Sysmon – A Linux System Monitor (Like Windows Task Manager)

One of the most useful software in Microsoft Windows OS is Task Manager. It is a powerful application that shows a Windows system’s overall performance and resource usage. Of course, there are so many system resource monitoring programs available for Linux platform. But none of them had the look and feel of Windows 8/10 Task manager. Also, most of them still lacks one or two features. For instance, some system monitors doesn’t show the Hard disk and GPU usage details in graphs. Luckily, today I stumbled upon a Linux system monitor named Sysmon.

Sysmon is a graphical system monitoring tool for Linux. It shows the usage information about CPU, GPU, Memory, HDD/SDD, network interface cards and overview of running processes in a nice graphical layout, just like Windows Task manager. It monitors the CPU, GPU, Memory, Network, and Disks in real time and displays all the details in a clean and simple GUI.

Sysmon is free and open source application written in Python programming language.

Install Sysmon On Linux

Sysmon depends on two python packages namely pyqtgraph and pyqt5 . You can install those libraries using Pip like below.

If you have Nvidia GPU, you need to install nvidia-smi to monitor it’s usage.

After installing aforementioned dependencies, run the following command to install sysmon:

And launch it by running the following command:

Alternatively, git clone the Sysmon’s repository using command:

The above command clones the contents of sysmon github repository in a local folder named sysmon in the current working directory.

Go to the sysmon/src directory:

And launch Sysmon program using the following command:

Sysmon — A Graphical System Monitor For Linux

The default interface of Sysmon looks like below.

As you can see, the look and feel of sysmon resembles to Windows Task manager.

Sysmon gets most of the data from /proc directory in your Linux system. It retrieves the following details:

• the CPU usage details from /proc/cpuinfo and /proc/stat ,
• Memory usage from /proc/meminfo ,
• Disks usage from /proc/diskstats ,
• Network usage /proc/net/dev and iwconfig
• and overview of running processes from ps aux command.

CPU and Memory overview by Sysmon:

Network and Disks overview by Sysmon:

Of course, Gnome’s System Monitor displays the resource usage in graphs. However, it doesn’t shows the HDD/SSD load.

Sysmon is very new project. It works just fine on my Ubuntu 20.04 LTS desktop. Hope the developer will add more features in the days to come.

6 Best Free Linux Task Managers

A task manager is software which enables users to compile a list of tasks to be completed. This list is also known as a to-do list or things-to-do. For the purposes of this article, the term ‘task manager’ should not be confused with monitoring software which provides information about programs and processes running on a computer.

The list of activities that may form a to-do list include chores, grocery lists, reminders for important events (such as purchasing wedding presents or birthday gifts), self management, software development, project / business management, and so on. Task managers help to organise your day, ensuring that you know in an instant what you need to do.

Linux has a large range of open source task managers, in part because many of them have a limited feature set and hence are relatively quick to code. This feature selects our personal favorites, including both console based applications and software sporting an attractive graphical user interface. There are also many web based task managers available, which we will cover in a forthcoming article.

To be productive, you may need more than a task manager. Our features on Productivity Tools and Personal Information Managers help to organize your day in other ways.

To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 6 proficient task managers. Hopefully, there will be something of interest here for anyone who wants to avoid that sinking feeling of remembering (albeit too late) something important that needs to be actioned. And this Group Test would not be complete without our legendary rating chart.

Now, let’s explore the 6 task managers at hand. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, screenshots, together with links to relevant resources.

How to Install and Use GNOME System Monitor and Task Manager in Ubuntu

Just like the Windows Task Manager that you might be using for years, Ubuntu also comes with a built-in processes & resources monitoring utility called the Gnome System Monitor. This Ubuntu task manager allows you to kill, end, stop and resume processes on your Ubuntu. Although most Ubuntu systems have it installed by default, you might have a version that lacks it. In this article, we will explain how to install/uninstall and launch the Ubuntu task manager both through the command line and the Ubuntu GUI. The article also explains some basic functions that you can perform through the System Monitor utility.

We have run the commands and procedures mentioned in this article on a Ubuntu 18.04 LTS system.

Install GNOME System Monitor through the Command Line

Open your Ubuntu command line, the Terminal, either through the Dash or by using the Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut. Enter the following command in order to refresh the list of available packages:

This command will update your system’s software repository index with that of the Internet so that you can install the latest release of a software.

The system will ask you for your password as only an authorized user can add, update, remove and configure software on Ubuntu.

Now enter the following apt-get command in order to install the latest Gnome System Monitor application:

The system will prompt you with a Y/n to confirm the beginning of the installation procedure. Enter Y and then hit Enter. This will install the software on your system.

Launch System Monitor from Command Line

You can launch System Monitor by entering the following command in your Terminal:

This will launch the Ubuntu Task Manager in the UI.

