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+title: Process listings on Solaris
+parent: FAQ
+---
+
+# Why use pst3 for check\_procs on Solaris?
+
+Solaris systems restrict the information that is available when you run `ps`.
+On other Unix systems, running `ps` will list you the entire arguments, but
+Solaris restricts the arguments to the first 64 characters at the kernel.
+
+This is a problem if you need to access the arguments to find out a specific
+process (common for listing Java programs).
+
+`/usr/ucb/ps` does list the full arguments, but only for your own processes.
+If you are root, then running `/usr/ucb/ps` can get the full arguments for all
+processes.  However, the columns for `RSS` and `VSZ` merge together when the
+values are too large and check\_procs cannot pull the value out correctly.
+
+The chosen approach is to create our own `ps`-like command, `pst3`.  This
+outputs the required information in a known format for `check_procs` to parse.
+This is the default if you run `./configure` on a Solaris system.
+
+Because `pst3` needs access to some kernel structures, it needs to be compiled
+in 32 and 64 bit modes.
+
+If you are comfortable with the limitations, it is possible to use a Solaris
+`ps` command by specifying these options to `./configure`:
+
+    --with-ps-command="/usr/bin/ps -eo 's uid pid ppid vsz rss pcpu etime comm args'" \
+    --with-ps-format="%s %d %d %d %d %d %f %s %s %n" \
+    --with-ps-cols=10 \
+    --with-ps-varlist="procstat,&procuid,&procpid,&procppid,\
+    &procvsz,&procrss,&procpcpu,procetime,procprog,&pos"
+
+The `--with-ps-varlist` should be on one line - separated here for
+readability.
+
+<!--% # vim:set filetype=markdown textwidth=78 joinspaces: # %-->