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diff --git a/contrib/top/FAQ b/contrib/top/FAQ new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d4a458f --- /dev/null +++ b/contrib/top/FAQ @@ -0,0 +1,233 @@ + TOP + Version 3.4 + + William LeFebvre + and a cast of dozens + + +FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWERS + +This FAQ is broken out in to several topics. + + +GENERAL + + 1. "Where do I get the latest version of top?" + +The latest version of top is now available at the site "ftp.groupsys.com" in +the directory "/pub/top". It is also available at "eecs.nwu.edu" in the +directory "/pub/top". + + 2. "Is there a web page for top?" + +Not at this time, but I am planning one. When it is finally available, you +will be able to find it at "www.groupsys.com." + + 3. "Is there a mailing list for top?" + +Currently there is a top developers mailing list that is used by beta +testers and other people who help me port the program to various machines. +I am planning a general mailing list for announcements and such, but it is +not yet available. + + 4. "How can I find out when all these things become available?" + +Information about the web site and the mailing list will be made available +in future distributions of top. New distributions will be announced on the +appropriate Usenet newsgroups (including comp.sources.unix). + + 5. "Why does it take so long for a new version of top to go through the + beta test process?" + +This is completely my fault. I have just not had the time recently to give +top the attention it deserves. I thank everyone for their patience, and I +hope that with the recent changes in the direction of my career that I can +spend more time on this. + + 6. "Top is not written in ANSI C. Do you ever plan to change that?" + +Top predates ANSI C by about 5 years. Yeah, it'll get "fixed" eventually. +Probably in 3.5. + + +CONFIGURING + + 7. "Configure said that it saw /proc and is recommending that I install top + setuid root. Is there any way around this? Is it safe?" + +There is no way around it. Complain to POSIX. Every effort has been made +to make top a secure setuid program. However, we cannot guarantee that +there are no security problems associated with this configuration. The +places where top is most vulnerable are the builtin kill and renice +commands. There is no internal top command that causes top to start a shell +as a subprocess. Some SVR4 systems may contain a bug that enables a user to +renice his own processes downward (to lower nice values that are more +favorable for the process). This problem has been fixed for the Solaris 2.x +modules, but may still exist in others. We will hopefully fix this up in +the next release. + + 8. "Why is Configure a c-shell script? I thought c-shell scripts were + evil?" + +They are. :-) I'll probably be rewriting the Configure script for the +next release. + + +COMPILING + + 9. "We just upgraded our operating system to a new version and top broke. + What should we do?" + +Recompile it. Top is very sensitive to changes in internal kernel data +structures. It is not uncommon for a new version of the operating system to +include changes to kernel data structures. + + +RUNNING + +10. "I just finished compiling top and it works fine for root, but when + I try to run it as a regular user it either complains about files + it can't open or it doesn't display all the information it should. + Did I do something wrong?" + +Well, you're just not done. On many operating systems today, access to +many of the kernel memory devices and other system files is restricted to +either root or a particular group. The Configure script figures this out +(usually) and makes sure that the "intsall" rule in the Makefile will +install top so that anyone can run it successfully. However, you have to +*install* it first. Do this with the command "make install". + +11. "Top is (not) displaying idle processes and I don't (do) want it to." + +This default has only changed about a dozen times, and I finally got tired +of people whining about it. Go read the manual page for the current version +and pay special attention to the description of the "TOP" environment +variable. + +12. "We have so much memory in our machine that the memory status display + (the fourth line) ends up being longer than 80 characters. This + completely messes up top's output. Is there a patch?" + +Most modules have been changed to use new memory formatting functions which +will display large values in terms of megabytes instead of kilobytes. This +should fix all occurences of this problem. If you encounter a system where +this large memory display overflow is still occurring, please let me know +(send mail to <wnl@groupsys.com>). Also note that newer versions of top can +use columns beyond 79, and understand window resizes. So you can always +make your window bigger. + +13. "I tried to compile top with gcc and it doesn't work. I get + compilation errors in the include files, or I get an executable that + dumps