You can quit the application from the Terminal by using Ctrl+C and also quit the Terminal by typing Exit and then hitting Enter. Advertisement

Uninstall

In order to uninstall System Monitor from your system, enter the following command as sudo:

The system will prompt you with a Y/n option in order to begin the uninstall procedure. Please enter Y and hit Enter to begin. Gnome System Monitor will then be removed from your system.

Install System Monitor through the UI

For a person who does not want to open the Command Line much, installing a software present in the Ubuntu repository through the UI is very simple. On your Ubuntu desktop Activities toolbar, click the Ubuntu Software icon.

In the following view, click on the search icon and enter System Monitor or even Task Manager in the search bar. The search results will list the GNOME System Monitor entry as follows:

Click on the GNOME System Monitor entry as it is the official system monitoring application by Canonical. The following dialog will appear:

Click the Install button to begin the installation process. The following authentication dialog will display for you to provide your authentication details as only an authorized user can install software on Ubuntu.

Enter your password and click the Authenticate button. After that, the installation process will begin, displaying a progress bar as follows.

System Monitor application will then be installed to your system and you will get the following message after a successful installation:

Through the above dialog, you can choose to directly launch System Monitor and even Remove it immediately for whatever reason.

Launch System Monitor from the Desktop

You can launch Gnome System Manager through the UI any time you want by searching for system monitor or even task manager in the Ubuntu Dash, or otherwise access it directly from the Applications list.

Uninstall from GUI

Although Gnome System Monitor is a very useful utility, you can uninstall it through the Ubuntu Software manager by first searching for it through the Search button and then clicking the Remove button from the following view:

A dialog will ask you if you are sure about removing the software from your system. Please enter the Remove button to uninstall the software. An authentication dialog will display for you to provide the authentication details for a sudo user as only an authorized user can install software on Ubuntu. Enter your password and click the Authenticate button. After that, the uninstall process will begin, removing System Monitor from your system.

Using GNOME System Monitor

We are all familiar with the Ctrl+Alt+Del shortcut that we use to bring up Task Manager in Windows and then use it to monitor processes and also kill unwanted ones. In Ubuntu, however, Ctrl+Alt+Del shortcut brings up the logout dialog.

When you have launched the System Dash either through the system Dash or the command line, you will see the following screen:

Let us explain this environment a little:

The GNOME System Monitor Environment

The Processes tab

This is the tab that the System Monitor opens in, by default. This tab displays all the processes running on your Linux system. Here you can see the Process name, Process ID, CPU use, memory use, and priority of each process. Based on this information, you can decide what you want to do with the process. The right-click menu that you get for each process helps you in:

• Viewing its detailed properties
• Viewing its memory maps
• Open used files
• Change priority
• Stop the Process
• Continue a stopped process
• End a process

And most importantly,

• Kill a Process

The Resources Tab

This tab gives you an analytical view of your system resources such as:

• CPU History
• Memory and Swap History
• Network History

This tab is very helpful in monitoring the performance of your system but you can not customize much on this tab other than the color of the graphs.

The File Systems tab

This tab displays information about the hard disk device(s) of your system. You can view the following information about the devices and also sort the listing based on the following:

• Device Name
• Directory
• Type
• Total Size
• Available Memory
• Used Memory

By reading this article, we are sure that you will not miss the Windows Task Manager on your Ubuntu system. You can monitor and manage your processes and thus the system resources by the complete package, the Gnome System Monitor.

Karim Buzdar

About the Author: Karim Buzdar holds a degree in telecommunication engineering and holds several sysadmin certifications. As an IT engineer and technical author, he writes for various web sites. You can reach Karim on LinkedIn

Top 10 Best Linux Task Manager to Kill Task on Linux

Unlike Windows, you won’t be needing to utilize the task manager often – but there’s still a chance that your system might just freeze and stop responding in the middle of your work. You just can’t press Alt+Ctrl+Del (like Windows) / command + option + escape (like Mac) to kill the applications/processes. For Linux, there’s another keyboard shortcut which will open up the terminal and then you would need to launch a Linux task manager.

In any case, you will be needing the task manager – either to monitor the system resource utilization or to kill/end processes and to set task priorities.

So, in this article, we will let you know about the Linux task manager keyboard shortcut (somewhat equivalent to Windows’s task manager shortcut) and will also list out the best Linux task managers out there for you.

Note: The task managers for Linux that are listed here, are ranked according to my personal preference. Your choice might differ for obvious reasons.

Top 10 Best Task Managers For Linux

Of course, the default task manager that comes baked in with your Linux distro (which depends on your desktop environment) is usually the “System Monitor“. It does count as one of the best task managers for Linux – but then, there are better alternatives as well. Below, you will find the list of best task managers available for Linux which includes the default task managers as well.

1. Stacer

Overview:

• The best GUI-based task manager for Linux, which is easy-to-use as well.
• It lets you manage the startup programs, add/remove repositories, check resource usage history, and a few other things.
• It features a dashboard which gives you an idea of the overall system resource usage.
• An all-in-one task manager.

