DTGraphics

DTGraphics  

Background
   DTGraphics is a frontend of DTrace in OpenSolaris platform. It provides a GUI for DTrace to make the DTrace users free from the dull command-line mode.

   Designed as an extendable platform, DTGraphics implements the function of tracing  totally by plug-ins, including function plug-ins and GUI plug-ins. Function plug-ins can provide DTGraphics with extended functions to trace more probes with more perspectives. DTrace API will be called in Function plugins and the data from DTrace will be organized and sent to the platform via pre-defined interfaces. GUI plug-ins is responsed for displaying the data in a user-friendly way, such as by table, tree, chart and so on. By combining the function and GUI plug-ins, DTGraphics can display all the possible output of DTrace with proper function plugins. And the Mix&Match features between function plugins and GUI plugins enables users to trace the system with various kinds of views with proper GUI plugins.

Feature
   Monitor plays an important part in operation of tracing of DTGraphics. A monitor combines a function plug-in and a GUI plug-in and saves related settings. Connector Builder provided in DTGraphics is designed to make it convenient for users to config the monitors with the existed plug-ins.

   DTGraphics' plug-ins are existed in the form of dynamic libraries, so that developers can develop the plug-ins free with their own styles, even free from the limit of language with the help of JNI.

Conclusion
   In sum, DTGraphics provides an extendable platform for DTrace to display the tracing data graphically with Mix&Match features.