[Bug 20973] New: gnome-system-monitor counts IOWAIT time as busy

[bugzilla-daemon at bugzilla.ubuntu.com]

Please do not reply to this email.  You can add comments at
http://bugzilla.ubuntu.com/show_bug.cgi?id=20973
Ubuntu | gnome-system-monitor

           Summary: gnome-system-monitor counts IOWAIT time as busy
           Product: Ubuntu
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: Other
        OS/Version: other
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: gnome-system-monitor
        AssignedTo: seb128 at ubuntu.com
        ReportedBy: psusi at cfl.rr.com
         QAContact: desktop-bugs at lists.ubuntu.com


In both the full app and the panel graphs of CPU utilization, the system monitor
shows IOWAIT time as if it were busy.  For instance, when updatedb runs, it
shows the cpu as 100% utilized, when in fact, it is almost entirely idle because
that time is actually IOWAIT time.  It does this both with the visual graph and
with the numerical information you get when you hover the cursor over the panel.
 This is incorrect and/or misleading because the CPU is actually idle in iowait
time, and those cycles could be used for other work.  

The memory usage panel is also misleading in that if you hover the cursor over
it, right now mine says "95% in use, of which 35% is cache", when really, only
50% of my memory is really "used", 35% is cache, and the rest is buffers, which
is just another form of cache.  This really should say 50% of memory is in use,
or at least say that 50% is used for cache ( the 35% in cache plus 15% in
buffers ).  This is most noticiable when updatedb runs, the memory usage graph
steadily climbs when it's just the buffer cache that is growing.  Also by
default, the panel colors in buffers and cache memory on the graph so it looks
like it is in use.  This memory is really free so the default should be to not
color in that area but leave it black so it looks like it is free.  A user who
does not know better will look at the default graph and wonder why one earth
100% of their memory is used, and think ubuntu sucks, when half that memory is
really free.

-- 
Configure bugmail: http://bugzilla.ubuntu.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email
------- You are receiving this mail because: -------
You are the QA contact for the bug, or are watching the QA contact.