<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ANSI_X3.4-1968"><title>Chapter 1. Introduction</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.69.1"><link rel="start" href="index.html" title="SystemTap Tapset Reference Manual"><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="SystemTap Tapset Reference Manual"><link rel="prev" href="index.html" title="SystemTap Tapset Reference Manual"><link rel="next" href="ch02.html" title="Chapter 2. Context Functions"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter 1. Introduction</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="index.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center"> </th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="ch02.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="chapter" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="introduction"></a>Chapter 1. Introduction</h2></div></div></div><p> SystemTap provides free software (GPL) infrastructure to simplify the gathering of information about the running Linux system. This assists diagnosis of a performance or functional problem. SystemTap eliminates the need for the developer to go through the tedious and disruptive instrument, recompile, install, and reboot sequence that may be otherwise required to collect data. </p><p> SystemTap provides a simple command line interface and scripting language for writing instrumentation for a live running kernel. The instrumentation makes extensive use of the probe points and functions provided in the <em class="firstterm">tapset</em> library. This document describes the various probe points and functions. </p></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="index.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"> </td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="ch02.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">SystemTap Tapset Reference Manual </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Chapter 2. Context Functions</td></tr></table></div></body></html>