CPU: Kernel Spins

This statistic counts the number of spin cycles on kernel locks, which consume CPU.

An understanding of operating system internals is required to properly interpret this statistic.

When to Check Kernel Spins

When investigating CPU load, after checking CPU: Percent Utilization and CPU: CPUs broken down by percent utilization.

Some degree of kernel spins is normal for processing any workload, due to the nature of multi-threaded programming. Compare the behavior of kernel spins over time and for different workloads, to develop an expectation for what is normal.

Kernel Spins Breakdowns

Table 6-2 Breakdowns of CPU Kernel Spins

Breakdown	Description
type of synchronization primitive	Type of lock (mutex/...).
CPU identifier	CPU identifier number (0/1/2/3/...).