software
- CPU-ZCPU-ZCPU-Z is a freeware system profiler application for Microsoft Windows that detects the central processing unit, RAM, motherboard chipset, and other hardware features of a modern personal computer, and presents the information in one window.CPU-Z is more in-depth in almost all areas than the tools...
, detects live changes in CPU attributes - ConkyConky (software)Conky is a free software system monitor for the X Window System. It is available for Linux, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD. Conky is highly configurable and is able to monitor many system variables including the status of the CPU, memory, swap space, disk storage, temperatures, processes, network interfaces,...
- frysk - analyzes and monitors system processes
- Ganglia (software)Ganglia (software)Ganglia is a scalable distributed system monitor tool for high-performance computing systems such as clusters and grids. It allows the user to remotely view live or historical statistics for all machines that are being monitored.-Ganglia:It is based on a hierarchical design targeted at...
- GKrellMGKrellMGKrellM is a computer program based on the GTK+ toolkit that creates a single process stack of system monitors. It can be used to monitor the status of CPUs, main memory, hard disks, network interfaces, local and remote mailboxes, and many other things. Plugins are available for a multitude of...
- htop (Unix)Htop (Unix)Htop is an interactive system-monitor process-viewer written for Linux. It is designed to replace the Unix program top. It shows a frequently updated list of the processes running on a computer, normally ordered by the amount of CPU usage. Unlike 'top', Htop provides a full list of processes...
- IostatIostatiostat is a computer system monitor tool used to collect and show operating system storage input and output statistics.It is often used to identify performance issues with local disks or networked file systems such as NFS....
- Motherboard MonitorMotherboard MonitorMotherboard Monitor is a utility designed by Alexander Van Kaam for Microsoft Windows that provides live information about the state of a motherboard and other hardware, including temperatures, voltages, fan speeds, and more....
- NmonNmonnmon is a popular system monitor tool for the AIX and Linux operating systems.- Description :The original nmon was a freely downloadable tool for AIX 4.3 from the AIX wiki. It was also rewritten for the Linux operating system running on IA-32, x86-64, RS/6000 and Power processor and Mainframe and...
- Sar in UNIXSar in UNIXIn computing, sar is a Solaris-derived system monitor command used to report on various system loads, including CPU activity, memory/paging, device load, network. Linux distributions provide sar through the sysstat package.- Syntax :...
- SpeedFanSpeedFanSpeedFan is software that can read temperatures, voltages and fan speeds of computer components. It can change computer fan speeds depending on the temperature of various components....
- top (software)
- VmstatVmstatvmstat is a computer system monitoring tool that collects and displays summary information about operating system memory, processes, interrupts, paging and block I/O...
- Windows Sidebar on Windows Vista
- WinBar
- Activity monitorActivity MonitorActivity Monitor is a task manager, a utility for performing different tasks to a computer processes, in the Mac OS X operating system. Some of its functions include:*Quitting or "killing" a computer process*Viewing the computer's CPU load...
on Mac OS X.
See also
- I²CI²CI²C is a multi-master serial single-ended computer bus invented by Philips that is used to attach low-speed peripherals to a motherboard, embedded system, cellphone, or other electronic device. Since the mid 1990s, several competitors I²C ("i-squared cee" or "i-two cee"; Inter-Integrated Circuit;...
- Network monitoringNetwork monitoringThe term network monitoring describes the use of a system that constantly monitors a computer network for slow or failing components and that notifies the network administrator in case of outages...
- MTBF
- IPMIIntelligent Platform Management InterfaceThe Intelligent Platform Management Interface is a standardizedcomputer system interface used by system administrators to manage a computer system and monitor its operation....
- System profilerSystem profilerA system profiler is a program that can provide detailed information about the software installed and hardware attached to the computer. Typically workstations and personal computers have had system profilers as a common feature since the mid-1990s....