Load Average in Linux

top command output

Understanding Load Average

Imagine your computer is like a school, and the CPU (the brain of your computer) is like the teacher. The students are the tasks or jobs that need to be done.

Load Average Numbers

• The load average numbers are like how many students (tasks/job) are waiting in line to talk to the teacher (CPU).
• 146.82, 146.67, 149.45 means:
• In the last 1 minute, there were about 147 students (tasks/job) waiting.
• In the last 5 minutes, there were about 147 students (tasks/job) waiting.
• In the last 15 minutes, there were about 149 students (tasks/job) waiting.

What It Means

• A low number (like 1 or 2) means the teacher (CPU) is not too busy.
• A high number (like 147) means the teacher (CPU) is super busy and a lot of students (tasks/job) are waiting to talk to the teacher (CPU).

Why It’s a Problem

• If the teacher (CPU) is too busy, students (tasks/job) have to wait a long time to get help.
• Your computer is working really hard and might be slow because it has too many things to do.

How to Fix It

• Find out which students (tasks) are taking too long to talk to the teacher.
• Ask some students…