PCP-FREE(1)

💖 pcp-free — like free(1) but make it PCP ✨

okay bestie, so this one is from the General Commands Manual and it's literally the PCP glow-up of the classic free command, and yes it will tell you how much memory your little machine has left before it starts crying 🥲

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🎀 NAME 🎀

pcp-free — report on free and used memory in the system 🧠✨

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

pcp [pcp options] free [-bkmgroltVw?]  [-c count] [-s interval]

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

pcp-free gives you a lil summary display of the total amount of free and used physical memory and swap in the system, plus the caches the kernel is hoarding. no cap, it's the vibe check for your RAM 💅

When you invoke it via the pcp(1) command, the -h/--host, -a/--archive, -O/--origin, -s/--samples, -t/--interval, -Z/--timezone and several other pcp options become indirectly available — so like, you don't pass them directly but they're lowkey there. see PCPIntro(1) for their descriptions 🫶

The displayed columns are, and I'm gonna be so fr with you about each one:

• total — total installed memory (MemTotal and SwapTotal in /proc/meminfo) 💖
• used — used memory (calculated as total - free - buffers - cache)
• free — unused memory (MemFree and SwapFree in /proc/meminfo)
• shared — memory used (mostly) by tmpfs (Shmem in /proc/meminfo)
• buffers — memory used by kernel buffers (Buffers in /proc/meminfo)
• cache — memory used by the page cache and slabs (Cached and SReclaimable in /proc/meminfo)
• buff/cache — sum of buffers and cache, it's giving teamwork 🌈
• available — estimation of how much memory is available for starting new applications, without swapping. Unlike the data provided by the cache or free fields, this field takes into account page cache and also that not all reclaimable memory slabs will be reclaimed due to items being in use (MemAvailable in /proc/meminfo). it's the realistic friend of the group 😌

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✨ OPTIONS ✨

The available command line options are — and bestie, there's a bunch, so buckle up 🎀:

• -b, --bytes — display the amount of memory in bytes 🍓
• -c count, --samples=count, --count=count — terminate the display after count iterations. see also -s.
• -g, --gigabytes — display the amount of memory in gigabytes 👑
• -k, --kilobytes — display the amount of memory in kilobytes. this is the default ⭐
• -l, --lohi — display detailed low and high memory statistics 🔍
• -m, --megabytes — display the amount of memory in megabytes 💜
• -o — disable the display of a "buffer adjusted" line. if the -o option is not specified, free subtracts buffer memory from the used memory and adds it to the free memory reported. sneaky lil adjustment fr fr
• -r, --terabytes — display the amount of memory in terabytes 🌈
• -s delay, --interval=delay, --seconds=delay — activate continuous polling delay seconds apart. you may specify any floating point number for delay, or indeed any valid pmParseInterval(3) specification, which includes microsecond resolution delay times. this can be used in conjunction with the -c option 🔥
• -t, --total — display a line containing the totals 🧾
• -V, --version — display version number and exit 👋
• -w, --wide — switch to the wide mode. the wide mode produces lines longer than 80 characters. in this mode buffers and cache are reported in two separate columns 👀
• -?, --help — display usage message and exit 🫶

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📝 NOTES 📝

pcp-free is inspired by the free(1) command and aims to be command line and output compatible with it. iconic behaviour, honestly 💅

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🌿 PCP ENVIRONMENT 🌿

Environment variables with the prefix PCP_ are used to parameterize the file and directory names used by PCP. On each installation, the file /etc/pcp.conf contains the local values for these variables. The $PCP_CONF variable may be used to specify an alternative configuration file, as described in pcp.conf(5) 🔧

For environment variables affecting PCP tools, see pmGetOptions(3).

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👀 SEE ALSO 👀

PCPIntro(1), pcp(1), free(1), pmParseInterval(3) and environ(7) — go read them, iykyk 💖

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and that's the whole thing bestie!! 🎀 this page came to you courtesy of Performance Co-Pilot (that's the PCP in the corner) — mwah, go check your memory, ily, bye 💅✨🦋