A Trace Tool for the NPTL / libc

[Tony Reix <tony.reix@bull.net>]

Hi,

We have built a Trace Tool for the NPTL, called PTT.

This trace tool enables to trace:
  - the calls to and exits from NPTL routines
  - the internal behavior of the NPTL
This tool is aimed to help:
  - developers of Multi-threaded applications
  - members of Linux Distribution Support Teams
  - NPTL maintainers

This tool has now reached a good level of features and quality (though
we know more work is required to make it complete, scalable, ...).
We have built a patch for glibc 2.3.5 and packages for Debian and Fedora
Core 3 and 4.
First measures on 2xia32 show that the patch does not modify the
behavior of the applications (OPTS runs perfectly) and that the
performance impact is acceptable (between 2% and 16% depending on the
application. 16% is reached with stress tests: VolanoMark/JRockit).
The tool has been ported on PowerPC and ia64.


This tool will be presented at the OLS at the end of July:
  http://www.linuxsymposium.org/2005/view_abstract.php?content_key=45
as part of a Bull project aimed to stabilize the NPTL.



The next step is to make this tool available to all people using POSIX
threads on Linux.


>>>> Do you think it could be possible to provide this tool
>>>> some day as an official Debian package ?



Here are useful links to the tool:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/nptltracetool
http://nptltracetool.sourceforge.net/
http://nptl.bullopensource.org/
 


PTT has been built under my direction and with the help of an expert in
POSIX Threads by 4 students of French Universities.
It is delivered with documentation and tests.



Thanks,

-- 

Cordialement/Regards,
 
Tony Reix
                            Carpe Diem
 
("Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero" - Horace)
 
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Name/Company: Tony Reix                        Bull SA - AIX/Linux R&D
EMail:        Tony.Reix@bull.net 
Position:     System Management/Java Architect - NPTL - NFSv4
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