Getting started: Probekit for customized profiling

Probekit helps you design and implement probes, which are Java code fragments for monitoring specific characteristics of an application’s run-time behavior. They provide you a means to investigate whatever run-time characteristics interest you.

For example, there might be a method in your application for handling transactions. You can create a probe that targets this method and writes an entry to a log on every transaction, or on those transactions that meet some criteria you describe. The probe could even track the execution time of a transaction and issue a report to an operator when a transaction takes longer than expected.

Probekit helps you with the mechanics of creating, testing, and deploying probes. To use Probekit:

1. Author a Probekit probe.
   1. Create a Probekit project.

   2. Create a new Probekit source file in the project.

   3. Use the editor to construct your probe.

   4. Build the probe: If your workspace is configured for auto-building, save the file so that it auto-builds; otherwise, use the manual Build command. Errors are displayed in the Problems view. When your probe builds without errors, it appears in the Probekit registry.

2. Test the probe: Select it from the Probekit registry when you launch Java projects from the Profiling and Logging perspective Profile dialog box.

3. Optionally, export your probe. This allows others to import it into their Probekit registry and use it.

Note: In addition to authoring your own probes, you can import and use probes that have been created by others.

For detailed instructions, see the Collecting run-time data with user-defined probes.

 

Parent topic

Getting started with run-time problem determination