Updated:	11/4/97

1. Experiment with different options to the 'ps' command and read the
   'ps' manual. Explain what the following outputs from 'ps' mean:

   F S UID PID PPID C PRI NI P SZ:RSS  STIME WCHAN TTY TIME CMD


2. Read about the 'npri' and 'schedctl' commands. Explain the following:
	deadline scheduling
	non-degrading priority
	time slice


3. Read about the 'prctl' command. Explain what the following do:
	PR_MAXPROCS
	PR_MAXPPROCS
	PR_SETSTACKSIZE
	PR_GETSTACKSIZE
   Be brave and write a program using prctl with the above flags.


4. Use the 'top' command and read about the 'top' program. Explain:

	user   pid  pgrp   %cpu proc  pri  size   rss    time  command

   Try to run a process so that 'top' displays that the process is
   using batch priority (b). Can you get a process to use 
   periodic deadline scheduling (d)?


5. Compile and run any program you have using the 'time' command:
	/bin/time program		(e.g. /bin/time sleep 2)
   Explain what the three different (user, real and sys) time values mean.


6. Finally sit back and relax with 'gr_osview -a'. What do all the pretty
   coloured bars display? Read the 'gr_osview' manual and find out what the
   CPU Usage and CPU Wait are measuring, that is, what do the following mean:
	user sys intr gfxf gfxc idle io swap pio

   Refer to the INTERPRETING THE DISPLAY section of the manual and
   read the sections discussing:
	cpu wait sysact gfx intr 
   Fascinating isn't it?

   Now display all those CPU processing activity bars as follows:
	$ echo "cpu\nsysact\nwait\ngfx\nintr" | gr_osview -D -
   and comment on what is happening. Does it all make sense?


7. Now try 'osview' and keep an eye on the CPU Usage, Wait Ratio, System 
   Activity, and Scheduler values. Read the 'osview' manual to learn how to 
   activate hidden displays (those marked with an *).

8. Come back at night or early morning when you are the only one logged
   into the workstation (to check to see who is on type 'who').

   Now start top (or gr_top) and gr_osview (as described in 6.).

   Write simple C programs that either:
	chew up CPU (infinite tight loop)
	block (i.e. call sleep)
	chew up I/O (do a lot of fread() and fwrite())

   Explain the behaviour of top and gr_osview. When you run your
   I/O intensive program does gr_osview tell you what I/O device
   you are using (hint: your home account comes from the network not
   the local hard disk!)? 
   Modify your program so it uses the local hard disk.