STaKTAU: profiling HPC applications' operating system usage

Abstract

This paper presents a approach for measuring the time spent by HPC applications in the operating system's kernel. We use the SystemTap interface to insert timers before and after system calls, and take advantage of its stability to design a tool that can be used with multiple versions of the kernel. We evaluate its performance overhead, using an OS-intensive mini-benchmark and a raytracing mini app.