[Feature Request] Ability to set endpoint "ps" arguments

[sn00pster]

An option to set the "ps" arguments on an endpoint would be useful, from the docker documentation the default is "ps -ef". The portainer code is set up to handle arguments but there is nowhere in the UI to set it. (I built a docker image which set the arguments to -efD and it works fine in my case)

I'm using this on a synology NAS which has a special version of "ps" that requires a flag "-D" to show docker processes, without this flag the process list under stats is empty (same for executing docker top ". If I execute "docker top -efD" then I see the correct tasks.

I realise this is probably a very odd and unusual case.

[deviantony]

Do you mean on a container? Endpoint is part of the Portainer vocabulary here so I'm not sure what you're talking about. The process list in the container stats view right?

[sn00pster]

Yes, but the "ps" happens on the host (endpoint) not on the container, so I figured it makes more sense as a setting on the endpoint (which represents the host) than the container.

If it's a container setting then I'd have to set it for every container I start.

I did think the same when I first realised what was going on, but I think it makes more sense as an endpoint setting.

[deviantony]

@sn00pster interesting, did you create a fork of portainer on github? If so could you send me a link to the code so I can have a look?

[deviantony]

From what I read in the Docker API docs, PS arguments are related to the container resource: https://docs.docker.com/engine/api/v1.25/#/containers

But I see why you'd like to set this as an option on the endpoint, that's because this option is mainly related to the endpoint platform and as such all containers running on the endpoint would require this param.

[sn00pster]

Thanks Tony.

It's very confusing in the docker documentation (docker top is even better, it's like a one line explanation that says "docker top" 😂), if you end up reading through the issues on their GitHub then you find quite a few people confused about how this works and some discussion as to whether you should be able to set the ps binary that docker uses. I guess in reality it's done this way as there's no guarantee that "ps" would be available inside the container.

For example, here is me typing ps -efD inside my plex container:

And here is me executing it on the docker host (synology):

And for completeness, here is the output from "docker top plex" on the host:

And for "docker top plex -efD" on the host: