Ubuntu Manpage: pmafm, pmRecordSetup, pmRecordAddHost, pmRecordControl

NAME

       pmafm,  pmRecordSetup,  pmRecordAddHost,  pmRecordControl  - record mode support for PMAPI
       clients

C SYNOPSIS

       #include <pcp/pmafm.h>

       FILE *pmRecordSetup(const char *folio, const char *creator, int replay);
       int pmRecordAddHost(const char *host, int isdefault, pmRecordHost **rhp);
       int pmRecordControl(pmRecordHost *rhp, int request, const char *options);

       cc ... -lpcp_gui

DESCRIPTION

These routines may be used to create a Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) archive ``on the fly''
to support ``record mode'' services for PMAPI client applications.

Each record mode ``session'' involves one or more PCP archive logs each created using a
dedicated pmlogger(1) process, with an overall Archive Folio format as understood by
pmafm(1), to name and collect all of the archive logs associated with a single recording
session.

The pmRecordHost structure is used to maintain state information between the creator of
the recording session and the associated pmlogger process(es). The structure is defined
as:
typedef struct {
FILE *f_config; /* caller writes pmlogger configuration here */
int fd_ipc; /* IPC channel to pmlogger */
char *logfile; /* full pathname for pmlogger error logfile */
pid_t pid; /* process id for pmlogger */
int status; /* exit status, -1 if unknown */
} pmRecordHost;

The routines are used in combination to create a recording session as follows.

1. Call pmRecordSetup to establish a new recording session. A new Archive Folio will be
created using the name folio; if the file or directory folio already exists, or the
file folio cannot be created, this is an error. The application that is creating the
session is identified by creator (most often this would be the same as the global
PMAPI application name, as returned by pmGetProgname(3)). If the application knows
how to create its own configuration file to replay the recorded session, then replay
should be non-zero.

pmRecordSetup returns a stdio stream onto which the application should write the text
of the required replay configuration file, if any.

2. For each host that is to be included in the recording session, call pmRecordAddHost.
A new pmRecordHost structure is returned via rhp. It is assumed that pmcd(1) is
running on host as this is how pmlogger(1) will retrieve the required performance
metrics.

If this host is the default host for this recording session, then isdefault should be
non-zero. This will ensure that the corresponding archive appears first in the PCP
archive folio, and hence the tools used to replay the archive folio will make the
correct determination of the archive associated with the default host. At most one
host per recording session may be nominated as the default host.

The calling application should write the desired pmlogger configuration onto the stdio
stream returned via the f_config field in the pmRecordHost structure.

3. Optionally add arguments to the command line that will be used to launch pmlogger(1)
by calling pmRecordControl with a request of PM_REC_SETARG. The argument is passed
via options and one call to pmRecordControl is required for each distinct argument.

An argument may be added for a particular pmlogger instance identified by rhp, or if
the rhp argument is NULL the argument is added for all pmlogger instances that will be
launched in the current recording session.

Independent of any calls to pmRecordControl with a request of PM_REC_SETARG, each
pmlogger instance will automatically be launched with the following arguments: -c, -h,
-l, -x and the basename for the PCP archive log.

4. To commence the recording session, call pmRecordControl with a request of PM_REC_ON,
and rhp must be NULL. This will launch one pmlogger(1) process for each host in the
recording session, and initialize the fd_ipc, logfile, pid and status fields in the
associated pmRecordHost structure(s).

5. To terminate a pmlogger instance identified by rhp, call pmRecordControl with a
request of PM_REC_OFF. If the rhp argument to pmRecordControl is NULL, the
termination request is broadcast to all pmlogger processes in the current recording
session.

An informative dialog is generated directly by each pmlogger process and hence note
the comments on the disposition of output from pmlogger below.

Alternatively, pmlogger can be started with options to limit the duration of logging,
e.g. the -T or -s arguments, in which case there is no need to call pmRecordControl
with a request of PM_REC_OFF and no dialog is generated.

6. To display the current status of the pmlogger instance identified by rhp, call
pmRecordControl with a request of PM_REC_STATUS. If the rhp argument to
pmRecordControl is NULL, the status request is broadcast to all pmlogger processes in
the current recording session.

The display is generated directly by each pmlogger process and hence note the comments
on the disposition of output from pmlogger below.

7. To detach a pmlogger instance identified by rhp and allow it to continue independent
of the application that launched the recording session, call pmRecordControl with a
request of PM_REC_DETACH. If the rhp argument to pmRecordControl is NULL, the detach
request is broadcast to all pmlogger processes in the current recording session.

An informative dialog is generated directly by each pmlogger process and hence note
the comments on the disposition of output from pmlogger below.

The calling application should not close any of the returned stdio streams; this will be
done by pmRecordControl when recording is commenced.

Once pmlogger has been started for a recording session, then pmlogger will assume
responsibility for any dialog with the user in the event that the application that
launched the recording session should exit, particularly without terminating the recording
session.

By default, information and dialogs from pmlogger will be displayed using pmquery(1) on
the assumption that most applications wishing to launch a recording session are GUI-based.
In the event that pmquery fails to display the information (for example, because the
DISPLAY environment variable is not set), pmlogger will write on its own stderr stream
(not the stderr stream of the launching process); the output will be assigned to the
XXXXXX.host.log file described in the FILES section below. For convenience, the full
pathname to this file is provided via the logfile field in the pmRecordHost structure.

If the options argument to pmRecordControl is not NULL, this string may be used to pass
additional arguments to pmquery(1) in those cases where a dialog is to be displayed. One
use of this capability would be to provide a -geometry string to control the placement of
the dialog.

Premature termination of a launched pmlogger process may be determined using the
pmRecordHost structure, by calling select(2) on the fd_ipc field or polling the status
field that will contain the termination status from waitpid(2) if known, else -1.

FILES

       These  routines  create a number of files in the same directory as the folio file named in
       the call to pmRecordSetup.  In all cases,  the  ``XXXXXX''  component  is  the  result  of
       calling mktemp(3).

       XXXXXX    If  replay is non-zero, this is the creator's replay configuration file, else an
                 empty control file, used to guarantee uniqueness.
       folio     The PCP Archive Folio, suitable for use with pmafm(1).
       XXXXXX.host.config
                 The pmlogger(1) configuration for each host -  if  the  same  host  is  used  in
                 different calls to pmRecordAddHost within the same recording session then one of
                 the letters ``a'' through ``z'' will be appended to the ``XXXXXX'' part  of  all
                 associated file names to ensure uniqueness.
       XXXXXX.host.log
                 stdout and stderr for the pmlogger(1) instance for each host.
       XXXXXX.host.{0,meta,index}
                 The files comprising a single PCP archive for each host.

DIAGNOSTICS

       pmRecordSetup  may  return NULL in the event of an error.  Check errno for the real cause,
       but the value EINVAL typically means that the order of calls  to  these  routines  is  not
       correct  (there  is  obvious  state  associated with the current recording session that is
       maintained across calls to these routines).  For example the following calls would produce
       this  EINVAL  error; calling pmRecordControl before calling pmRecordAddHost at least once,
       or calling pmRecordAddHost before calling pmRecordSetup.

       pmRecordControl and pmRecordAddHost both return 0 on success, else a  value  less  than  0
       suitable  for  decoding  with  pmErrStr(3)  on  failure.   The  value -EINVAL has the same
       interpretation as errno being set to EINVAL as described above.

       pmRecordControl will return PM_ERR_IPC if the  associated  pmlogger  process  has  already
       exited.

NAME

C SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

SEE ALSO

FILES

DIAGNOSTICS