1
0
Fork 0
virtualbox/doc/manual/en_US/man_VBoxManage-metrics.xml
Daniel Baumann df1bda4fe9
Adding upstream version 7.0.20-dfsg.
Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>
2025-06-22 09:56:04 +02:00

425 lines
17 KiB
XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--
manpage, user manual, usage: VBoxManage metrics
-->
<!--
Copyright (C) 2006-2023 Oracle and/or its affiliates.
This file is part of VirtualBox base platform packages, as
available from https://www.virtualbox.org.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
as published by the Free Software Foundation, in version 3 of the
License.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program; if not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses>.
SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-only
-->
<!DOCTYPE refentry PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd"[
<!ENTITY % all.entities SYSTEM "all-entities.ent">
%all.entities;
]>
<refentry id="vboxmanage-metrics" lang="en">
<refentryinfo>
<pubdate>$Date: 2023-01-17 15:15:46 +0100 (Tue, 17 Jan 2023) $</pubdate>
<title>VBoxManage metrics</title>
</refentryinfo>
<refmeta>
<refentrytitle>VBoxManage-metrics</refentrytitle>
<manvolnum>1</manvolnum>
</refmeta>
<refnamediv>
<refname>VBoxManage-metrics</refname>
<refpurpose>monitor system resource usage</refpurpose>
<refclass>&product-name;</refclass>
</refnamediv>
<refsynopsisdiv>
<cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-metrics-collect">
<command>VBoxManage metrics collect</command>
<arg>--detach</arg>
<arg>--list</arg>
<arg>--period=<replaceable>seconds</replaceable></arg>
<arg>--samples=<replaceable>count</replaceable></arg>
<group>
<arg choice="plain">*</arg>
<arg choice="plain">host</arg>
<arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable> <arg><replaceable>metric-list</replaceable></arg></arg>
</group>
</cmdsynopsis>
<cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-metrics-disable">
<command>VBoxManage metrics disable</command>
<arg>--list</arg>
<group>
<arg choice="plain">*</arg>
<arg choice="plain">host</arg>
<arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable> <arg><replaceable>metric-list</replaceable></arg></arg>
</group>
</cmdsynopsis>
<cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-metrics-enable">
<command>VBoxManage metrics enable</command>
<arg>--list</arg>
<group>
<arg choice="plain">*</arg>
<arg choice="plain">host</arg>
<arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable> <arg><replaceable>metric-list</replaceable></arg></arg>
</group>
</cmdsynopsis>
<cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-metrics-list">
<command>VBoxManage metrics list</command>
<group>
<arg choice="plain">*</arg>
<arg choice="plain">host</arg>
<arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable> <arg><replaceable>metric-list</replaceable></arg></arg>
</group>
</cmdsynopsis>
<cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-metrics-query">
<command>VBoxManage metrics query</command>
<group>
<arg choice="plain">*</arg>
<arg choice="plain">host</arg>
<arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable> <arg><replaceable>metric-list</replaceable></arg></arg>
</group>
</cmdsynopsis>
<cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-metrics-setup">
<command>VBoxManage metrics setup</command>
<arg>--list</arg>
<arg>--period <replaceable>seconds</replaceable></arg>
<arg>--samples <replaceable>count</replaceable></arg>
<group>
<arg choice="plain">*</arg>
<arg choice="plain">host</arg>
<arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable> <arg><replaceable>metric-list</replaceable></arg></arg>
</group>
</cmdsynopsis>
</refsynopsisdiv>
<refsect1>
<title>Description</title>
<para>
The <command>VBoxManage metrics</command> command enables you to
monitor system resource usage for the host system and for virtual
machines (VMs). For example, you can monitor particular metrics,
such as the percentage of time CPUs spend executing in user mode
(<literal>CPU/Load/User</literal>) over a specified sampling
period.
</para>
<para>
While it runs, the <command>VBoxSVC</command> process collects and
saves the specified metric data internally. The
<command>VBoxSVC</command> process runs until shortly after you
close all VMs and frontends. Use the <command>VBoxManage metrics
query</command> command to retrieve data at any time.
