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Re: architecture paper draft




Frank Ch. Eigler wrote:
Hi -

I committed a first draft version of one proposed architecture in the
systemtap CVS repository.  Check out the "archpaper" module using
anoncvs [1].  Or use a real ssh account so you can eventually contribute
directly (have you signed up yet?).  Just for gags, temporarily
(since it's such an early draft) I put formatted version of the
LaTeX paper up at home:
<http://web.elastic.org/~fche/systemtap.pdf>

- FChE

[1]
cvs -d :pserver:anoncvs@sources.redhat.com:/cvs/systemtap login
{enter "anoncvs" as the password}
cvs -d :pserver:anoncvs@sources.redhat.com:/cvs/systemtap co archpaper


General comments on the systemtap paper


Clearer to label section "3.1 Input" as "SystemTap Probe Language"

If indirection is not allow then, then how does SystemTap probe data
structures in the kernel that use pointers or arguments that are
passed in to functions as pointers (assuming using jprobes).

The language seems verbose in placing the probe. For example:

break kernel.function("sys_write")

The equivalent for DTrace would be

fbt::sys_write:entry

The first is the instrumentation provider, fbt which appears to be for the kernel only. For userspace there is the pid provider so the format would be ($1 is passed in from the command line):

pid$1::sys_write:entry


Might want to use some a keyword besides "break" to indicate placement of probe. C already uses that keyword. Are switch-case statements not going to be language?

-Will



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