dtrace with Python

dtrace: Python instrumentation

...where time becomes a loop

Last year, I mentionned that it was time for the Python community to embrace dtrace. I've gotten questions left and right, at user groups, through email etc as to what is dtrace and how it ties in with Python.

This week, a few posts on the Argentinian and Venezuelan Python lists on debugging Python and a total absence of a mention of dtrace and I knew I had to do a writeup. But before we get into the details, let's step back a bit.

Head over to my Python blog to read the rest of the article.

François
@f_dion

Bonjour / avahi / zeroconf

I use a few Raspberry Pi on my network. I gave them proper hostnames. I could map the DNS and all that, but I simply have avahi running on them, so I can access them with hostname.local.

Multicast

For OpenIndiana to support zeronconf, all that is needed is this:

fdion@p490s:~$ su
Password:
fdion@p490s:~# vi /etc/nsswitch.conf

[here, I just added mdns:

hosts:      files mdns dns
ipnodes:    files mdns dns

]
fdion@p490s:~# svcadm enable svc:/network/dns/multicast:default
fdion@p490s:~# exit

From that point on, I can simply use:

fdion@p490s:~$ ssh -X rpi01.local

And of course, I had to configure Avahi on the Raspberry Pi.

This also works with my Macs, I can use ssh mac01.local for example.

OpenIndiana workstation, OI_151 a year later

Well, coincidentally, I just noticed that I've had OpenIndiana (OI 151) on my main workstation for a whole year exactly today (September 14th 2011, and today is September 14th 2012).

I also find that although it can multiboot (from the OI grub) Windows 7 and Linux Mint beside OI, I've not really spent any time in these other OSes. Just no need. I'll spend some time on the Mac workstation (my 8th Mac since the 80s), but mostly for XCode.

Outside of XCode though, I get back to OI almost immediately. The Mac, like my VMWare server (with various OSes) is used mostly as part of my build system, driven by Jenkins CI. And I got lazy to walk to the Mac, so I actually access it with VNC:

The VNC window is 1600x1200, that gives an idea of how spacious a 2560 x 1440 desktop really is. The monitor on the OpenIndiana workstation is a Catleap Q270 which uses the same LG IPS panel as the Apple 27", but without the awful super glossy. It still has a bit of reflection, but it is low gloss (I dont know of any matte version of that panel). It replaced two 20" 1600x1200 in a xinerama 3200x1200 desktop. I needed more vertical space, I can see more code at once like that.

In case anybody needs it, the Q270 doesn't provide the correct edid info, so you have to hardwire one in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf:

Section "Screen"
    Option "CustomEDID" "DFP-0: /etc/X11/edid-q270.bin"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
#    Option "UseEdid" "False"
#    Option "ExactModeTimingsDVI" "True"
    Option         "TwinView" "0"
    Option         "metamodes" "nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
        Modes       "2560x1440"
    EndSubSection
EndSection

and the edid as a hex dump:

00 FF FF FF  FF FF FF 00  04 62 9B 04  00 00 00 00
28 15 01 03  A5 3C 22 78  22 6F B1 A7  55 4C 9E 25
0C 50 54 00  00 00 01 01  01 01 01 01  01 01 01 01
01 01 01 01  01 01 56 5E  00 A0 A0 A0  29 50 30 20
35 00 55 50  21 00 00 1A  00 00 00 FC  00 51 48 44
32 37 30 0A  20 20 20 20  20 20 00 00  00 FC 00 0A
20 20 20 20  20 20 20 20  20 20 20 20  00 00 00 FC
00 0A 20 20  20 20 20 20  20 20 20 20  20 20 00 7E
0A 

You'll have to convert the hexdump back to bin and put it in /etc/X11/edid-q270.bin (or whatever you put in the xorg.conf). Bug me in the comments if you need the actual bin file, I'll post it somewhere.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite wallpapers (I have a bunch of wallpapers on autorotation, and different for each workspace):

Solaris Desktop on the move (ipad)

So as seen here in the picture, i'm still using solaris as my desktop. Big deal, right?

But this is on an Apple ipad 2. Using Oracle virtual desktop, served from a solaris 10 sun ray server, and to top it all off, from a vmware server. Oh yeah, and off verizon 3g or public wifi access points and VPN. What the Sun Microsystems sunray laptop could have been, plus relatively inexpensive

Since Apple will be making some announcements in a few hours (and who knows what will they announce- new ios or new iphone or just software ), I thought it might be a good time to mention this, for those that do not know about this solution. Granted, there are so many applications for the ipad / iphone and ipod, that it is easy to never see or hear about them.

Shortly, Solaris 11 fcs should be available, and SRS 5.2 will hopefully function properly on it, giving this a more modern desktop.

And now back to your regular programming... (no pun intended)