time Command Purpose Prints the time of the execution of a command. Syntax time Command Description The time command prints: the elapsed time during the execution of a command, time in the system, execution time of the command in seconds on the diagnostic output system. Note: Sleep time is not charged to either system or user time. The time command is also built into the C shell (csh) and Korn shell (ksh) with a different format. To run the time command while in csh and ksh shells, enter: /usr/bin/time Examples 1. To measure the time required to run a program, enter: time a.out This runs the program a.out and writes the amount of real, sys- tem, and user time to the standard error output, for example: real 10.5 user 0.3 sys 3.6 2. To save a record of the time command information in a file, enter: time a.out 2> a.time Implementation Specifics This command is part of the base operating system. Suggested Reading Prerequisite Information For more information about the Accounting System, the preparation of daily and monthly reports, and the accounting files, see the Accounting Overview . Related Information The timex command. How to Set Up an Accounting System describes the steps you must take to establish an accounting system. See the Accounting Commands Overview for a list of accounting commands that can be run automatically or entered from the key- board.