LinuxCommandLibrary

informant

Gather system and hardware information

TLDR

Read all unread news

$ sudo informant read
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Check for news
$ informant check
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List latest news
$ informant list
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Display help
$ informant [[-h|--help]]
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SYNOPSIS

informant [OPTIONS] [SUBJECT]

PARAMETERS

-s, --status
    Displays a high-level overview of overall system health and critical statuses.

-m, --metrics
    Shows detailed performance metrics for various system components (e.g., CPU, memory, I/O).

-a, --alert
    Checks for and reports on any detected system alerts or threshold breaches.

-f, --format
    Specifies the output format for the report (e.g., json, text, csv).

-l, --log-level
    Sets the verbosity level for internal logging and diagnostic messages.

-t, --type
    Filters the report to a specific subject or category (e.g., cpu, mem, disk, net, processes).

--daemon
    Runs the `informant` utility as a background service for continuous monitoring.

-h, --help
    Displays the help message and exits.

DESCRIPTION

The `informant` command is not a standard, universally available Linux utility found in most common distributions. However, if such a command were to exist, or if it refers to a specific, custom-developed tool often named 'informant', its primary purpose would typically be to collect, analyze, and report on various system metrics and statuses. This could include CPU usage, memory consumption, disk space, network activity, service health, and log events.

A hypothetical `informant` tool would likely serve as a system monitoring agent, providing real-time insights or generating periodic reports. It might be used for proactive problem detection, performance tuning, or compliance auditing. Its functionality could range from simple data display to complex alerting mechanisms and integration with external monitoring systems. Such tools are frequently implemented as custom scripts or applications within specific IT environments or IoT deployments, rather than being part of the core Linux operating system.

CAVEATS

The `informant` command is not a standard Linux utility found in most distributions or official repositories. The information provided herein is based on a hypothetical or example tool that might share this name, commonly custom-developed for specific system monitoring or reporting tasks. Its actual existence, functionality, and parameters would depend entirely on its specific implementation within a given environment. Users should verify its presence and documentation in their specific system.

TYPICAL USE CASES

A custom `informant` tool would be invaluable for tasks such as remote server health checks, IoT device status monitoring, collecting performance data for dashboards, or triggering automated alerts based on predefined thresholds. It acts as an abstraction layer to simplify the retrieval and interpretation of complex system data for specific operational needs.

IMPLEMENTATION VARIETIES

Such a command is often implemented as a shell script (bash, zsh), a Python script, or a compiled binary written in languages like Go or Rust. The choice of implementation language typically depends on factors like performance requirements, ease of deployment, and available development resources within the specific project that created it.

HISTORY

As `informant` is not a standard, universally distributed command, it lacks a widely documented history within the Linux kernel or core utilities development. Tools bearing this name typically emerge as custom solutions for specific IT infrastructure monitoring, IoT device reporting, or specialized data collection requirements. Their evolution is tied to the unique needs and technological stacks of individual projects, organizations, or niche use cases, rather than a general open-source development trajectory.

SEE ALSO

top(1), htop(1), free(1), df(1), ps(1), netstat(8), ss(8), journalctl(1), dmesg(1), systemctl(1), info(1)

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