</para>
<para>
By default, metrics are not collected unless you run the
<command>VBoxManage metrics setup</command> command to specify a
sampling interval in seconds and the number of metrics to save.
</para>
<para>
Note that you can enable metric collection only for started VMs.
Collected data and collection settings for a VM are discarded when
the VM shuts down.
</para>
<refsect2>
<title>Metrics</title>
<para>
The host and VMs have different sets of associated metrics,
which you can view by running the <command>VBoxManage metrics
list</command> command.
</para>
<para>
Each metric is represented as a string that is composed of a
category and a metric. Optionally, the metric string can include
any of the following: a submetric, a sub-submetric, and an
aggregate. The metric string has the following format:
</para>
<screen><replaceable>category</replaceable>/<replaceable>metric</replaceable>[/<replaceable>submetric</replaceable>[/<replaceable>sub-submetric</replaceable>]][:<replaceable>aggregate</replaceable>]</screen>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>
<replaceable>category</replaceable> is the resource type,
such as <literal>CPU</literal>, <literal>RAM</literal>,
<literal>FS</literal>, <literal>Net</literal>.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<replaceable>metric</replaceable> is a measurement type that
is associated with the resource category. For example, the
<literal>Load</literal> and <literal>MHz</literal> metrics
are associated with the <literal>CPU</literal> resource
category.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<replaceable>submetric</replaceable> is an optional
measurement type that is associated with the metric. For
example, the <literal>User</literal>,
<literal>Kernel</literal>, and <literal>Idle</literal>
submetrics are associated with the <literal>Load</literal>
metric.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<replaceable>sub-submetric</replaceable> is an optional
measurement type that is associated with the submetric. For
example, the <literal>Rx</literal> and <literal>Tx</literal>
sub-submetrics are associated with the
<literal>Rate</literal> submetric of the
<literal>Net</literal> resource category. The associated
metric is the network interface.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<replaceable>aggregate</replaceable> is an optional function
to provide minimum, maximum, and average measurements for a
resource category. For example, the
<literal>RAM/Usage/Free:min</literal> metric represents the
minimum amount of available memory found in all saved data
on the host system.
</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
<para>
By default, the <command>VBoxManage metrics</command> commands
operate on the host system and all VMs, and report on all
metrics. You can optionally limit these commands to operate on
the host system or on a particular VM, and report on a list of
one or more metrics.
</para>
</refsect2>
<refsect2 id="vboxmanage-metrics-common-options">
<title>Common Options</title>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><literal>*</literal> | <literal>host</literal> | <replaceable>vmname</replaceable></term>
<listitem><para>
Specifies the component on which to operate. By default,
this command operates on the host system and all running
VMs.
</para><para>
If you specify <literal>host</literal>, the
<command>VBoxManage metrics</command> command operates on
the host system only. If you specify an asterisk
(<literal>*</literal>), the command operates on all VMs.
If you specify the name of a VM, the <command>VBoxManage
metrics</command> command operates on that VM.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><replaceable>metric-list</replaceable></term>
<listitem><para>
Specifies a comma-separated list of one or more metrics.
</para><para>
The form of the metric must include the
<replaceable>category</replaceable> and
<replaceable>metric</replaceable> part of the metric
string separated by a slash.
</para><para>
Note that the <command>VBoxManage metrics enable</command>
and <command>VBoxManage metrics disable</command> commands
require that you specify metrics as parameters. The
metrics must include only the resource category and metric
part, such as <literal>CPU/Load</literal> and
<literal>RAM/Usage</literal>.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
<refsect2 id="vboxmanage-metrics-collect">
<title>Collect Data Metrics</title>
<remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
<para>
The <command>VBoxManage metrics collect</command> command
collects and outputs data periodically until you stop the
process by pressing Ctrl+C.
