If you are using a Linux operating system, you might experience dropped performance or other issues while running memory-intensive applications. This is because the system may not have enough memory, or the memory is being consumed by some other process.
To solve this problem, you can check the total memory in your Linux system, and then take appropriate action based on the result. In this article, we will discuss how to check total memory in Linux in GB.
Video Tutorial:
Part 1: Check Total Memory using free Command
The ‘free’ command in Linux is used to check the the memory usage and available memory. To get the detailed information, you can run following command:
$ free -h
Output:
total used free shared buff/cache available
Mem: 15G 3.0G 10G 250M 2.0G 11G
Swap: 19G 0B 19G
In this command output, you can see that the total memory available is 15 GB, and only 3 GB of memory is being used at this moment. Similarly, you can find the usage and availability of swap memory.
Part 2: Check Total Memory using /proc/meminfo
The ‘/proc/meminfo’ file provides detailed information about the memory usage in Linux. To check the total memory using this file, you can run:
$ cat /proc/meminfo | grep MemTotal
Output:
MemTotal: 16343192 kB
In this output, you can see that the total memory available is 16343192 kilobytes. To convert this into GB, you can divide the value by 1048576 (1 GB = 1048576 KB). So, the total memory in GB will be:
16343192 / 1048576 = 15.5 GB
Part 3: Check Total Memory using dmidecode Command
The ‘dmidecode’ command is used to retrieve hardware-related information. By running the following command, you can retrieve the memory-related information:
$ sudo dmidecode -t 17 | grep Size
Output:
Size: 8192 MB
Size: 8192 MB
This output shows that there are two memory modules, each of size 8192 MB. To get the total memory, you can add the sizes of all memory modules. In this case, the total memory will be:
8192 + 8192 = 16384 MB
To convert this value into GB, you can divide it by 1024. So, the total memory in GB will be:
16384 / 1024 = 16 GB
Part 4: Check Total Memory using Top Command
The ‘top’ command in Linux is used to get the real-time data of system processes. You can also use this command to check the total memory in your system. To run this command:
$ top
Output:
top - 22:05:01 up 20 days, 5:35, 1 user, load average: 0.14, 0.08, 0.08 Tasks: 219 total, 1 running, 218 sleeping, 0 stopped, 0 zombie %Cpu(s): 1.1 us, 0.3 sy, 0.0 ni, 98.5 id, 0.0 wa, 0.0 hi, 0.1 si, 0.0 st MiB Mem : 15922.4 total, 10556.4 free, 1996.9 used, 2369.1 buff/cache MiB Swap: 19456.0 total, 19456.0 free, 0.0 used. 13064.6 avail Mem
In this command output, you can see the total memory available in MiB. To convert this value into GB, you need to divide it by 1024. So, the total memory in GB will be:
15922.4 / 1024 = 15.55 GB
Part 5: Check Total Memory using meminfo Command
The ‘meminfo’ command provides detailed information about the memory usage in your Linux system. To check the total memory using this command, run the following command:
$ meminfo -t
Output:
50 : Total usable memory : 16332756 kB
In this output, you can see that the total usable memory is 16332756 kilobytes. To convert this into GB, you can divide the value by 1048576. So, the total memory in GB will be:
16332756 / 1048576 = 15.58 GB
FAQs
Q1. Why is it important to check the total memory in Linux?
A1. It is essential to check the total memory in Linux because it helps you understand the current memory usage, and you can take appropriate action to improve the performance of your system.
Q2. What does the free command do in Linux?
A2. The free command in Linux is used to check the memory usage and available memory in the system.
Q3. What is the best way to check total memory in Linux?
A3. There are several ways to check total memory in Linux, including the free command, /proc/meminfo file, dmidecode command, top command, and meminfo command.
Q4. How do you convert memory values from kilobytes to gigabytes?
A4. To convert memory values from kilobytes to gigabytes, you can divide the value by 1048576 (1 GB = 1048576 KB).
Q5. Can memory usage be monitored in real-time in Linux?
A5. Yes, you can monitor memory usage in real-time in Linux using the top command.
Q6. What is the SWAP memory in Linux?
A6. SWAP memory in Linux is a portion of hard disk drive or solid-state drive space used to extend the available memory of the system. The system uses it when system RAM is full or demand for more memory is required.
Q7. How much memory is required for a Linux system?
A7. The amount of memory required for a Linux system depends on several factors, such as the type of system you are running, the applications you are running, and the amount of data you need to process. However, a minimum 2 GB RAM is required for most systems.
Q8. How to check the memory usage in Linux?
A8. To check the memory usage in Linux, you can use commands like ‘free’, ‘top’, ‘ps’, or ‘htop’. Each command will provide specific details on memory usage.
