A Dynamic Visualization Of Core-2 Duo Interrupts

Allan B. Cruse, University of San Francisco

Stevenson Hall 1300
12:00 PM - 12:50 PM

The ability of a Linux programmer to insert user-programmed 'modules' into a running kernel opens up the possibility of exploring processor behavior in real time, in whatever ways a user can imagine, unencumbered by CPU privilege-level restrictions of a multitasking environment. As an example, we show how this technique can let us watch the 'live' occurrence of interrupt activities being dispatched among multiple CPUs on an x86 SMP Linux platform.