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author | Dave Brolley <brolley@redhat.com> | 2009-03-16 12:15:24 -0400 |
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committer | Dave Brolley <brolley@redhat.com> | 2009-03-16 12:15:24 -0400 |
commit | 24068a1f2e17857f4ce096a17244d09575a199c1 (patch) | |
tree | b00dd1b858b19cc21a440d734e44ebe14d080d5a /doc/Tapset_Reference_Guide/en-US/Introduction.xml | |
parent | 5bc7237f1c7bdb0eb850752c9611f94d009feff0 (diff) | |
parent | 2497c78e8aa704366683dad56fc8d749a5e92f52 (diff) | |
download | systemtap-steved-24068a1f2e17857f4ce096a17244d09575a199c1.tar.gz systemtap-steved-24068a1f2e17857f4ce096a17244d09575a199c1.tar.xz systemtap-steved-24068a1f2e17857f4ce096a17244d09575a199c1.zip |
Merge branch 'master' of git://sources.redhat.com/git/systemtap
Conflicts:
Makefile.in
main.cxx
stap-find-servers
stap-start-server
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/Tapset_Reference_Guide/en-US/Introduction.xml')
-rw-r--r-- | doc/Tapset_Reference_Guide/en-US/Introduction.xml | 59 |
1 files changed, 59 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/Tapset_Reference_Guide/en-US/Introduction.xml b/doc/Tapset_Reference_Guide/en-US/Introduction.xml new file mode 100644 index 00000000..633521e1 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/Tapset_Reference_Guide/en-US/Introduction.xml @@ -0,0 +1,59 @@ +<?xml version='1.0'?> +<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN" "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [ +]> + +<chapter id="introduction"> + <title>Introduction</title> + + <para> + SystemTap provides free software (GPL) infrastructure to simplify the + gathering of information about the running Linux system. This assists + diagnosis of a performance or functional problem. SystemTap eliminates the + need for the developer to go through the tedious and disruptive instrument, + recompile, install, and reboot sequence that may be otherwise required to + collect data. + </para> + + <para> + SystemTap provides a simple command line interface and scripting language + for writing instrumentation for a live, running kernel. This instrumentation + uses probe points and functions provided in the <firstterm>tapset</firstterm> library. + </para> + + <para> + Simply put, tapsets are scripts that encapsulate knowledge about a kernel subsystem + into pre-written probes and functions that can be used by other scripts. + Tapsets are analogous to libraries for C programs. They hide the + underlying details of a kernel area while exposing the key information + needed to manage and monitor that aspect of the kernel. They are typically + developed by kernel subject-matter experts. + </para> + + <para> + A tapset exposes the high-level data and state transitions of a + subsystem. For the most part, good tapset developers assume that + SystemTap users know little to nothing about the kernel subsystem's + low-level details. As such, tapset developers write tapsets that help + ordinary SystemTap users write meaningful and useful SystemTap scripts. + </para> + +<!-- add xref to upcoming section on how to write Tapsets/Tapset Comments --> + + <section id="docsgoals"> + <title>Documentation Goals</title> + + <para> + This guide aims to document SystemTap's most useful and common tapset entries; it + also contains guidelines on proper tapset development and documentation. + The tapset definitions contained in this guide are extracted automatically from + properly-formatted comments in the code of each tapset file. As such, any revisions + to the definitions in this guide should be applied directly to their respective + tapset file. + </para> + +<remark>add: "while users can read from code, it's easier to read from here!"</remark> +<remark>add: target audience, expected proficiency of readers</remark> + + </section> + +</chapter>
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