Compaq/Digital's High Performance Servers/Benchmark Performance Engineering 
presents: 

The Iprobe tool suite (4.0) for Alpha/Linux. 

Date: 1/5/99

Where?
------
Iprobe is availbe at: metalab.unc.edu:/pub/Linux/Incoming
Soon to be in: metalab.unc.edu:/pub/Linux/devel

How?
---
LICENSE: GPL.

Who?
----
Contact: Phillip.Ezolt@compaq.com or ezolt@perf.zko.dec.com

What is iprobe?
---------------
It is a little-known fact that the Compaq Alpha processor has some nifty
on-chip performance hardware that can be used to find bottlenecks in program
code.  

Iprobe gives the user access to this hardware.  

Iprobe is a low-overhead toolsuite that uses the Alpha event counters to find 
performance bottlenecks in kernel and user space. 

The iprobe suite allows one to find what parts of code cause different
types of events. (Where is my program missing the cache?  Where is my
program spending all of its cycles?  Where is my program branching? )

Internally, Iprobe has been used to find bottlenecks in benchmarks, operating 
systems and software that needs high performance.  Iprobe has used helped to 
tune databases (Oracle, and Informix) as well as SPEC CPU95.  Iprobe has also 
been used to find bottlenecks in VMS, Digital Unix, and Windows NT.   

Iprobe has traditionally be a cross-platform alpha tool. It runs on 
Digital Unix, Open VMS, and Windows NT, and it is now being released under
GPL for Alpha/Linux.

Who can run it? 
---------------
The iprobe suite should run on all Alpha machines created prior to the EV6. 

Currently, it has been tested successfully on all Alpha/Linux machines that 
boot using the Digital SRM and aboot.  It may NOT run on machines running
MILO. 

For those that use MILO, iprobe MAY work.  On the AlphaStation 250 that
I have here, it works on MILO.  However, it does NOT work my AlphaStation
500.  Jay Estabrook (the MILO guru) is looking into this matter, and should 
have an updated MILO for those that need it RSN (real soon now).

Iprobe also requires a kernel >2.1.132.  Any 2.2.X kernels should work. 

Where do I get it? 
------------------
The suite consists of two required parts, and a third which is optional:

1) A binary driver (iprobe_suite-4.0-driver.o.gz)
	This has been compiled for your convience.  The source is avaible
in the rpm/tarball with the source for the rest of the suite, but it
must be compiled against a kernel with performance counter support, so for 
ease of use,  a binary driver is provided. 

2) Application Suite (iprobe_suite-4.0-1.alpha.rpm)
	These are all the applications that actually use the performance
counters.   Instruction on their use is provided within. 

3) Source (iprobe_suite-4.0-1.src.rpm)
	This is the source for all of the above. 


How do I install?
-----------------
Once you get the rpm, simply type

rpm -i iprobe_suite-4.0-1.alpha.rpm

Documentation will be installed in /usr/doc/iprobe_suite-4.0/  
Read INSTALL for instructions on installing the suite.
Read TUTORIAL for instructions on using the suite.

What else?
---------
We are currently looking for an external site to host a web page for to
host information/howtos and success stories on.  If any one is interested,
email ezolt@perf.zko.dec.com.


