System Monitoring
Arrow Control provides real-time monitoring of your VM’s health and performance. Track CPU, memory, disk, and network usage, and manage running processes—all from your web browser.
Accessing System Metrics
Section titled “Accessing System Metrics”- Log into Arrow Control
- Click Metrics in the sidebar navigation
- The monitoring dashboard displays with real-time data
Screenshot Coming Soon
System metrics dashboard showing resource usage overview Screenshot
Dashboard Overview
Section titled “Dashboard Overview”The metrics dashboard displays key system information through visual cards and graphs:
- CPU Usage - Current processor utilization
- Memory Usage - RAM consumption and availability
- Disk Usage - Storage space by partition
- Network Activity - Upload and download speeds
All metrics auto-refresh to show current system state. The refresh interval is configurable in settings.
CPU Monitoring
Section titled “CPU Monitoring”Current Usage
Section titled “Current Usage”The CPU card displays:
- Overall usage percentage - Combined utilization across all cores
- Per-core breakdown - Individual core utilization
- Load averages - 1, 5, and 15 minute averages
Screenshot Coming Soon
CPU metrics showing usage percentage and per-core breakdown Screenshot
Understanding CPU Metrics
Section titled “Understanding CPU Metrics”| Metric | Description | Normal Range |
|---|---|---|
| Usage % | Current processor utilization | 0-70% typical |
| Load Average (1m) | Recent demand on CPU | < number of cores |
| Load Average (5m) | Medium-term demand | < number of cores |
| Load Average (15m) | Longer-term trend | < number of cores |
Note: Sustained CPU usage above 80% may indicate resource constraints. Investigate high-usage processes.
Memory Monitoring
Section titled “Memory Monitoring”Memory Overview
Section titled “Memory Overview”The memory card shows:
- Total memory - Physical RAM installed
- Used memory - Currently allocated RAM
- Available memory - Free RAM for new processes
- Usage percentage - Visual indicator of utilization
Screenshot Coming Soon
Memory metrics showing total, used, and available RAM Screenshot
Swap Usage
Section titled “Swap Usage”If swap is configured, the dashboard also displays:
- Total swap - Configured swap space
- Used swap - Current swap utilization
- Swap percentage - Visual usage indicator
Understanding Memory Metrics
Section titled “Understanding Memory Metrics”| Metric | Description | Consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Used | RAM actively in use | High usage normal under load |
| Available | Memory ready for allocation | Should have buffer available |
| Cached | Data cached for performance | Not a concern—auto-managed |
| Swap Used | Overflow to disk | High swap usage slows performance |
Disk Monitoring
Section titled “Disk Monitoring”Storage Overview
Section titled “Storage Overview”The disk section displays information for each mounted partition:
- Total capacity - Partition size
- Used space - Consumed storage
- Available space - Remaining capacity
- Usage percentage - Visual fill indicator
Screenshot Coming Soon
Disk metrics showing partition usage and available space Screenshot
Monitored Partitions
Section titled “Monitored Partitions”| Mount Point | Typical Purpose |
|---|---|
| / | Root filesystem |
| /home | User home directories |
| /var | Variable data, logs |
| /tmp | Temporary files |
| /opt | Installed applications |
Warning: When disk usage exceeds 90%, system performance may degrade. Consider cleaning up files or expanding storage.
Network Monitoring
Section titled “Network Monitoring”Network Overview
Section titled “Network Overview”The network section shows:
- Interface status - Active network connections
- Upload speed - Current outbound data rate
- Download speed - Current inbound data rate
- Total transferred - Cumulative data since boot
Screenshot Coming Soon
Network metrics showing interface status and data transfer rates Screenshot
Network Interfaces
Section titled “Network Interfaces”Common interfaces displayed:
| Interface | Description |
|---|---|
| eth0 | Primary ethernet connection |
| wt0 | Netbird VPN tunnel |
| lo | Localhost loopback |
Process Management
Section titled “Process Management”Viewing Running Processes
Section titled “Viewing Running Processes”Click the Processes tab to see all running processes with:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| PID | Process identifier |
| User | Owner of the process |
| CPU % | Processor usage |
| Memory % | RAM consumption |
| Command | Process name and arguments |
Screenshot Coming Soon
Process list showing running processes with resource usage Screenshot
Sorting and Filtering
Section titled “Sorting and Filtering”- Click column headers to sort (e.g., sort by CPU% to find intensive processes)
- Use the search box to filter by process name
- Toggle between all processes and your user’s processes
Managing Processes
Section titled “Managing Processes”To terminate a process:
- Locate the process in the list
- Click the Stop button in the actions column
- Confirm the termination
Warning: Terminating system processes can cause instability. Only terminate processes you understand. When in doubt, use the terminal with proper signals (
kill -15beforekill -9).
Identifying Resource-Intensive Processes
Section titled “Identifying Resource-Intensive Processes”- Sort by CPU % to find processes using the most processor time
- Sort by Memory % to find processes consuming the most RAM
- Investigate unfamiliar processes before terminating
System Information
Section titled “System Information”The system information panel displays:
| Information | Description |
|---|---|
| Hostname | VM’s network name |
| OS Version | Linux distribution and version |
| Kernel | Linux kernel version |
| Architecture | CPU architecture (x86_64, arm64) |
| Uptime | Time since last boot |
| Network Interfaces | IP addresses assigned |
Screenshot Coming Soon
System information panel showing OS and hardware details Screenshot
Understanding Metrics
Section titled “Understanding Metrics”What’s Normal vs. Concerning
Section titled “What’s Normal vs. Concerning”| Metric | Normal | Investigate | Action Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 0-70% | 70-85% sustained | >85% sustained |
| Memory | 0-75% | 75-90% | >90% |
| Disk | 0-80% | 80-90% | >90% |
| Swap | 0-25% | 25-50% | >50% |
| Load Average | < cores | = cores | > cores × 1.5 |
Historical Trends
Section titled “Historical Trends”The graphs show historical data to help identify patterns:
- Sudden spikes may indicate runaway processes
- Gradual increases may indicate growing workloads
- Periodic patterns may indicate scheduled tasks
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”| Issue | Diagnostic Steps |
|---|---|
| High CPU usage | Sort processes by CPU%. Identify top consumers. Check for runaway scripts or compilation jobs. |
| Memory exhaustion | Sort processes by memory%. Look for memory leaks. Consider adding swap or upgrading RAM. |
| Disk space warning | Check large files with du -sh /*. Clear logs in /var/log. Remove unused tools from /opt. |
| Network connectivity | Verify interface status. Check VPN connection. Test with ping from terminal. |
| Process won’t terminate | Try graceful stop first. Use terminal with kill -15 PID then kill -9 PID if needed. |
Best Practices
Section titled “Best Practices”- Monitor regularly - Check metrics periodically, not just when problems occur
- Establish baselines - Know normal usage patterns for your workload
- Investigate anomalies - Unusual spikes often indicate problems
- Avoid terminating unknown processes - Research process names before stopping them
- Keep disk usage below 80% - Maintain buffer space for logs and temp files
- Watch swap usage - High swap indicates memory pressure
Related Documentation
Section titled “Related Documentation”- Arrow Control Overview - Complete feature overview
- Terminal & VNC Access - Command-line access for advanced diagnostics
- Troubleshooting - General troubleshooting guide