Josh Long interviews Yordan Karadzhov on Instrumenting and Visualizing the Linux Kernel.
Yordan took Josh Long through his path from being a Particle Physicist in Switzerland and the U.S. to spending all of his time developing open source applications.
KernelShark is a front-end reader of trace-cmd(1) output. Version 2.0 will be released shortly and will include a view of the entire flow of execution from the CPU all the way out to the end user. This sophisticated tool provides visibility to every function in the kernel. But, if you trace too much, it will cause a quantum process that can alter your system. There is always a tradeoff between sampling and the ultimate throughput speed of your program. Most users are deploying this to determine the bottlenecks in their code in order to improve system performance. You could also identify unexpected code paths in your algorithms. It’s a very flexible tracing instrument that can be used in a variety of ways.
Feeding a graphical user interface, this new rewrite of KernelShark provides a platform that can integrate with different tools for your customized use. Visualizing and analyzing the recorded codepath makes it easier to find the most efficient ways to enhance your code.
Besides engineering, Josh and Yordan talk about the Sofia developer climate and reminisce about their love of the Bulgarian culture. Listen to the podcast to hear about Josh’s moments in Sofia!
