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NAME

       pmval - performance metrics value dumper

SYNOPSIS

       pmval  [-dgrz]  [-A align] [-a archive] [-f N] [-h host] [-i instances]
       [-K spec] [-n pmnsfile]  [-O  offset]  [-p  port]  [-S  starttime]  [-s
       samples]  [-T  endtime]  [-t  interval]  [-U  archive]  [-w  width] [-Z
       timezone] metricname

DESCRIPTION

       pmval prints current or archived values for the  nominated  performance
       metric.   The  metric  of interest is named in the metricname argument,
       subject to instance qualification with the -i flag as described  below.

       Unless  directed  to another host by the -h option, or to an archive by
       the -a or -U  options,  pmval  will  contact  the  Performance  Metrics
       Collector  Daemon  (PMCD)  on  the  local  host  to obtain the required
       information.

       The metricname argument may also be given in the  metric  specification
       syntax,  as  described  in  PCPIntro(1),  where  the source, metric and
       instance   may   all   be   included   in    the    metricname,    e.g.
       thathost:kernel.all.load["1  minute"].   When this format is used, none
       of the -h or -a or -U options maye be specificed.

       When using the metric  specification  syntax,  the  ‘‘hostname’’  @  is
       treated  specially  and  causes pmval to use a local context to collect
       metrics from PMDAs on the local host without PMCD.  Only  some  metrics
       are available in this mode.

       When  processing  an  archive,  pmval  may  relinquish  its  own timing
       control, and operate as a ‘‘slave’’ of a pmtime(1) process that uses  a
       GUI  dialog  to  provide  timing  control.  In this case, either the -g
       option should be used to start  pmval  as  the  sole  slave  of  a  new
       pmtime(1) instance, or -p should be used to attach pmval to an existing
       pmtime(1) instance via the IPC channel identified by the port argument.

       The  -S,  -T,  -O and -A options may be used to define a time window to
       restrict the samples retrieved, set an initial origin within  the  time
       window,  or  specify a ‘‘natural’’ alignment of the sample times; refer
       to PCPIntro(1) for a complete description of these options.

       Options which control the source, timing and layout of the  information
       reported by pmval are as follows:

       -a   Performance  metric  values are retrieved from the Performance Co-
            Pilot (PCP) archive log file identified by the base name  archive.

       -d   When  replaying  from  an  archive,  this option requests that the
            prevailing real-time delay be applied between samples (see -t)  to
            effect  a pause, rather than the default behaviour of replaying at
            full speed.

       -f   Numbers are reported in ‘‘fixed point’’ notation, rather than  the
            default scientific notation.  Each number will be up to the column
            width determined by the default heuristics, else the -w option  if
            specified,  and include N digits after the decimal point.  So, the
            options -f 3 -w 8 would produce numbers of the form  9999.999.   A
            value  of  zero  for  N omits the decimal point and any fractional
            digits.

       -g   Start pmval as the slave of a new pmtime(1) process for replay  of
            archived  performance  data  using  the  pmtime(1)  graphical user
            interface.

       -h   Current performance metric values are retrieved from the nominated
            host machine.

       -i   instances  is  a  list  of  one  or  more  instance  names for the
            nominated performance  metric  -  just  these  instances  will  be
            retrieved  and  reported (the default is to report all instances).
            The list must be a single argument,  with  elements  of  the  list
            separated by commas and/or white space.

            The  instance  name  may  be  quoted with single (’) or double (")
            quotes for those cases where  the  instance  name  contains  white
            space or commas.

            Multiple   -i  options  are  allowed  as  an  alternative  way  of
            specifying more than one instance of interest.

            As an example, the following are all equivalent:

                 $ pmval -i "1 minute,5 minute" kernel.all.load
                 $ pmval -i"1 minute","5 minute"kernel.all.load
                 $ pmval -i "1 minute’ ’5 minute" kernel.all.load
                 $ pmval -i "1 minute" -i "5 minute" kernel.all.load
                 $ pmvallocalhost:kernel.all.load["1 minute","5 minute"]-K   When fetching metrics from a local context, the -K option  may  be
            used to control the DSO PMDAs that should be made accessible.  The
            spec   argument   conforms   to   the    syntax    described    in
            __pmSpecLocalPMDA(3).  More than one -K option may be used.

