timex(ADM)

timex -- time a command; report process data and system activity

Syntax

timex [ options ] command

Description

When you use the timex utility, the given command is executed; the elapsed time (real), user time and system time spent in execution are reported in seconds. Optionally, process accounting data for the command and all its children can be listed or summarized, and total system activity during the execution interval can be reported.

The output of timex is written on standard error.

The following options may be specified:

-p

List process accounting data for command and all its children. This option works only if the process accounting software is installed. Sub-options -f, -h, -k, -m, -r, and -t modify the data items as follows:

-f: Print the fork/exec flag and system exit status columns in the output.
-h: Instead of mean memory size, show the fraction of total available CPU time consumed by the process during its execution. This ``hog factor'' is computed as: (total CPU time)/(elapsed time).
-k: Instead of memory size, show total kilocore-minutes. A kilocore-minute is a measure of system usage based on a process occupying 1MB of memory for 1 minute.
-m: Show mean core size (the default).
-r: Show CPU factor (user-time/(system-time + user-time)).
-t: Show separate system and user CPU times. The number of blocks read or written and the number of characters transferred are always reported.

-o

Report the total number of blocks read or written and total characters transferred by command and all its children. This option works only if the process accounting software is installed, otherwise the option is ignored.

-s

Report total system activity (not just that due to command) that occurred during the execution interval of command. All the data items listed in sar(ADM) are reported.

-b file

Save the binary data into a named file in sar format.

Examples

A simple example:

timex -ops sleep 60

A terminal session of arbitrary complexity can be measured by timing a sub-shell:

timex -opskmt sh
...
session commands
...
EOT

Warning

Process records associated with command are selected from the accounting file /usr/adm/pacct by inference, since process genealogy is not available. Background processes having the same user ID, terminal ID, and execution time window will be spuriously included.

Files

/usr/bin/timex: command

Standards conformance

timex is conformant with AT&T SVID Issue 2.