[comp.unix.questions] CPU usage > real time

jain@bgsuvax.UUCP (Rajiv) (03/29/89)

We made an unusual observation in one of our monthly usage accounting report -
Number of seconds CPU was busy was actually greater by almost 1/2 a million
seconds than the actual number of seconds in a 31 days month.
If anybody has any clue to this enigma please let us know.
thanx.

barnett@crdgw1.crd.ge.com (Bruce Barnett) (03/29/89)

In article <3914@bgsuvax.UUCP>, jain@bgsuvax (Rajiv) writes:
>Number of seconds CPU was busy was actually greater by almost 1/2 a million
>seconds than the actual number of seconds in a 31 days month.

On a bsd system the values are added to the system when the job ends.
Accounting does not accumulate CPU seconds while the job is running.
You could be running a process for weeks, and when it terminates,
the totals are added. It gives strange daily results.

Also make sure you turn off accounting when you execute rdate.
We got some negative CPU values this way.

--
Bruce G. Barnett	<barnett@crdgw1.ge.com>  a.k.a. <barnett@[192.35.44.4]>
			uunet!steinmetz!barnett, <barnett@steinmetz.ge.com>