Dear all,
I'd like to announce publication of Linux Kernel State Tracer (LKST) 1.3,
which is a tracer for Linux kernel.
LKST's main purpose is debugging, fault analysis and performance analysis
of enterprise systems.
For the purpose, LKST has these features,
(1)It is possible to change dynamically which events are recorded.
Users can obtain information about the events which they concern
only interesting events.
And it reduces the overhead of components which is not related
with a fault.
(2)It is possible to change each function invoked by each events.
A default function invoked by events is just recording occuring of the events.
But, if it is necessary, this function can be changed to another
function.
And LKST supports installing the function by using a kernel module
LKST also supports a maskset, which controls what kind of events should be
recorded, can be changed dynamically. For example, LKST usually traces
a few events for good performance, and when the kernel be in a particular
status, LKST can change a maskset to get more detail information.
(3)It is possible to create new buffers and change to one of them.
By changing to other buffer, Users can leave the information
which they want.
LKST binaries, source code and documents are available in the following site,
https://sourceforge.net/projects/lkst/
http://sourceforge.jp/projects/lkst/
http://oss.hitachi.co.jp/sdl/english/lkst.html (now updating)
We prepared a mailing list written below in order to let users know
update of LKST.
[email protected]
[email protected]
To subscribe, please refer following URL,
http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/lkst-users
http://lists.sourceforge.jp/mailman/listinfo/lkst-users
And if you have any comments, please send to the above list, or to
another mailing
list written below.
[email protected]
[email protected]
With kindest regards,
All of the LKST developers
----------------
Yumiko Sugita
Hitachi,Ltd., Systems Development Laboratory
On Wed, Sep 18, 2002 at 09:20:55PM +0900, Yumiko Sugita wrote:
> I'd like to announce publication of Linux Kernel State Tracer (LKST)
> 1.3, which is a tracer for Linux kernel.
Can you tell us what's the difference between this and the Linux Trace
Toolkit (LTT)?
Robert
--
Dipl.-Ing. Robert Schwebel | http://www.pengutronix.de
Pengutronix - Linux Solutions for Science and Industry
Braunschweiger Str. 79, 31134 Hildesheim, Germany
Handelsregister: Amtsgericht Hildesheim, HRA 2686
Phone: +49-5121-28619-0 | Fax: +49-5121-28619-4
Hi,
>From the howto-1.3.txt
> Known Problems:
>
> - GCC 2.96, which is a kernel compiler in RedHat, with -O2 option generates
> wrong code around Kernel Hooks that caused the kernel panic. To avoid this
> problem, you use the GCC 2.95, which is a standard kernel compiler.
I use 2.96 here all the time and haven't seen it miscompile hooks. Can you
please elaborate what the problems are and give a me small sample code
to demonstrate the problem.
Thanks,
Vamsi.
--
Vamsi Krishna S.
Linux Technology Center,
IBM Software Lab, Bangalore.
Ph: +91 80 5044959
Internet: [email protected]
Hello, Robert
Thank you for your inquiry. I apologize for the delay in replying.
Let me first explain the background of our development work.
We began development of the Linux Kernel State Tracer (LKST)
in response to a domestic need to improve Reliability, Availability,
and Serviceability (RAS) with respect to enterprise systems.
The following requirements were applied to LKST:
* Capable of handling a variety of information about system errors.
* Little trace overhead (or To control trace overhead)
* Short development time
As we had to achieve a short development time, we elected to
develop LKST using our own methodology (based on know-how of
tracer development that we carried out for other OS's) different
from other known tools such as LTT.
# This is not to say that we developed all functions on our own.
#LKST at present connects with Kernel Hooks (GKHI) and LKCD.
Consequently, LKST, which is oriented to enterprise systems,
has the following features different from those of LTT.
# These LKST features are also being enhanced at this time.
(1) Little overhead and good scalability when tracing on a large-scale
SMP system
* To make lock mechanism overhead as little as possible, we
designed that the buffers are not shared among CPUs.
(2) Easy to extend/expand the function (User-based extendibility)
* Without recompiling kernel, user can change/add/modify the kind
of events and information to be recorded at anytime.
For example, LKST usually traces very few events for the purpose
of good performance. Once the kernel get into the particular status
that user specified, LKST will trace and record more detail information.
(3) Preservation of trace information
* Recovery of trace information collected at the time of a system crash
in connection with LKCD.
* Saving of specific event information during tracing.
For example, switching to another buffer after the occurrence of
a specific event enables the information on that event to be left
in the previous buffer.
(4) Collection of even more kernel event information
* Information on more than 50 kernel events can be collected for
kernel debugging.
The demand for RAS functions in Linux should grow in the years to come.
It is our hope that LKST becomes one means of implementing such functions.
Best regards,
----------------
Yumiko Sugita
Hitachi,Ltd., Systems Development Laboratory
At 07:58 02/09/19 +0200, Robert Schwebel wrote:
>On Wed, Sep 18, 2002 at 09:20:55PM +0900, Yumiko Sugita wrote:
> > I'd like to announce publication of Linux Kernel State Tracer (LKST)
> > 1.3, which is a tracer for Linux kernel.
>
>Can you tell us what's the difference between this and the Linux Trace
>Toolkit (LTT)?
>
>Robert
>--
> Dipl.-Ing. Robert Schwebel | http://www.pengutronix.de
> Pengutronix - Linux Solutions for Science and Industry
> Braunschweiger Str. 79, 31134 Hildesheim, Germany
> Handelsregister: Amtsgericht Hildesheim, HRA 2686
> Phone: +49-5121-28619-0 | Fax: +49-5121-28619-4
>_______________________________________________
>Lkst-develop mailing list
>[email protected]
>http://lists.sourceforge.jp/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lkst-develop