</para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>--detach</option></term>
<listitem><para>
Disables the collection of metric data, so no data is
output. Using this option is the same as running the
<command>VBoxManage metrics setup</command> command.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>--list</option></term>
<listitem><para>
Shows which metrics match the specified filter.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>--period=<replaceable>seconds</replaceable></option></term>
<listitem><para>
Specifies the number of seconds to wait between collecting
metric data samples. The default value is 1.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>--samples=<replaceable>count</replaceable></option></term>
<listitem><para>
Specifies the number of metric data samples to save. To
view the saved data, use the <command>VBoxManage metrics
query</command> command. The default value is 1.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
<refsect2 id="vboxmanage-metrics-disable">
<title>Disable Metric Data Collection</title>
<remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
<para>
The <command>VBoxManage metrics disable</command> command
suspends data collection. This action does not affect the data
collection properties or the collected data. Note that
specifying a submetric in the metric list does not disable its
underlying metrics.
</para>
<para>
Note that the <command>VBoxManage metrics disable</command>
command requires that you specify metrics as parameters. The
metrics must include only the resource category and metric part,
such as <literal>CPU/Load</literal> and
<literal>RAM/Usage</literal>.
</para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>--list</option></term>
<listitem><para>
Shows whether the command succeeded as expected.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
<refsect2 id="vboxmanage-metrics-enable">
<title>Enable Metric Data Collection</title>
<remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
<para>
The <command>VBoxManage metrics enable</command> command resumes
data collection after it has been suspended by using the
<command>VBoxManage metrics disable</command> command. Note that
specifying a submetric in the metric list does not enable its
underlying metrics.
</para>
<para>
Unlike the <command>VBoxManage metrics setup</command> command,
the <command>VBoxManage metrics enable</command> command does
not discard previously collected samples for the specified set
of objects and metrics.
</para>
<para>
Note that the <command>VBoxManage metrics enable</command>
command requires that you specify metrics as parameters. The
metrics must include only the resource category and metric part,
such as <literal>CPU/Load</literal> and
<literal>RAM/Usage</literal>.
</para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>--list</option></term>
<listitem><para>
Shows whether the command succeeded as expected.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
<refsect2 id="vboxmanage-metrics-list">
<title>List Metric Values</title>
<remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
<para>
The <command>VBoxManage metrics list</command> command shows the
metrics that are currently available. Note that VM-specific
metrics are shown only when that VM is running.
</para>
</refsect2>
<refsect2 id="vboxmanage-metrics-query">
<title>List Saved Metric Data</title>
<remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
<para>
The <command>VBoxManage metrics query</command> command
retrieves and shows the saved metric data.
</para>
<para>
Note that the <command>VBoxManage metrics query</command>
command does not remove or flush saved data but older samples
are replaced by newer samples over time.
</para>
</refsect2>
<refsect2 id="vboxmanage-metrics-setup">
<title>Configure Metric-Gathering Properties</title>
<remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
<para>
The <command>VBoxManage metrics setup</command> command
configures metric-gathering properties.
</para>
<para>
Note that this command discards any previously collected samples
for the specified set of objects and metrics. To enable or
disable metrics collection without discarding the data, use the
<command>VBoxManage metrics enable</command> command or the
<command>VBoxManage metrics disable</command> command,
respectively.
</para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>--list</option></term>
<listitem><para>
Shows which metrics have been modified as a result of the
command execution.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>--period=<replaceable>seconds</replaceable></option></term>
<listitem><para>
Specifies the number of seconds to wait between collecting
metric data samples. The default value is 1.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><option>--samples=<replaceable>count</replaceable></option></term>
<listitem><para>
Specifies the number of metric data samples to save. To
view the saved data, use the <command>VBoxManage metrics
query</command> command. The default value is 1.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
</refsect1>
<refsect1>
<title>Examples</title>
<remark role="help-scope" condition="GLOBAL"/>
<para>
The following example command enables the collection of host
processor and memory usage metrics every second. The
<option>--samples</option> option saves the five latest samples.
</para>
<screen>$ VBoxManage metrics setup --period 1 --samples 5 host CPU/Load,RAM/Usage</screen>
<para>
The following command lists the metrics that are available to the
host system and VMs:
</para>
<screen>$ VBoxManage metrics list</screen>
<para>
Note that the host system and VMs have different sets of metrics.
</para>
<para>
The following example shows how to query metric data about the CPU
time spent in user and kernel modes for the
<literal>test</literal> VM:
</para>
<screen>$ VBoxManage metrics query test CPU/Load/User,CPU/Load/Kernel</screen>
</refsect1>
</refentry>