Stacer is my favorite pick as one of the best task managers for Linux with a GUI (Graphical User Interface). If you are on the lookout for an all-in-one task manager that lets you manage your processes while also letting you do a lot more stuff – you should get it installed.

To install Stacer task manager on Ubuntu, you just need type in the following in the terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:oguzhaninan/stacer

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install stacer

For installation instructions on other Linux distros, you should check out their GitHub page.

In addition to process management, it also lets you control the startup programs, uninstall applications, free up space (cache, trash, and crash reports), manage repositories, check resource usage history, You can also tweak the settings to change its appearance and behavior.

2. Htop

Overview:

• A user-friendly text-based task manager for Linux.
• It lets you filter the processes and kill them.
• You get to see the system resource usage while you manage the processes.

If you are not a fan of GUI-based task managers, Htop would be the alternative. It is originally based on “top” – another text-based task manager. For a fact, it is better than that and it is currently the most popular terminal-based task manager. With this installed, you can check your system resource usage while being able to manage the processes running.

To install Htop task manager on Ubuntu, you just need to type in the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt-get install htop

For other Linux distros, you can refer the GitHub page to compile it using a tarball release.

Even though it is a text-based task manager, it is very easy to understand. It lets you kill a process, or search for a process, or just break down a parent process (Tree) to reveal every other process associated with it. You can either check out their official website or head to its GitHub page to know more about its source code.

3. Top

Overview:

• The default text-based task manager for Linux
• In addition to process management, you get to see the system resource usage as well.

Top is the default text-based task manager for most of the Linux distros. It is a text-based task manager and it is a bit more complex than Htop. For instance, you need to search for the exact process number in order to kill it. But, in Htop, you don’t.

I can’t really justify using this over Htop – but if you are someone who does not care about the ease-of-use. It is definitely one of the best task managers for Linux – nevertheless, alternatives are always good.

4. System Monitor (Gnome)

Overview:

• The default task manager for GNOME desktop with a GUI.
• You can manage the processes and check your system’s resource usage.

System Monitor is the default GUI-based task manager for Linux systems with GNOME. You just need to search for it in the app drawer.

You can manage the processes running, check your system’s resource usage, and keep an eye on the file systems. It is a dead simple task manager with a GUI.

5. Kysysguard (System Monitor)

Overview:

• The default task manager for KDE-based distros.

It is essentially the same as GNOME’s system monitor, but for Linux distributions with KDE Plasma as their desktop environment (like Kubuntu).

6. LXTask

Overview:

• Tailored for LXDE/LXQt desktop environment.
• It is a light-weight task manager for low-end systems.

LXTask is purely meant for the users using older hardware. It does have a graphical user interface – but then – it is tailored for LXDE/LXQt desktop environment which is usually utilized for low-end systems.

It offers the same level of control as the System Monitor does – but with a little bit more details for individual processes while being a lite version on system resources.

7. Glances

Overview:

• It is useful for task monitoring but not managing them.
• It gives you detailed stats of your system resources.

Glances is not technically a Linux task manager but it does have a role in it. You get detailed insights into the processes running at a glance – that’s what it is meant for.

It tries to present a whole lot of useful data in a single window. You get to know about your system resources, network performance, hardware configuration, and the uptime as well. All the information you will ever need is just a glance away.

8. Task Manager (XFCE)

Overview:

• The default task manager for XFCE-based Linux distributions.
• It lets you expand the process tree and manage them.
• You get to check the system resource usage as well.

This is yet another default task manager for XFCE based Linux distro (like Linux Mint with XFCE). It offers a graphical user interface as well.

Similar to some of the others mentioned above, it lets you expand the process tree and end the individual processes within it. In addition, you also get to check your system resources.

9. ptop

Overview:

• ptop is an Htop or top alternative with a different take on the user interface.
• It lets you manage the processes and also gives you the insight of your system resource usage.

ptop is an inspired project from vtop (which is an open-source task manager for macOS).

Well, functionality-wise you will not find anything new. It offers the same set of features Htop offers. However, its text-based UI is somewhat engaging and it also supports a couple of themes for you to customize its appearance.

10. Conky

Overview:

• A light-weight task monitor which is independent of the desktop environment – unlike LXTask.
• It features a lot of information to look at – which makes it a compelling option as a task monitor.

Conky is yet another light-weight task monitor which gives you helpful insights about your system, network and the processes running on it. Unlike other system monitors, it presents you a lot of information – which includes the song you’re listening to. It should be a nice addition to your desktop – if you are fond of keeping various programs as widgets on your desktop home screen.

Wrapping Up

Now that you’ve known about the best task managers for Linux, take your pick!

Which one of the above do you like the most? Or did we miss any of your favorites?

Let us know about it in the comments below!