Tests are used to evaluate the performance of software applications and computer hardware Popular with the Windows PC gaming community, hardware testing measures various attributes such as memory, processor, and hard drive performance.
This diagnostics can also be performed on most Linux operating systems and allows Linux users to determine how well their computer hardware is performing by providing information about its capabilities and whether it needs updating. Linux system test results can help determine if users should make any hardware changes and identify system bottlenecks.
There are many open source Linux performance testing tools that help users fine-tune their network and system through objective comparisons. This article will describe several tools available for testing a Linux system.
Hardinfo
Hardinfo provides both basic tests and detailed system information and is available in most Linux distribution repositories. It will also generate detailed reports.
- Download and install Hardinfo.
- To run the application, go to System Tools> System Information and Benchmark.
- Or run $ hardinfo from the command line
The following tests are available on Hardinfo:
- CPU Fibonacci
- CPU Blowfish
- FPU Raytracing
- CPU CryptoHash
- N-Queens CPU
- FPU FFT
Each of the above Linux system benchmarks will provide a score that you can use to compare against other systems. You can also quickly get system information by clicking a test and viewing the details on the right side of your computer.
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Click the desired tab to run the test. Hardinfo will run the test. See your results on the right.
Click Generate Report on the top toolbar to export device, network, computer, or test results to an HTML file. After the export is complete, you will see the option to immediately open the file and preview it.
Phoronix Test Kit
Phoronix Test Suite is free and open source with access to over 100 Linux test suites and over 450 test profiles. Install only the tests you need and get access to reports and system logs.
You can find Phoronix in the Ubuntu Software Center as well as other package managers of your Linux distribution. It provides users with a menu with benchmarking and information options.
There are three ways to install Phoronix Test Suite. The first way is to open a terminal and install it with the following command:
# sudo apt-get install phoronix-test-suite
Another method is to find Phoronix in the Ubuntu software center and install the package.
Or go to the product site and download the latest version. Once downloaded, install it from the terminal using the following command:
# sudo dpkg -i /path/to/packagename.deb
You should also install the core dependencies with this command:
php5-cli php5-gd
As mentioned above, Phoronix has over 100 tests. Keep in mind that each test requires you to download your dependencies. Users can run individual tests or groups (suites) of tests. Create your own kits or use the ones provided by Phoronix.
Use the command below to see a list of currently available kits:
# phoronix-test-suite list-available-suites
To view a list of currently available Linux benchmarks, use the following command:
# phoronix-test-suite list-available-tests
Before you can run Phoronix on Ubuntu, you must first install the test dependency packages. On many Linux distributions, Phoronix can use the software package management system to install additional dependencies
The easiest way to start testing is to view the lists of available tests, select one and run it with the following command:
# phoronix-test-suite benchmark
If this is your first time using Phoronix, you will need to answer a few questions and then accept the user agreement. Test results are uploaded to OpenBenchmarking.org
GtkPerf
GtkPerf is a suite of tests used to measure the speed at which lines are displayed, generate graphics, and scroll through dropdowns on your system. Users will be able to gauge how quickly their desktop responds.
To install it, enter the following command in the terminal:
do apt-get install gtkperf
Or find it in the package installer.
When you run a Linux system test, GtkPerf will perform the operations on the GTK + widgets and tell you how long they will take.
Users can replay tests using GtkPerf to check system performance on multiple devices.
Geekbench
Geekbench is a Linux system performance benchmarking tool with a score system that measures single and multi-core performance. It is only available as a command line executable on Linux.
The higher the Geekbench score, the faster and better your processor. Start by downloading the latest Geekbench from the official download page
Or download Geekbench to your server using the following command:
wget http://cdn.geekbench.com/Geekbench-5.0.4-Linux.tar.gz
Use tar -zxvf Geekbench-5.0.4-Linux.tar.gz to extract the downloaded files. Change directories to go to the folder where the extracted Geekbench files are located:
CD Geekbench-4.3.3-Linux
Use the command below to run the test in trial mode:
./geekbench_x86_64
When the test is complete, you will see a unique website link for each test to view your results. The results are summarized in a table.
The complete score is at the top of the table. Scroll down to see the results of each test you run.
The results are uploaded to the Internet, allowing you to view your results.
Use some of the above Linux system testing tools to evaluate the performance and reliability of your system and compare your results with those of other computers. The testing process will help you find weak links and upgrade if necessary.
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