How to tell what program's running on your computer?

Posted: 04-11-2005, 06:31 PM

Timothy Law

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Howdy!
I heard my harddrive running sometimes, I know it maybe trying to update
file system database.
But made me wonder, how do I determine what's running when I suspect that my
linux box isn't really "running" anything.
I think the command "jobs" only tells you if your got any background
programs.

So is the answer: the command "ps" , "ps -aux" ? or is there a better
command to answer my question?

Sometimes I heard the disk running but don't think it's the regular sheduled
file system database update.

Thanks.

How to tell what program's running on your computer?

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Responses to "How to tell what program's running on your computer?"

Bit Twister

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Re: How to tell what program's running on your computer?

Posted: 04-11-2005, 06:43 PM

On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 18:31:27 GMT, Timothy Law wrote:

> Howdy!
> I heard my harddrive running sometimes, I know it maybe trying to update
> file system database.

Or hourly batch job, or if oh-dark-thirty, daily, weekly an monthly
batch jobs.

> But made me wonder, how do I determine what's running when I suspect that my
> linux box isn't really "running" anything.

> So is the answer: the command "ps" , "ps -aux" ? or is there a better
> command to answer my question?

or ps aux

depending on which of the 190+ linuxes.

If journaled filesystem, the journal will update every 5 seconds.

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J.O. Aho

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Re: How to tell what program's running on your computer?

Posted: 04-11-2005, 06:49 PM

Timothy Law wrote:

> So is the answer: the command "ps" , "ps -aux" ? or is there a better
> command to answer my question?

The best I know is to run: ps ax
of course some rootkits do replace the ps with their own that won't show all
processes, tools that checks that is chkrootkit and rkhunter.

> Sometimes I heard the disk running but don't think it's the regular sheduled
> file system database update.

Cron is run quite regulary, kind of every 10th minute does mine run:
test -x /usr/sbin/run-crons && /usr/sbin/run-crons

//Aho

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Matt

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Re: How to tell what program's running on your computer?

Posted: 04-11-2005, 09:55 PM

Timothy Law wrote:

> Howdy!
> I heard my harddrive running sometimes, I know it maybe trying to update
> file system database.
> But made me wonder, how do I determine what's running when I suspect that
> my linux box isn't really "running" anything.
> I think the command "jobs" only tells you if your got any background
> programs.
>
> So is the answer: the command "ps" , "ps -aux" ? or is there a better
> command to answer my question?
>

Try "top" from the command line for a constantly updated list of running
processes.

> Sometimes I heard the disk running but don't think it's the regular
> sheduled file system database update.
>
> Thanks.

OK.

Matt

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JDS

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Re: How to tell what program's running on your computer?

Posted: 04-12-2005, 01:59 PM

On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 13:43:05 -0500, Bit Twister wrote:

> or ps aux
>
> depending on which of the 190+ linuxes.
>
> If journaled filesystem, the journal will update every 5 seconds.

I happen to like

ps wauxf | less

just my $0.02

--
JDS | jeffrey@example.invalid
| http://www.newtnotes.com
DJMBS | http://newtnotes.com/doctor-jeff-master-brainsurgeon/

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Timothy Law

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Re: How to tell what program's running on your computer?

Posted: 04-13-2005, 04:08 AM

Thanks everyone.!!! great! you all have been very helpful
,

I would like to vote for the command line "top", it's the best so far!!!

Thanks!!!!

"Matt" <mknight@tesco.net> wrote in message
news:d3erpa$kif$1@hercules.btinternet.com...

> Timothy Law wrote:
>
> > Howdy!
> > I heard my harddrive running sometimes, I know it maybe trying to update
> > file system database.
> > But made me wonder, how do I determine what's running when I suspect

that

> > my linux box isn't really "running" anything.
> > I think the command "jobs" only tells you if your got any background
> > programs.
> >
> > So is the answer: the command "ps" , "ps -aux" ? or is there a better
> > command to answer my question?
> >
>
> Try "top" from the command line for a constantly updated list of running
> processes.
>
>
> > Sometimes I heard the disk running but don't think it's the regular
> > sheduled file system database update.
> >
> > Thanks.
>
> OK.
>
> Matt
>

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