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@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@ + +Bootchart - a 'startup' graphing tool + +-- + +Bootchart is a tool, usually run at system startup, that collects and graphs +the CPU and disk load of the system as it works. The output of bootchart is +an SVG graph. Normally, bootchart is invoked as `bootchartd` by the kernel +by passing "init=/sbin/bootchartd" to the kernel. Bootchart will then fork +init off to resume normal system startup, while monitoring and logging +startup information in the background. + +After collecting a certain amount of data (usually 15-30 seconds) the logging +stops and a graph is generated from the logged information. This graph +contains vital clues to which resources are being used, in which order, and +where possible problems exist in the startup sequence of the system. + +Of course, bootchart can also be used at any moment in time to collect and +graph some data for an amount of time. Bootchart does not even require root +privileges to do so, and will happily run as a normal user. Bootchart graphs +are by default written time-stamped in /var/log. + +-- + +This version of bootchart was implemented from scratch and inspired by former +incantations of bootchart: + +- The original bash/shell code implemented bootchart. This version logged all +data into a compressed tarball for later processing, and did not create a graph +on it's own. + +- The C-code implementation found in Ubuntu. This version replaced above shell +code version with a faster and efficient data logger, but still did not graph +code itself. + +- the original Java-based bootchart, the original graphing program that created +a bootchart graph from logged data. + +- the pybootchartgui.py program, which created a graph based on the data logged +by either standalone data logger. + +The version you are looking at combines these 2 parts into a single program, +which makes running it and creating graphs a bit more efficient and simple. +You can now run a single program at startup instead of 2. There are no timing +problems (the graphing stage will never run if the logging stage didn't +finish). The logged data isn't being written to disc first, then read again. +Also, the data kept in memory is reduced to the absolute minimum needed to +keep memory use low. + +-- + +Requirements: glibc. Your kernel must have procfs support and several +proc output options enabled: + CONFIG_PROC_FS + CONFIG_SCHEDSTATS + CONFIG_SCHED_DEBUG +at a minimum. bootchartd itself does not require any graphics library +to generate the SVG output file. + +-- + +Configuration: please see bootchartd --help, as well as /etc/bootchartd.conf +and/or /usr/share/doc/bootchart/bootchartd.conf.example for a list of +configurable options. + +-- + +Many thanks to those who contributed ideas and code: + - Ziga Mahkovec - Original bootchart author + - Anders Norgaard - PyBootchartgui + - Michael Meeks - bootchart2 + - Scott James Remnant - Ubuntu C-based logger + - Arjan van der Ven - for the idea to merge bootgraph.pl functionality + +-- + +For bugs, please contact the author or current maintainer: +Auke Kok <auke-jan.h.kok@intel.com> + +-- + +Download bootchart releases here: http://foo-projects.org/~sofar/bootchart/ +Source code is hosted here: git://github.com/sofar/bootchart |