The Frysk Execution Analysis Architecture

The goal of the Frysk project is to create an intelligent, distributed, always-on system monitoring and debugging tool that allows GNU/Linux developers and system administrators to monitor running processes and threads (including creation and destruction events), monitor the use of locking primitives, expose deadlocks, gather data and debug any given process by either choosing it from a list or by accepting Frysk's offer to open a source code or other window on a process that is in the process of crashing or that has been misbehaving in certain user-definable ways.

This paper will provide an overview of Frysk's core architecture and how that architecture facilitates Frysk's objectives. In addition, this paper will present examples of Frysk being applied to complex real world problems; and guidance as to area's of the Linux kernel that can be enhanced to better facilitate tools such as Frysk.