PMDABCC(1)

✨ NAME ✨

pmdabpf — it's the eBPF PMDA bestie 💅 (yes the manual page is called PMDABCC(1), don't ask, we don't gatekeep names around here)

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

$PCP_PMDAS_DIR/bpf/pmdabpf [-D debug]

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Okay so pmdabpf is a Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) Performance Metrics Domain Agent (PMDA) and its whole thing is pulling live performance data out of eBPF programs, using BPF CO-RE (libbpf and BTF). It's giving observability, no cap 🔥

pmdabpf loads and acts as a bridge for any number of configured, separate bpf PMDA modules. And like — existing libbpf tools should be possible to utilize with the bpf PMDA modules with reasonable effort. (Emphasis on reasonable 💀)

For the full lore, go read the eBPF, libbpf and BPF CO-RE documentation. They explain it in detail. ✨

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🎀 CONFIGURATION 🎀

pmdabpf reads a mandatory ini-style configuration file:

$PCP_PMDAS_DIR/bpf/bpf.conf

Every section of that file = one bpf PMDA module. Obsessed with the structure honestly 🫶

These global options are available for every module (default values shown in parenthesis):

• enabled (unset) — a boolean value, and it's literally just "should this bpf PMDA module be started or not". That's it. That's the whole option. 💅

Modules may also support additional module-specific configuration options — go check the default configuration file for which options they support. iykyk 📖

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⭐ INSTALLATION ⭐

To install, the following must be done as root:

# cd $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/bpf
# ./Install

To uninstall, the following must be done as root:

# cd $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/bpf
# ./Remove

pmdabpf is launched by pmcd(1) and should never be executed directly, bestie. Do not. 🚫 The Install and Remove scripts notify pmcd(1) when the agent is installed or removed, so they handle the group chat for you. 🫶

Also lowkey important: some modules will start providing values only after having collected data from related system activity. So don't panic if it's quiet at first, it's just warming up. 🌱

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💖 FILES 💖

• $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/bpf/bpf.conf — configuration file for the pmdabpf agent
• $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/bpf/modules/*.{o,so} — bpf PMDA modules available for the pmdabpf agent
• $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/bpf/Install — installation script for the pmdabpf agent
• $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/bpf/Remove — undo installation script for the pmdabpf agent
• $PCP_LOG_DIR/pmcd/bpf.log — default log file for messages from the pmdabpf agent

Note that the usual/default value for $PCP_PMDAS_DIR is /var/lib/pcp/pmdas and the default for $PCP_LOG_DIR is /var/log/pcp — but these settings are platform dependent. So don't come for me if yours is different, it's just built different. 😭

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🌈 PCP ENVIRONMENT 🌈

Environment variables with the prefix PCP_ are used to parameterize the file and directory names that PCP uses. Every installation has a file at /etc/pcp.conf holding the local values for these variables. 📝

And if you wanna get spicy, the $PCP_CONF variable may be used to specify an alternative configuration file, as described in pcp.conf(5). Slay. 💅

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👑 DEBUGGING OPTIONS 👑

The -D or --debug option enables the output of additional diagnostics on stderr to help triage problems — although ngl, the information is sometimes cryptic and primarily intended to provide guidance for developers rather than for end-users. 🙈

debug is a comma separated list of debugging options. Use pmdbg(1) with the -l option to obtain a list of the available debugging options and their meaning. Periodt. 📋

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

PCPIntro(1), bpf(1) and pmcd(1).

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And that's the whole page, bestie!! 💜 This one came from Performance Co-Pilot — that's the PCP source and version tag — and the page itself is PMDABCC(1), dated in that lil footer right there. Go forth and monitor something iconic. 🌟🦋💖