The pmtime tool provides a graphical user interface for PCP applications requiring time control. pmtime is not normally invoked directly by users, rather it is used indirectly by other applications - such as pmchart, oview and pmview which either launch a new pmtime instance or attach themselves to an existing pmtime instance.

There are two distinct dialogs used by pmtime, depending on whether the client applications are processing live or archive sources of metrics. These dialogs are described in the “Live Time Control Dialog” and “Archive Time Control Dialog” sections respectfully.