Retrieving the full command name with "ps" command

[Sekhar_3]

Hello,

I want to know whether particular perl script is running or not on HP-UX10.20 system. If use
ps -ef | grep -v "grep" | <script name> it is displaying nothing eventhough the script is running. If use wild character "*" in the script name it is displaying the output but I found that the script name is getting truncated at the end. I think there would be limitation in displaying the command name.If the command name is too big then it will truncate the command name.

In HP-UX11.11 I found the "-x" option in ps command which displays the full command name.

Can any body help me out the for the similar option in HPUX10.20 like "-x".

Thanks
Sekhar.

[Patrick Wallek]

As far as I know the '-x' option does not exist in HP-UX 10.20, not even with a patch.

There may be a gnu version of ps you could try, but I am not certain and I don't know if that would even help you.

[Jakes Louw]

As far as I know, HP-UX has no facility for an extended "ps" output.

Could be very useful.

Maybe somebody at Tech Development Labs is reading this thread? ;->

[Ravi_8]

Hi Sekhar

In 10.20 you can use ps -f to display full command

[Jakes Louw]

As far as I know, "ps -f" will only give a different column view, but it still chops the display.

[Elmar P. Kolkman]

If you take a look at the manual of the ps command, you'll see why the line will be truncated:
'Only a subset of the command line is saved by the kernel'
Since ps takes its data from the kernel, you'll only see a subset.

Thus, if you want the complete command line, it won't work. But if you're only interested in the command name, try using the -l option instead of the -f option. Or use the XPG4 version (set the UNIX95 environment variable before running ps) and use the '-o comm' option.

Perhaps there is someone out there who knows a kernel parameter to extent the kernel command buffer?

[Rory R Hammond]

The syntax you have show should not work.
on less you are sending output to a script.

ps -ef | grep -v "grep" | <script name>

should be
ps -ef |grep -v "grep" |grep <script name>

Unfortunatly I don't know of 10.2 or 11.0 way
to get extended command line.
if you are executing the script via full path name. you might cd to the directory and then
execute your script

Rory

[Bill Hassell]

ps -x is a feature added via a patch for 11.x systems only. It was never a part of 10.20 which has been obsolete since 2001 and unsupported since last summer. There is no way to get the entire command line in ps for 10.20 systems. You'll have to start processes that have long pathnames in a script that uses $PWD to shorten the command line.

[Jakes Louw]

Thanks, Bill.

Do u have that patch ID on the tip of your tongue, perhaps?

[Bill Hassell]

PHCO_26274 will add the -x option to ps (for 11.0) and PHCO_29042 adds the feature for 11.11.

[Jeroen Peereboom]

Sekhar,

have a look at the ps man page for UNIX95 options. For example: export UNIX95=1;ps -A -o comm=
It will show the command in a different way. Maybe this may help.

JP

[T. M. Louah]

try these
# UNIX95=1 ps -eo vsz,ruser,pid,args |sort -rn |more
# UNIX95=1 ps -eo vsz,ruser,pid,comm |sort -rn |more
-- or
# UNIX95=1 ps -eo vsz,ruser,pid,ppid,args |sort -rn |more

cheers

[Bill Hassell]

Note that invoking ps with UNIX95 allows you to specify the fields you'd like to see (ie, -o comm and -o args) but the kernel's internal field for the command line is still limited. Without patches to change the maximum size of this field, ps cannot see the entire command line. Therefore, for 10.20 there is no way to access more than about 60 characters of the comand line.

[Sekhar_3]

Thanks to one and all.

[Jakes Louw]

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