Capture Performance Logs With nmon
Record system metrics to a CSV for offline analysis.
01Command
$ nmon -f -s 1 -c 60 -m /tmp02What it does
nmon samples CPU, memory, disk and network and can write a delimiter-separated file that its analyzer or a spreadsheet reads, which is ideal for long unattended captures on a server. Interactive monitors cannot run headless this way.
03Risk
04Undo
✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.
05Sources
- nmon.1.en.html manual page (Debian bookworm)Evidence: Documents nmon and its -f file mode and -s/-c sampling options.
Last verified: 2026-10-13 · Category: System & Settings
06Related solutions
vmstat gives a compact one-line-per-interval view of CPU usage, swap activity, and I/O waits that top doesn't summarize as clearly.
Use free -h to see used, free, and available memory plus swap in GB/MiB instead of raw kilobytes.
Launch an interactive process viewer with color meters for CPU cores, memory, and swap, plus search, sort, and kill controls.