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# Installing Procps

## Installation of Procps

Install Procps by running the following commands:

> `sed "s/XConsole/#XConsole/" Makefile | make -f - &&`
> `sed "s/XConsole/#XConsole/" Makefile | make -f - install &&`
> `mv /usr/bin/kill /bin`

## Command explanations

`sed "s/XConsole/#XConsole/" Makefile | make -f -:` This will comment out the XConsole variable in the Makefile and pipe the output of sed (the modified Makefile) directly to the make program. This is an alternate and more efficient way to direct the output to a file and tell make to use that alternate file. The XConsole build is disabled because it can't be build yet because we don't have X installed yet.

## Contents

The Procps package contains the free, kill, oldps, ps, skill, snice, sysctl, tload, top, uptime, vmstat, w and watch programs.

## Description

### free

free displays the total amount of free and used physical and swap memory in the system, as well as the shared memory and buffers used by the kernel.

### kill

kills sends signals to processes.

### oldps and ps

ps gives a snapshot of the current processes.

### skill

skill sends signals to process matching a criteria.

### snice

snice changes the scheduling priority for process matching a criteria.

### sysctl

sysctl modifies kernel parameters at runtime.

### tload

tload prints a graph of the current system load average to the specified tty (or the tty of the tload process if none is specified).

### top

top provides an ongoing look at processor activity in real time.

### uptime

uptime gives a one line display of the following information: the current time, how long the system has been running, how many users are currently logged on, and the system load averages for the past 1, 5, and 15 minutes.

### vmstat

vmstat reports information about processes, memory, paging, block IO, traps, and cpu activity.

### w

w displays information about the users currently on the machine, and their processes.

### watch

watch runs command repeatedly, displaying its output (the first screenfull).

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