       -n   Normally  pmval  operates  on the default Performance Metrics Name
            Space (PMNS), however if the -n option is specified an alternative
            namespace is loaded from the file pmnsfile.

       -p   Attach  pmval  to  an  existing  pmtime(1)  time  control  process
            instance via the IPC channel  identified  by  the  port  argument.
            This   option   is   normally  only  used  by  other  tools,  e.g.
            pmchart(1), when they launch pmval with synchronized time control.

       -r   Print   raw  values  for  cumulative  counter  metrics.   Normally
            cumulative counter metrics are converted to rates.   For  example,
            disk transfers are reported as number of disk transfers per second
            during the preceding sample interval, rather than the raw value of
            number  of  disk  transfers  since the machine was booted.  If you
            specify this option, the raw metric values are printed.

       -s   The argument samples defines the number of samples to be retrieved
            and  reported.  If samples is 0 or -s is not specified, pmval will
            sample and report continuously (in real time mode)  or  until  the
            end of the PCP archive (in archive mode).

       -t   The default update interval may be set to something other than the
            default 1  second.   The  interval  argument  follows  the  syntax
            described  in  PCPIntro(1),  and  in  the  simplest form may be an
            unsigned integer (the implied units in this case are seconds).

       -U   Performance metric values are retrieved from the  Performance  Co-
            Pilot  (PCP) archive log file identified by the base name archive,
            although unlike -a every recorded value in  the  archive  for  the
            selected  metric  and  instances  is reported (so no interpolation
            mode, and the sample interval (-t option) is ignored.

            At most one of the options -a and -U may be specified.

       -w   Set the width of each column of output to be  width  columns.   If
            not  specified  columns are wide enough to accommodate the largest
            value of the type being printed.

       -Z   By default, pmval reports the time of day according to  the  local
            timezone  on the system where pmval is run.  The -Z option changes
            the timezone to timezone in the format of the environment variable
            TZ as described in environ(5).

       -z   Change  the  reporting  timezone to the local timezone at the host
            that is the source of the performance metrics, as  identified  via
            either the metricname or the -h or -a or -U options.

       The  following  symbols  may  occasionally appear, in place of a metric
       value, in pmval output:  A question mark symbol (?)  indicates  that  a
       value  is no longer available for that metric instance.  An exclamation
       mark (!)  indicates that a 64-bit counter wrapped during the sample.

       The output from pmval is directed to standard output.

FILES

       $PCP_VAR_DIR/pmns/*
                 default PMNS specification files

PCP ENVIRONMENT

       Environment variables with the prefix PCP_ are used to parameterize the
       file  and  directory names used by PCP.  On each installation, the file
       /etc/pcp.conf contains the  local  values  for  these  variables.   The
       $PCP_CONF  variable may be used to specify an alternative configuration
       file, as described in pcp.conf(4).

SEE ALSO

       PCPIntro(1), pmcd(1), pmchart(1), pmdumplog(1), pminfo(1), pmlogger(1),
       pmtime(1),  PMAPI(3), __pmSpecLocalPMDA(3), pcp.conf(4) and pcp.env(4).

DIAGNOSTICS

       All are generated on standard  error  and  are  intended  to  be  self-
       explanatory.

CAVEATS

       By  default,  pmval attempts to display non-integer numeric values in a
       way that does not distort the inherent precision (rarely  more  than  4
       significant  digits),  and  tries  to  maintain a tabular format in the
       output.  These goals are sometimes in conflict.

       In the absence of the -f option (described above), the following  table
       describes  the  formats used for different ranges of numeric values for
       any metric that is of type  PM_TYPE_FLOAT  or  PM_TYPE_DOUBLE,  or  any
       metric that has the semantics of a counter (for which pmval reports the
       rate converted value):

                         +----------+----------------------+
                         | Format   |     Value Range      |
                         +----------+----------------------+
                         |        ! | No values available  |
                         |9.999E-99 | < 0.1                |
                         |   0.0    | 0                    |
                         |   9.9999 | > 0 and <= 0.9999    |
                         |   9.999  | > 0.9999 and < 9.999 |
                         |  99.99   | > 9.999 and < 99.99  |
                         | 999.9    | > 99.99 and < 999.9  |
                         |9999.     | > 999.9 and < 9999   |
                         |9.999E+99 | > 9999               |
                         +----------+----------------------+