DTrace and Java: Exposing Performance Problems That Once Were Hidden

ou very rarely hear "quality of life" and "developer" in the same sentence. This is mostly because developers lack tools (not skills) that easily and concisely allow them to identify transient failures (performance problems) in complicated software stacks. Java developers, however, finally have a tool combination that allows for an unprecedented view across all layers of software that are involved in business applications—DTrace and Java SE 6. Time to find a new hobby to fill your free time.

Understanding the performance characteristics of software has always been notoriously difficult. This is especially true of languages such as Java. Developers all knew what they should be looking for, but few (if any) tools enabled them to easily test out their hypotheses. Each of the available tools fell short in some respect. The probe-effect was too high and changed the behavior of the application, or there was no seamless mechanism to observe the multiple layers of software simultaneously (Java code, JVM, native code, and the kernel), or you had to modify or restart your applications to perform the tests—which all but prevented you from debugging production performance issues.

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DTrace and Java: Exposing Performance Problems That Once Were Hidden

The combination of DTrace and Java SE 6 enables an unprecedented view across all layers of Java software. Learn how to leverage the combo to gain tremendous insight into your Java applications, the JVM, or any other aspect of the software.