If your server is under a high load, the command

# top

can provide you with real time information about the top CPU and memory using processes on the server. Top also has an interactive interface, so you can control the output. Some of these options are listed below.


P sort tasks by CPU usage (default).

M sort tasks by resident memory usage.

T sort tasks by time / cumulative time.

m toggle display of memory information. (on/off)

l toggle display of load average and uptime information. (on/off)

c toggle display of command name or full command line. (on/off)


More information on the process 'top' can be found by running the command:
# man top

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