LTTng
Encyclopedia
LTTng is a system software
package for tracing
the Linux kernel
. LTTng consists of a kernel patch
and a kernel module package. It is used together with
LTTV is designed to handle huge traces (10 GB and more). It has a plugin-based architecture and provides both graphical
and text-mode
user interfaces.
LTTng includes a set of kernel instrumentation points useful for debugging
a wide range of bugs, that are otherwise extremely challenging. These include, for example, performance problems on parallel systems and on real-time systems. Custom instrumentation is easy to add. LTTng is designed for minimal performance impact and has a near zero impact when not tracing. LTTng has at least basic support for all Linux
-supported architectures (see the LTTng manual for more details).
LTTng is available as a git
kernel tree at git.kernel.org. Major users include Google
, IBM
, Autodesk
, Siemens
, Nokia
, Sony
and Ericsson
. It is included in the Wind River
Workbench 2.5, Mentor Graphics
Mentor Embedded Linux, ELinOS
embedded Linux, MontaVista
Mobilinux 5.0, STLinux and Novell
SUSE
Enterprise Real-Time Linux distributions.
LTTng, ltt-control and LTTV are actively developed by an open community. They are available under the GNU General Public License
.
System software
System software is computer software designed to operate the computer hardware and to provide a platform for running application software.The most basic types of system software are:...
package for tracing
Tracing (software)
In software engineering, tracing is a specialized use of logging to record information about a program's execution. This information is typically used by programmers for debugging purposes, and additionally, depending on the type and detail of information contained in a trace log, by experienced...
the Linux kernel
Linux kernel
The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software....
. LTTng consists of a kernel patch
Patch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
and a kernel module package. It is used together with
- ltt-control, a toolchain to control tracing, and
- LTTV, the LTT Viewer, a trace viewing and analysis program.
LTTV is designed to handle huge traces (10 GB and more). It has a plugin-based architecture and provides both graphical
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
and text-mode
Text user interface
TUI short for: Text User Interface or Textual User Interface , is a retronym that was coined sometime after the invention of graphical user interfaces, to distinguish them from text-based user interfaces...
user interfaces.
LTTng includes a set of kernel instrumentation points useful for debugging
Debugging
Debugging is a methodical process of finding and reducing the number of bugs, or defects, in a computer program or a piece of electronic hardware, thus making it behave as expected. Debugging tends to be harder when various subsystems are tightly coupled, as changes in one may cause bugs to emerge...
a wide range of bugs, that are otherwise extremely challenging. These include, for example, performance problems on parallel systems and on real-time systems. Custom instrumentation is easy to add. LTTng is designed for minimal performance impact and has a near zero impact when not tracing. LTTng has at least basic support for all Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
-supported architectures (see the LTTng manual for more details).
LTTng is available as a git
Git (software)
Git is a distributed revision control system with an emphasis on speed. Git was initially designed and developed by Linus Torvalds for Linux kernel development. Every Git working directory is a full-fledged repository with complete history and full revision tracking capabilities, not dependent on...
kernel tree at git.kernel.org. Major users include Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Autodesk
Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that focuses on 3D design software for use in the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment industries. The company was founded in 1982 by John Walker, a coauthor of the first versions of the company's...
, Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
, Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
and Ericsson
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
. It is included in the Wind River
Wind River Systems
Wind River Systems, Inc. is a company providing embedded systems, development tools for embedded systems, middleware, and other types of software. The company was founded in Berkeley, California in 1981 by Jerry Fiddler and David Wilner. On June 4, 2009, Wind River announced that Intel had bought...
Workbench 2.5, Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics, Inc is a US-based multinational corporation dealing in electronic design automation for electrical engineering and electronics, as of 2004, ranked third in the EDA industry it helped create...
Mentor Embedded Linux, ELinOS
ELinOS
ELinOS is a commercial development environment for embedded Linux. It consists of a Linux distribution for the target embedded system and development tools for a development host computer. The development host computer usually is a standard desktop computer running Linux or Windows...
embedded Linux, MontaVista
MontaVista
MontaVista Software is a software developer that develops embedded Linux system software, development tools, and related software. Its products are targeted at other corporations developing embedded systems such as automotive electronics, communications equipment, mobile phones, and other...
Mobilinux 5.0, STLinux and Novell
Novell
Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...
SUSE
SUSE Linux distributions
SUSE Linux is a computer operating system. It is built on top of the open source Linux kernel and is distributed with system and application software from other open source projects. SUSE Linux is of German origin and mainly developed in Europe. The first version appeared in early 1994, making...
Enterprise Real-Time Linux distributions.
LTTng, ltt-control and LTTV are actively developed by an open community. They are available under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
.
See also
- Kernel markerKernel markerKernel markers were a static kernel instrumentation support mechanism for Linux kernel source code, allowing special tools such as LTTng or SystemTap to trace information exposed by these probe points...
- Tracepoint
- SystemTapSystemTapIn computing, SystemTap is the primary scripting language and tool for dynamically instrumenting running production Linux operating systems...
- straceStracestrace is a debugging utility for Linux and some other Unix-like systems to monitor the system calls used by a program and all the signals it receives, similar to "truss" utility in other Unix systems...
- DTraceDTraceDTrace is a comprehensive dynamic tracing framework created by Sun Microsystems for troubleshooting kernel and application problems on production systems in real time...