Programmable dynamic tracing on Linux with DTrace using BPF

Abstract

The implementation of DTrace for Linux based on BPF as a programmable dynamic tracing solution is nearing feature parity with legacy versions that required invasive kernel patches. The talk will present the current state of the project, and highlight creative solutions to get around kernel limitations. We will also present some problem areas that we found to open conversations about potential solutions.

Biography

Kris has been involved with tracing on Linux for over 15 years, both on the side of kernel development and tools development at the userspace level. He has also made contributions to GCC, the Linux kernel, and various other open source projects. He co-developed the initial port of DTrace to Linux at Oracle, and he currently leads the re-implementation of DTrace based on kernel tracing facilities incl. BPF.