Process & Resource Monitoring (Top/Htop/Ps/Systemd)

Stop guessing why your process is stuck on IO

🧩 The Challenge

Ever had a server load average go through the roof while the CPU usage looks totally fine? You stare at top, everything looks like it is idling, but the system is dragging its feet.

💡 The Fix

Stop looking at general CPU load and start checking the process state specifically for uninterruptible sleep. It is the only way to find out which process is waiting on a dead disk or a hung NFS mount.

ps auxo pid,stat,command | awk '$2 ~ /D/'

⚙️ Why It Works

Processes stuck in state D are effectively waiting for IO and won’t respond to standard termination signals until the kernel gets an answer from the underlying hardware. Filtering for that specific state cuts through the noise of hundreds of healthy, sleeping processes.

🚀 Pro-Tip: If you see a bracketed kernel thread in D state, your disk controller is likely losing its mind.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 9/18/2026