Linux(R) Debugging and Performance Tuning: Tips and Techniques (Prentice Hall Open Source Software Development Series)

I have read most of this book. I have kind of lost interest. I was under whelmed by the book. It is a bit out of date but 99% of the information is still good. This is not a bad book. I did not find errors. However, the author did not go into any real depth on methodologies for attacking problems. He never discussed when to use which tools. He just stitched together a bunch of getting started documents. The book should have had fewer subtopic (i.e. you don't really need to talk about a bunch of memory checkers 1 or 2 would have been fine) and then go into detail with some real world examples not "hello-world". I recommend that a potential reader borrow this book from someone and skim it. Don't buy it

“This is an excellent introduction to Linux programming. The topics are well chosen and lucidly presented. I learned things myself, especially about internationalization, and I’ve been at this for quite a while.”

—Chet Ramey, Coauthor and Maintainer of the Bash shell

“This is a good introduction to Linux programming. Arnold’s technique of showing how experienced programmers use the Linux programming interfaces is a nice touch, much more useful than the canned programming examples found in most books.”

—Ulrich Drepper, Project Lead, GNU C library

“A gentle yet thorough introduction to the art of UNIX system programming, Linux Programming by Example uses code from a wide range of familiar programs to illustrate each concept it teaches. Readers will enjoy an interesting mix of in-depth API descriptions and portability guidelines, and will come away well prepared to begin reading and writing systems applications. Heartily recommended.”

—Jim Meyering, Coauthor and Maintainer of the GNU Core Utility Programs

Learn Linux® programming, hands-on... from real source code

This book teaches Linux programming in the most effective way possible: by showing and explaining well-written programs. Drawing from both V7 Unix® and current GNU source code, Arnold Robbins focuses on the fundamental system call APIs at the core of any significant program, presenting examples from programs that Linux/Unix users already use every day. Gradually, one step at a time, Robbins teaches both high-level principles and “under the hood” techniques. Along the way, he carefully addresses real-world issues like performance, portability, and robustness. Coverage includes:

• Memory management
• File I/O
• File metadata
• Processes
• Users and groups
• Sorting and searching
• Argument parsing
• Extended interfaces
• Signals
• Internationalization
• Debugging
• And more...

Just learning to program? Switching from Windows®? Already developing with Linux but interested in exploring the system call interface further? No matter which, quickly and directly, this book will help you master the fundamentals needed to build serious Linux software.

Companion Web Sites, authors.phptr.com/robbins and www.linux-by-example.com, include all code examples.

Learn Linux kernel programming, hands-on: a uniquely effective top-down approach

The Linux® Kernel Primer is the definitive guide to Linux kernel programming. The authors' unique top-down approach makes kernel programming easier to understand by systematically tracing functionality from user space into the kernel and carefully associating kernel internals with user-level programming fundamentals. Their approach helps you build on what you already know about Linux, gaining a deep understanding of how the kernel works and how its elements fit together.

One step at a time, the authors introduce all the tools and assembly language programming techniques required to understand kernel code and control its behavior. They compare x86 and PowerPC implementations side-by-side, illuminating cryptic functionality through carefully-annotated source code examples and realistic projects. The Linux® Kernel Primer is the first book to offer in-depth coverage of the rapidly growing PowerPC Linux development platform, and the only book to thoroughly discuss kernel configuration with the Linux build system. Coverage includes

• Data structures
• x86 and PPC assembly language
• Viewing kernel internals
• Linux process model
• User and kernel space
• Interrupts and exceptions
• Memory allocation and tracking
• Tracing subsystem behavior
• I/O interactions
• Filesystems and file operations
• Scheduling and synchronization
• Kernel boot process
• Kernel build system
• Configuration options
• Device drivers
• And more...

If you know C, this book teaches you all the skills and techniques you need to succeed with Linux kernel programming. Whether you're a systems programmer, software engineer, systems analyst, test professional, open source project contributor, or simply a Linux enthusiast, you'll find it indispensable.

Learn Linux kernel programming, hands-on : a uniquely effective top-down approach The Linux ® Kernel Primer is the definitive guide to Linux kernel programming. The authors' unique top-down approach makes kernel programming easier to understand by systematically tracing functionality from user space into the kernel and carefully associating kernel internals with user-level programming fundamentals. Their approach helps you build on what you already know about Linux, gaining a deep understanding of how the kernel works and how its elements fit together. One step at a time, the authors introduce all the tools and assembly language programming techniques required to understand kernel code and control its behavior. They compare x86 and PowerPC implementations side-by-side, illuminating cryptic functionality through carefully-annotated source code examples and realistic projects. The Linux ® Kernel Primer is the first book to offer in-depth coverage of the rapidly growing PowerPC Linux development platform, and the only book to thoroughly discuss kernel configuration with the Linux build system. Coverage includes Data structures x86 and PPC assembly language Viewing kernel internals Linux process model User and kernel space Interrupts and exceptions Memory allocation and tracking Tracing subsystem behavior I/O interactions Filesystems and file operations Scheduling and synchronization Kernel boot process Kernel build system Configuration options Device drivers And more... If you know C, this book teaches you all the skills and techniques you need to succeed with Linux kernel programming. Whether you're a systems programmer, software engineer, systems analyst, test professional, open source project contributor, or simply a Linux enthusiast, you'll find it indispensable. © Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved

Learn Linux debugging and optimization-at kernel and application levels-hands-on!

This is the definitive guide to Linux software debugging and performance optimization at both the kernel and application levels. Using extensive Linux code examples, Steve Best systematically introduces open source tools and best-practice techniques for delivering bug-free, well-tuned code.

Drawing on his exceptional experience optimizing Linux systems for IBM, Best covers issues ranging from memory management and I/O to system processes and kernel bug messages. You'll walk through real debugging sessions, discovering the strategies experts use to debug even the most complex application- and kernel-related problems. You'll master sophisticated profiling techniques for identifying and resolving bottlenecks more quickly and learn how to capture the right data in the event of trouble. Coverage includes

• Bottleneck identification
• Code coverage
• Debuggers: gdb, kgdb, and KDB
• Memory management
• /proc kernel data analysis
• System process monitoring
• Network performance
• Oops bug messages
• Syslog and event logging
• Execution traces
• Profiling kernel behavior
• Cache misses
• User-Mode Linux
• Dynamic probes
• Crash dump analysis
• And more...

Linux® Debugging and Performance Tuning will be indispensable for every developer who needs to supercharge the Linux kernel and applications, and for every administrator and support specialist who must resolve Linux reliability or performance issues.

Annotation Linux Programming by Example introduces new Linux programmers to the core Linux programming interfaces in a gradual, consistent fashion, progressing intuitively from the basic to the more complex. It covers I/O, file metainformation, users and groups, processes, basic interprocess communication (pipes), general purpose APIs, signals, internationalization, and ends with a chapter on debugging Linux programs. Programmers know that the best way to learn about programming is to study well-written programs. This book teaches the fundamental Linux programming interfaces, those that form the core of any significant program, by presenting example code from real-world production programs that Linux users use every day. By looking at concrete programs, its possible not only to see how to use the Linux programming interfaces, but also to examine the real-world issues (performance, portability, robustness) that arise in writing Linux software. This book is the FIRST in a new series of books featuring Arnold Robbins as Series Editor. The books will all be branded "Linux Programming by Example" and cover programming topics for the new Linux programmer and Windows programmers making the switch. Top Reasons people will buy this book: -Covers Linux on PPC -Top-down approach traces functionality from user space into the kernel -Lots of code commentary and examples. It walks you through the actual source code implementation. -Side by side comparison of x86 and PPC -Hands on Examples and Projects -Covers the kernel build system. The "Linux Kernel Primer" offers a comprehensive view of the underpinnings of the Linux kernel. This book starts with a guide of the necessary tools a developer needs to be able to understand and manipulate the source code including cryptic programming fundamentals found throughout the kernel code. It then follows up with an in depth analysis of the major subsystems including process management, memory management, scheduling, I/O, and filesystems. This book also provides information necessary to get started developing on the Linux kernel. The specifics of Intel and PowerPC architecture implementations are covered side by side providing perspective on architecture specific features and how Linux make use of them. Similar in approach to Kernighan's "Practice of Programming" 020161586X Preface Files and Users Introduction Arguments, Options, and the Environment User-Level Memory Management Files and File I/O Directories and File Metadata General Library Interfaces - Part 1 Putting it all together: ls Filesystems and Directory Walks Processes, IPC, and Internationalization Process Management and Pipes Signals Permissions and User and Group ID Numbers General Library Interfaces - Part 2 Internationalization and Localization Extended Interfaces Debugging and Final Project Debugging A Project That Ties Everything Together Appendixes Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years Caldera Ancient UNIX License GNU General Public License Index A unique resource that shows Linux kernel AND Linux application programmers how to write bug-free code that's optimized for performance. 1) Debugging techniques for Linux applications and the kernel 2) Performance tuning techniques for Linux application and the kernel. 3) Sample programs that show how debugging tools can find programming errors. 4) Sample programs that show how profiling tools can show which routines applications spend the most time in. 5) Key features that can be set up in the kernel to capture data once a problem occurs. "This is the definitive guide to Linux software debugging and performance optimization at both the kernel and application levels. Using extensive Linux code examples, Steve Best systematically introduces open source tools and best-practice techniques for delivering bug-free, well-tuned code."-- Quatrième de couverture "This is the definitive guide to Linux software debugging and performance optimization at both the kernel and application levels. Using extensive Linux code examples, Steve Best systematically introduces open source tools and best-practice techniques for delivering bug-free, well-tuned code."--Jacket Foreword Acknowledgments About the Authors Preface Overview Exploration Toolkit Processes: The Principal Model of Execution Memory Management Input/Output Filesystems Scheduling and Kernel Synchronization Booting the Kernel Building the Linux Kernel Adding Your Code to the Kernel Bibliography Index