XK0-006 Troubleshooting Practice Question
A Linux administrator is troubleshooting a server that becomes unresponsive under load. They want to capture a live, per-second view of CPU usage broken down by individual processor cores, along with load averages. Which command should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is selecting top for CPU analysis, but a batch single-iteration top neither refreshes per second nor shows per-core breakdown, which is what the scenario requires.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
mpstat -P ALL 1
The mpstat command with -P ALL and an interval argument produces recurring snapshots showing each processor core's utilization, which reveals whether load is spread evenly or concentrated on one core. This per-core visibility is critical when a single-threaded process saturates one CPU while others remain idle, a common cause of apparent unresponsiveness under load. Other tools lack this combination of per-core detail and live refresh.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
iostat -x 1
Why it's wrong here
iostat reports I/O statistics for devices and, with -x, extended metrics such as utilization and await times. It focuses on disk and block device performance, not CPU usage per core. While a disk bottleneck can cause high load, the administrator specifically needs per-processor CPU breakdown. iostat provides complementary but different data and does not display per-core CPU percentages or load averages.
- ✗
top -b -n 1
Why it's wrong here
top in batch mode with a single iteration provides one snapshot of overall CPU usage and per-process details. It does not break CPU usage down per core by default, and a single iteration gives no live per-second trend. While interactive top can toggle per-core display, this invocation neither refreshes continuously nor shows per-processor breakdown, so it does not meet the requirement for live per-core monitoring.
- ✓
mpstat -P ALL 1
Why this is correct
mpstat from the sysstat package reports per-processor statistics. The -P ALL option shows every core, and the interval argument refreshes output each second. It includes CPU utilization percentages and, in recent versions, load averages, making it ideal for observing whether a single core is saturated while others idle. This granularity helps identify unbalanced or single-threaded load causing unresponsiveness.
- ✗
free -m
Why it's wrong here
The free command reports memory usage in megabytes, including total, used, and available memory and swap. It contains no CPU per-core statistics or load averages. Under high load, memory pressure may be relevant, but this command cannot show processor-level utilization. It addresses a different resource and therefore does not satisfy the need for per-core CPU monitoring.
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Linux Fundamentals and History
Key term
Linux
Linux is an open-source operating system that manages computer hardware and software, widely used in servers, desktops, and embedded systems.
Key term
Process
In IT service management, a process is a structured set of activities designed to accomplish a specific objective, such as managing incidents or changes, by transforming inputs into defined outputs.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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