Vtune for linux roadmap?

[geoff_leach]

Is there a roadmap for native linux vtune?

I'm using gentoo with 2.6.6 kernel (tracking latest stable kernel) and would really like to use native vtune - I have a couple of compute intensive applications I work on and I'd really like to look at cache behaviour, which from what I've read vtune will allow me to do.

I see that only certain (old?) distributions are currently supported, and from what I can tell, no distribution with a recent 2.6 kernel.

I tried installing vtune on my gentoo box with 2.6.6 kernel. In the first instance, it required finding and downloading things like EntireX and winex (cvs) to get the libs vtune uses. Unfortunately, even though vtune now starts, I get a segmentation violation pretty quickly. Could be the libs, could be something else. Of course, I had been warned it probably wouldnt work and didnt expect it to :-)

But then, I see that there is a set of kernel patches for 2.6.0-test5 as part of the VDK. I just went through the patches and a couple fail to apply cleanly to 2.6.6, but look easy enough to update (famous last words). That's a long way from working of course. And I'm not really a kernel hacker.

Before I go patching the kernel, much fun as that may be, and building the vtune driver can anybody tell me if they have managed to get vtune 2.0 working with a recent 2.6.x kernel?

Using windows with the hybrid approach will not really work for me.

I could open a premier support issue, if that helps for some reason over asking here.

But I'm very interested in what Intel's plans for vtune for linux are given the transition to 2.6 kernel based distributions which is well underway, at least for desktop Linux users ...

[jeffrey-gallagher]

Hey geoff.leach

I appreciated your "much fun as that may be"...

:)

Our roadmap for supported OS distributions and their default (and occasionally, errata) kernels is something that changes fairly regularly. I regret I can't just do a cut and paste and show you the list and times here, because the list is still in transition.

The next release of vtl, version 3.0, will probably be in beta next month: keep reading here for more details. In its case, we'll be dropping RH 7.1 support, but adding EL3.0 support. With OSes, that's IT, in addition to the rest of the same list for vtl 2.0.

In the case of vtl software, please note that it's NOT simply a matter of having the correct sampling drivers (VDK) for a given distribution, and its kernels. For vtl to work, its support services (DCOM layer, listed as sag processes in a ps -ef) and various supporting libraries such as glib, glibc, and glibc++ have to be of the kind of version and interdependence so as to support those services. This is in addition to the sampling driver insmod files that our VDK will compile and insert into the kernel during installing.

AND, I hear you when you say you can't use the VTune for Windows product with its Linux remote data collectors: however, those very linux remote data collectors are far more likely to successfully install and run on currently UNSUPPORTED OSes and kernel versions than the vtl products, because there are fewer dependencies on library version. And, by definition, they are considered "the" solution for vtune customers who require linux profiling and are not on a supported OS for native vtl.

My advice:

1) open a premier case saying you want vtl to support your specific OS and kernel versions, list them out as you did here. This will become a feature request.

2) Consider trying to find a way to get a networked Windows server, to install VTune for Windows 7.1, to try to get its Linux remote agents working on your setup. (Seems to me the last fully supported test kernel I saw along this line was 2.6.0, but I haven't looked recently.)

I heard you say, "It won't work for me," I did. But, it could be your quickest answer to get profiling started.

If you did try this, and downloaded the eval version, and had trouble, naturally you could open premier cases about the trouble, as our evals have full support like the purchased product.

cheers

jdg