To Profile Under Load with er_kernel

If you have a single command, either a program or a script, that you want to use as a load:

1. Collect the experiment by typing:

   % er_kernel -p on load

   If load is a script, it should wait for any commands it spawns to terminate before exiting, or the experiment might be terminated prematurely.

   The er_kernel utility forks a child process and pauses for a quiet period. The child process then runs the specified load. When the load terminates, the er_kernel utility pauses again for a quiet period and then exits.

   You can specify the duration of the quiet period in seconds with the -q argument to the er_kernel command.

2. Analyze the experiment by typing:

   % analyzer ktest.1.er

   The experiment shows the behavior of the Oracle Solaris kernel during the running of the load, and during the quiet periods before and after. See Analyzing a Kernel Profile for more information about what you can see in a kernel profile.