Ray Kinsella

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the Profiling and Debugging tools available for FreeBSD* 7.0 and later. These tools enable the developer to demystify the Kernel’s internal workings, identify performance bottlenecks and determine appropriate parameter tuning. The paper should help reduce the guesswork involved in tuning the performance of FreeBSD, promoting actions informed by measurement.

Abstract: Data plane packet processing involves moving data from an I/O device to system memory, classifying the data and then moving the data to a destination I/O device as quickly as possible. At the high speeds of modern communication, this puts pressure on the system bus as data is moved between I/O devices and system memory, and the processors classifying the data. This application is made even more challenging under a distributed memory architecture, where minimal and deterministic I/O latency must be ensured. This paper describes techniques that can be used to overcome these technical challenges and achieve high-performance data plane packet processing on embedded Intel® architecture platforms.

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the tools and methodology used to resolve memory buffer overruns in FreeBSD* Kernel code, including new features available in the upcoming release of FreeBSD 8.0. Buffer overruns in the heap and stack, and the steps involved in their identification and root cause analysis, are discussed. The paper advocates that the tools presented form part of a unit test strategy for FreeBSD Kernel code.