# Server Load

* when you use # uptime you can see the load average for the last 1,5, and 15 minutes
* a system load average is equal to the average number of processes in a runnable or uninterruptible state.
* runnable processes are either currently using the cpu or waiting for I/O.
* a single-cpu system with a load average of 1 means the single cpu is under constant load.
* if this single cpu system has a load average of 4, there is four times the load on the system than it can handle, so three out of four processes are waiting for resources.
* the 1-, 5-, 15- minute load average describes the average amount of load over the respective period of time and are valuable when you try to determine the current state of the system.