Robert Moskowitz wrote: > At 08:18 AM 12/30/2005, Johnny Hughes wrote: > >> On Fri, 2005-12-30 at 07:56 -0500, Robert Moskowitz wrote: >> > System: >> > >> > PIII 500Mhz >> > 128MB memory >> > 20GB drive >> > >> > Current CentOS 4.2 >> > Gnome GUI >> > >> > The system runs 'idle' at around 70Mb memory used and 4% cpu usage. >> > >> > But whenever I go to start a task: >> > >> > Start Gedit, Services tool, a Terminal window, Firefox >> > >> > It takes a minute or so. CPU mayyyypeak at 100% briefly then come >> > down. Memory has yet to exceed 100Mb usage. >> > >> > Any pointers of where to look to see why it is slow? >> > >> Why it is slow is easy ... RHEL-4 (and therefore CentOS) doesn't work >> correctly in GUI mode with less than 256MB RAM. >> >> If you run top and look, you will have lots of SWAP usage ... which is >> simulating system memory onto hard drive. This is VERY slow and makes >> things take forever :) > > > Oh well... > > Since this is targeted as my DNS and mail server, I had better get > more memory quickly! > > I had been using gnome's system monitor. And although it showed 43Mb > of swap used (of 256Mb) it did not show any swap activity. > > I will try and figure out how to use top. > > thanks! Type in top from a shell prompt :-). Nice to leave running on a spare console or shell .... -- William A. Mahaffey III --------------------------------------------------------------------- Remember, ignorance is bliss, but willful ignorance is LIBERALISM !!!!