CompTIA Linux+ (XK0-006)TroubleshootingMedium
A pilot deployment of a database server shows the following in `top`: load average: 8.50, 4.20, 2.10 The server has 4 CPU cores. What does this load average trend most likely indicate?
- AThe load average values are unrelated to CPU scheduling and can be ignored
- BCPU demand has spiked recently and currently exceeds the number of available cores
- CThe system is idle and load average is a memory-only metric
- DThe system was more heavily loaded in the past 15 minutes than it is now
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. CPU demand has spiked recently and currently exceeds the number of available cores
The three load average numbers represent 1, 5, and 15-minute averages of processes waiting for CPU. Since 8.50 (1-min) is much higher than 2.10 (15-min), demand has spiked recently, and 8.50 exceeds the 4 available cores, meaning processes are queued waiting for CPU time.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Load average directly reflects the run queue and is central to CPU troubleshooting.
- C. Load average measures CPU run-queue length, not memory usage.
- D. This is backwards — the trend is rising, not falling, since the 1-minute value is higher than the 15-minute value.
Load Average Interpretation
Load average shows the average number of processes runnable or waiting for CPU over 1, 5, and 15-minute windows; comparing it to core count reveals CPU saturation.
- Format: 1-min, 5-min, 15-min averages
- Compare value to number of CPU cores
- Rising trend (1-min higher than 15-min) = recent spike
Memory trick: 1-5-15: like watching a fever rise over time