core, or top displays incorrect numbers in some of the displays. + What's wrong?" + +Gnu CC likes very much to use its own include files. Not being a gcc +expert, I can't explain why it does this. But I can tell you that if you +upgrade your operating system (say from Solaris 2.4 to Solaris 2.5) after +installing gcc, then the include files that gcc uses will be incorrect, +especially those found in the "sys" directory. Your choices are: (1) +rebuild and reinstall the "standard" include files for gcc (look for a +script in the distribution called "fixincludes"), (2) compile machine.c +with "CFLAGS=-I/usr/include" then make the rest of the object files +normally, or (3) use "cc". + +14. "The cpu state percentages are all wrong, indicating that my machine is + using 95% system time when it is clearly idle. What's wrong?" + +This can happen if you compiled with gcc using the wrong include files. +See the previous question. + + +SUNOS PROBLEMS + +15. "I tried compiling top under SunOS version 4.1.x and it got compile time + errors. Is there a patch?" + +If you try compiling top in a "System V environment" under SunOS (that is, +/usr/5bin is before /usr/bin on your path) then the compilation may fail. +This is mostly due to the fact that top thinks its being compiled on a +System V machine when it really isn't. The only solution is to put /usr/bin +and /usr/ucb before /usr/5bin on your path and try again. + + +SVR4-derived PROBLEMS + +16. "When I run top on my SVR4-derived operating system, it displays all + the system information at the top but does not display any process + information (or only displayes process information for my own + processes). Yet when I run it as root, everything works fine." + +Your system probably uses the pseudo file system "/proc", which is by +default only accessible by root. Top needs to be installed setuid root on +such systems if it is going to function correctly for normal users. + + +SOLARIS PROBLEMS + +17. "Under Solaris 2, when I run top as root it only shows root processes, + or it only shows processes with a PID less than 1000. It refuses to + show anything else. What do I do?" + +You probably compiled it with /usr/ucb/cc instead of the real C compiler. +/usr/ucb/cc is a cc front end that compiles programs in BSD source-level +compatability mode. You do not want that. Make sure that /usr/ucb is not +on your path and try compiling top again. + +18. "Under Solaris 2, I compiled top using what I am sure is the correct + compiler but when I try to run it it complains about missing dynamic + libraries. What is wrong?" + +Check to see if you have LD_LIBRARY_PATH defined in your shell. If you do, +make sure that /usr/ucblib is not on the path anywhere. Then try compiling +top again. + +19. "Under Solaris 2, when I try to run top it complains that it can't open + the library "libucb.so.1". So I changed the LIBS line in m_sunos5.c + to include -R/usr/ucblib to make sure that the dynamic linker will look + there when top runs. I figured this was just an oversight. Was I + right?" + +No, you were not right. As distributed, top requires NO alterations for +successful compilation and operations under Solaris 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, +and 2.5. You probably compiled top with /usr/ucb/cc instead of the real C +compiler. See FAQ #10 for more details. + + +SCO PROBLEMS + +20. "When I try to run Configure, it complains about a syntax error." + +Some versions of SCO's csh do not understand the syntax "$<". This breaks +Configure. You'll just have to hack around it for now: the Configure script +is going to be completely redone in the near future anyway. + + +SVR42 PROBLEMS + +21. "The load average and memory displays don't work right. Why?" + +This is a known bug with the svr42 module. The problem has been traced down +to a potential bug in the "mem" driver. The author of the svr42 module is +working on a fix. + + +STILL STUCK + +22. I'm still stuck. To whom do I report problems with top?" + +The most common problems are caused by top's sensitivity to internal kernel +data structures. So make sure that you are using the right include files, +and make sure that you test out top on the same machine where you compiled +it. Sun's BSD Source Compatability Mode is also a common culprit. Make +sure you aren't using either /usr/ucb/cc or any of the libraries in +/usr/ucblib. Finally, make sure you are using the correct module. If there +does not appear to be one appropriate for your computer, then top probably +will not work on your system. + +If after reading all of this file and checking everything you can you are +still stuck, then send mail to "wnl@groupsys.com". I will answer your mail +when I have time. Please bear with me in that regard! If it looks like the +problem is machine-specific, I will forward the report along to the module's +author. If you would like to converse directly with the module author, the +authors' names are listed at the beginning of the module .c file in the +"machine" directory. |
