How to quickly check disk subsystem load?

For quick checking of disk subsystem load in Linux, you can use the iostat utility from the sysstat package. It shows input/output statistics, including the number of read/write operations and wait times.

Example command:

iostat -dx 1 3

• -d — shows only disks
• -x — extended statistics
• 1 3 — update every 1 second, 3 times

Other useful commands include vmstat, iotop (for monitoring processes that load the disk), and dstat.

For more in-depth diagnostics, you can check the SMART status of disks using smartctl.