Linux System Administration Questions

Operating and maintaining Linux and Unix systems: filesystems and permissions, process and service management, package management and updates, shell and scripting, storage, and network configuration on the host. Covers the day-to-day administration, troubleshooting, and hardening of Linux servers that underpin most infrastructure. The Linux operator's core skill set.

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Write a Bash one-liner or a short Python script (specify which language you choose) that lists the top 5 processes by memory usage on a Linux server, outputting PID, user, RSS memory in MB, and command. This script will be used as a quick diagnostic during on-call shifts; state any assumptions about the environment.

Sample Answer

Approach: Use ps to list processes with RSS (resident set size), convert to MB, sort by RSS and show top 5. This is portable for most Linux distros and works in shells during on-call. Bash one-liner: bash# Shows PID, user, RSS_MB, and command for top 5 memory users ps -eo pid,user,rss,cmd --no-headers | awk '{rss_mb = $3/1024; $3 = sprintf("%.1fMB", rss_mb); cmd=""; for(i=4;i<=NF;i++) cmd=cmd $i (i<NF? " ":""); printf "%6s %10s %8s %s\n", $1, $2, $3, cmd}' | sort -k3 -nr | head -n 5 Key points: ps -eo: portable fields; rss is in KB so divide by 1024 to get MB. awk formats RSS and rebuilds command safely. sort numeric on column 3 (MB) then head top 5. Assumptions: Running on Linux with ps, awk, sort available (coreutils). No special permissions — will list processes visible to the user (root sees all). RSS approximates memory in RAM; shared pages not separated. Alternatives: Use top/htop or pidstat for ongoing monitoring. Python alternative available if you prefer psutil.

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