Provided by: blktrace_1.2.0-5_amd64 bug

NAME

       btreplay - recreate IO loads recorded by blktrace

SYNOPSIS

       btreplay [ options ] <dev...>

DESCRIPTION

       The  btrecord  and btreplay tools provide the ability to record and replay IOs captured by
       the blktrace utility. Attempts are made to  maintain  ordering,  CPU  mappings  and  time-
       separation of IOs.

       The  blktrace  utility provides the ability to collect detailed traces from the kernel for
       each IO processed by the block IO layer. The traces provide a complete timeline  for  each
       IO  processed,  including detailed information concerning when an IO was first received by
       the block IO layer — indicating the device, CPU number, time stamp, IO  direction,  sector
       number  and IO size (number of sectors). Using this information, one is able to replay the
       IO again on the same machine or another set up entirely.

       The basic operating work-flow to replay IOs would be something like:

       -
           Run blktrace to collect traces. Here you specify the
           device or devices that you wish to trace and later replay IOs upon. Note:
           the only traces you are interested in are QUEUE requests —
           thus, to save system resources (including storage for traces), one could
           specify the -a queue command line option to blktrace.

       -
           While blktrace is running, you run the workload that you
           are interested in.

       -
           When the work load has completed, you stop the blktrace
           utility (thus saving all traces over the complete workload).

       -
           You extract the pertinent IO information from the traces saved by
           blktrace using the btrecord utility. This will parse
           each trace file created by blktrace, and crafty IO descriptions
           to be used in the next phase of the workload processing.

       -
           Once btrecord has successfully created a series of data
           files to be processed, you can run the btreplay utility which
           attempts to generate the same IOs seen during the sample workload phase.

OPTIONS

       -c <num>
       --cpus=<num>
              Set number of CPUs to use.

       -d <dir>
       --input-directory=<dir>
              Set input directory.   This  option  requires  a  single  parameter  providing  the
              directory  name for where input files are to be found. The default directory is the
              current directory (.).

       -F
       --find-records
              Find record files automatically This option instructs btreplay to go find  all  the
              record  files  in  the  directory  specified  (either  via the -d option, or in the
              default directory (.).

       -h
       --help
              Show help and exit.

       -i <basename>
       --input-base=<basename>
              Set base name for input files.  Each input file has 3 fields:

              1.
                  Device identifier (taken directly from the device name of the
                  blktrace output file).

              2.
                  btrecord base name — by default ``replay''.

              3.
                  The CPU number (again, taken directly from the
                  blktrace output file name).

              This option requires a  single  parameter  that  will  override  the  default  name
              (replay), and replace it with the specified value.

       -I <num>
       --iterations=<num>
              Set  number  of  iterations  to run.  This option requires a single parameter which
              specifies the number of times to run through the input files. The default value  is
              1

       -M <filename>
       --map-devs=<filename>
              Specify  device  mappings.  This option requires a single parameter which specifies
              the name of a file contain device mappings. The file must be very  simply  managed,
              with just two pieces of data per line:

              -
                  The device name on the recorded system (with the '/dev/'
                  removed). Example: /dev/sda would just be sda.

              -
                  The device name on the replay system to use (again, without the
                  '/dev/' path prepended).

              An  example  file  for  when  one  would  map  devices /dev/sda and /dev/sdb on the
              recorded system to dev/sdg and sdh on the replay system would be:

                     sda sdg
                     sdb sdh

              The only entries in the file that are allowed are these two element lines —  we  do
              not (yet?) support the notion of blank lines, or comment lines, or the like.

              The utility allows for multiple -M options to be supplied on the command line.

       -N
       --no-stalls
              Disable  pre-bunch stalls.  When specified on the command line, all pre-bunch stall
              indicators will be ignored. IOs will be replayed without inter-bunch delays.

       -x <factor>
       --acc-factor=<factor>
              Specify acceleration factor. Default value is 1 (no acceleration).

       -v
       --verbose
              Enable verbose output.  When specified on the command line, this  option  instructs
              btreplay  to  store information concerning each stall and IO operation performed by
              btreplay. The name of each file so created will be the input file name used with an
              extension  of  .rep appended onto it. Thus, an input file of the name sdab.replay.3
              would generate a verbose  output  file  with  the  name  sdab.replay.3.rep  in  the
              directory specified for input files.

              In addition, btreplay will also output to stderr the names of the input files being
              processed.

       -V
       --version
              Show version number and exit.

       -W
       --write-enable
              Enable writing during replay.  As a precautionary measure, by default btreplay will
              not  process  write  requests.  In  order  to  enable btreplay to actually write to
              devices one must explicitly specify the -W option.

AUTHORS

       btreplay was written by Alan D. Brunelle.  This man page was  created  from  the  btreplay
       documentation by Bas Zoetekouw.

REPORTING BUGS

       Report bugs to <linux-btrace@vger.kernel.org>

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright © 2007 Alan D. Brunelle, Alan D. Brunelle and Nathan Scott.
       This  is  free  software.   You  may  redistribute copies of it under the terms of the GNU
       General Public License <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.  There is NO  WARRANTY,  to
       the extent permitted by law.
       This  manual  page  was  created  for  Debian  by  Bas Zoetekouw.  It was derived from the
       documentation provided by the authors and it may be used, distributed and  modified  under
       the terms of the GNU General Public License, version 2.
       On  Debian  systems,  the  text  of  the  GNU  General  Public  License  can  be  found in
       /usr/share/common-licenses/GPL-2.

SEE ALSO

       The full documentation for btreplay can be  found  in  /usr/share/doc/blktrace  on  Debian
       systems.
       blktrace (8), blkparse (1), btrecord (8)