About Dynamic Probes

Note: This site is under development. You may find additional information at the current DProbes website: http://www-124.ibm.com/developerworks/oss/linux/projects/dprobes/

Dynamic Probes is a linux debugger that can be used to insert software probes dynamically into executing code modules. When a probe is fired, a user-written probe-handler is executed. The probe-handler is a program written in an assembly-like language, based on the Reverse Polish Notation (RPN). Instructions are provided to enable the probe-handler to access all the hardware registers, system data structures and memory.

DProbes operates under the most extreme software conditions such as debugging a deep rooted operating system problem in a live environment, for example in the page-manager of the kernel or perhaps a problem that will not re-create easily in either a lab or production environment. For such inaccessible problem scenarios Dynamic Probes not only offers a technique for gathering diagnostic information but has a high probability of successful outcome without the need to build custom modules for debugging purposes.

DProbes basic infrastructural parts are split out as stand-alone patches defining new interfaces called Kprobes. Please see the Kprobes webpage for more details.

News

January 4, 2005 The DProbes user tools (and dpcc) are now available via anonymous CVS.
June 16, 2004 The DProbes kernel patch for Linux 2.6.7-rc3 was released for x86_64.
June 1, 2004 The DProbes kernel patch for Linux 2.6.7-rc2 was released for i386.

Coming Soon

License

Dynamic Probes is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

Project Page

Please visit the DProbes Project Page for all of the following: