NightStar
NightStar is an integrated toolset developed by Concurrent Computer Corporation. Repackaged and sold by Novell, it can be used to non-intrusively debug and analyze the behavior of applications running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time. Using NightStar, programmers can quickly and easily identify performance bottlenecks, analyze and tune applications in real time, and optimize their low latency systems, thus reducing test time, increasing productivity and lowering development costs. Included with NightStar is an intuitive, graphical user interface, as well as documentation and a comprehensive set of on-line help facilities.
Features
The integrated NightStar toolset from Novell includes four components—the NightView Source-level Debugger, the NightTrace Event Analyzer, the NightProbe Data Monitor, and the NightTune Performance Tuner. Together, these components enable the real time debugging, analysis, monitoring and tuning of time critical applications running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time.
NightView Source-level Debugger: NightView allows users to simultaneously debug multiple, time critical processes in real time through a single interface. Programmers can change program execution and modify or display data without stopping or interrupting their program. This debugger provides fine grained control without adversely affecting application deadlines, and synchronizes data displays with the application's algorithms. NightView also includes an interactive memory debugger, to help programmers find and eliminate problems during the debug process without code recompilation or relinking, enabling more efficient debugging (vs. post-run analysis).
NightTrace Event Analyzer: NightTrace is a tool for displaying and analyzing the dynamic behavior of applications, SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time, and the interaction between them. It utilizes low overhead tracepoints, which can be inserted into device drivers, interrupt level code, and any user application. NightTrace graphically displays requested events and states along a timeline graph to clearly show the relative timing of events and provide a detailed picture of application and operating system activity. Furthermore, the graphical display is customizable, and user defined configurations can be saved and later recalled.
NightProbe Data Monitor: NightProbe is a tool for monitoring, modifying and recording data values from multiple, independent application resources, including programs, shared memory segments, memory mapped files, and PCI devices. NightProbe uses a non-intrusive technique of mapping the target resources address space into its own. Subsequent direct memory reads and writes by NightProbe allow it to sample and modify data without interrupting or otherwise affecting resources. NightProbe offers a variety of data display options, including lists, tables, spreadsheets and graphs.
NightTune Performance Tuner: NightTune provides a graphical user interface for monitoring and tuning application and system performance. Users can monitor the priority, scheduling policy, CPU assignment, and CPU usage of user applications. NightTune also monitors system CPU usage, context switches, interrupts, memory utilization and disk and network activity. NightTune displays information about individual threads or tasks within a process, helping programmers optimize their low latency environment.