# VMSTAT script / command help **URL:** \ **Category:** Shell Programming and Scripting\ **Created:** [September 8, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647 "2008-09-08T12:18:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![komputersman](https://community.unix.com/letter_avatar/komputersman/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@komputersman](https://community.unix.com/u/komputersman)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/1 "2008-09-08T12:18:36Z")
Hello all, I know it can be done but don't know the command. I would like to run vmstat via cron, I don't know a good interval and don't want huge logs but want stats pretty often. Please someone who uses vmstat via cron let me know what your script looks like. Thank you ---
**Author:** ![Ikon](https://community.unix.com/user_avatar/community.unix.com/ikon/32/1015_2.png) [@Ikon](https://community.unix.com/u/Ikon)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/2 "2008-09-08T12:52:10Z")
We run this everymorning at 12:02 am: vmstat 60 1440 \> /path/to/vmstat.`date +%d` This will write to a file every minute for 24 hours then create a new file and start over. We then have another script that summarizes the data and builds graphs and emails them everyday. ---
**Author:** ![komputersman](https://community.unix.com/letter_avatar/komputersman/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@komputersman](https://community.unix.com/u/komputersman)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 2:11pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/3 "2008-09-08T14:11:09Z")
Can you post or IM the other script too, a graph would be a cool visual feature. I am not sure what is required for it to run and display right but if I can I think id like to use it. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Ikon](https://community.unix.com/user_avatar/community.unix.com/ikon/32/1015_2.png) [@Ikon](https://community.unix.com/u/Ikon)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 2:18pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/4 "2008-09-08T14:18:48Z")
Its acutally a collection of several scripts. I import all the vmstat datainto a sql database and then have a whole website that builds the graphs (images) as requested using Perl GD:Graph Link:[GD::Graph - Graph Plotting Module for Perl 5 - search.cpan.org](http://search.cpan.org/~mverb/GDGraph-1.43/Graph.pm) Here is a sample of the graph that is built: ![](https://community.unix.com/uploads/default/original/2X/c/c829f8bd6272622cb1d0a62853ca2e406ea4e0d7.gif) GD:Graph is not a difficult module to use. ---
**Author:** ![komputersman](https://community.unix.com/letter_avatar/komputersman/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@komputersman](https://community.unix.com/u/komputersman)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/5 "2008-09-08T14:52:50Z")
> [@ikon](#): > > We run this everymorning at 12:02 am: 02 0 \* \* \* (path to script) Is that correct? > [@ikon](#): > > vmstat 60 1440 \> /path/to/vmstat.`date +%d` For this to be a script it would be... #/bin/bash vmstat 60 1440 \> /path/to/vmstat.`date +%d` Is that right? Sorry I am somewhat new to scripts and cron... Thank you for your help. ---
**Author:** ![Ikon](https://community.unix.com/user_avatar/community.unix.com/ikon/32/1015_2.png) [@Ikon](https://community.unix.com/u/Ikon)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/6 "2008-09-08T15:04:34Z")
Yes that looks correct. ---
**Author:** ![komputersman](https://community.unix.com/letter_avatar/komputersman/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@komputersman](https://community.unix.com/u/komputersman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/7 "2008-09-09T14:06:36Z")
> [@ikon](#): > > We run this everymorning at 12:02 am: > > vmstat 60 1440 \> /path/to/vmstat.`date +%d` > > This will write to a file every minute for 24 hours then create a new file and start over. Where would this create the file? In the /path/to/vmstat? If so can I path it to another dir? ---
**Author:** ![Ikon](https://community.unix.com/user_avatar/community.unix.com/ikon/32/1015_2.png) [@Ikon](https://community.unix.com/u/Ikon)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/8 "2008-09-09T14:15:25Z")
Put it whereever you want. in this case it would be in /path/to/ with a filename of vmstat.01 (01 = date) ---
**Author:** ![komputersman](https://community.unix.com/letter_avatar/komputersman/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@komputersman](https://community.unix.com/u/komputersman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/9 "2008-09-09T14:45:03Z")
OK I thought so, sorry for being over cautious. One more question... I manually ran it to test and I got a file name of "vmstat.date +%d" What in the code did I miss? I have it like such... vmstat 60 1440 \>/home/user/vmstat/vmstat.'date +%d' ---
**Author:** ![avronius](https://community.unix.com/letter_avatar/avronius/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@avronius](https://community.unix.com/u/avronius)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/10 "2008-09-09T14:48:47Z")
you need to use the backtick (same key as ~) - not single quote From: ```nohighlight vmstat 60 1440 >/home/user/vmstat/vmstat.'date +%d' ``` To: ```nohighlight vmstat 60 1440 >/home/user/vmstat/vmstat.`date +%d` ``` edit: to include the code ---
**Author:** ![komputersman](https://community.unix.com/letter_avatar/komputersman/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@komputersman](https://community.unix.com/u/komputersman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/11 "2008-09-09T14:57:06Z")
Ahh yup that did it... thank you so much for your help this is exactly what I needed. ---
**Author:** ![Michenux](https://community.unix.com/user_avatar/community.unix.com/michenux/32/4986_2.png) [@Michenux](https://community.unix.com/u/Michenux)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 10:54am UTC](https://community.unix.com/t/vmstat-script-command-help/211647/12 "2009-04-09T10:54:21Z")
Hi, If you're interesting in drawing charts from vmstat log files, you should try vmstax. You upload your log files, the charts are built and then you export them as image(png). [[http://www.michenux.net/vmstax-build-vmstat-charts-1.html](http://www.michenux.net/vmstax-build-vmstat-charts-1.html)]Vmstax | Michenux 😉