If you do a search on Google for "
uptime unix load average," then you will find
http://www.useforesite.com/uptime.shtml.
Here's an excerpt (is it inaccurate?)...
Load Average
On a single processor machine, a load of 1 is maximum efficient
utilization. Loads more than the number of processors mean the machine is too heavily
loaded. Any load numbers in the 2 or 3 range is an indication of excessive CPU use and
consequently poor performance. Load average numbers should be in the decimal range, for
example; .02 or .53.
Load average is the amount of load that the server's CPU is experiencing.
What creates load on a CPU? When a program is run i.e., a search program, a shopping cart
program, a request to upload a web site's page to a browser, an email program etc.. When
any of the preceding scenarios occur, a load (or demand) is placed on the server's CPU.
Some processes are given a higher priority by the CPU i.e., if a server is performing a
search and a visiting web surfer happens to request a web page from a site hosted on that
same server, then the page upload is given priority over the search. The search will slow
down in order to accommodate the page upload.
Relative to page uploads the CPU's load average is not as critical as the
pipeline to server. The pipeline is the connection from the server to the backbone
provider. Pipelines are designated as 0C3, DS3, T3, T1, etc.. and are an indication of how
much data can be transmitted in kilo bytes per second. A heavily loaded CPU will usually
be able to out perform the pipeline.
The load average numbers of 0.28, 0.18, 0.22 are reflections of 1, 5 and
15 minute intervals respectively.
Numbers like this "3.30, 1.05, 0.96" are not as much a cause for
alarm as numbers like this "2.52, 2.56, 2.51". The second set of numbers show
consistent heavy demand on the processor. This consistent heavy load will deny the web
pages the priority they need to load quickly. The first set of numbers is indicative of a
single process or program (such as a search) performing it's function and
will likely end very soon.
