Fio 1.41.1

[fio.git] / README

diff --git a/README b/README
index 75553495205c5354397235da553a536b6583b9c9..f2438badd3a13e76e689a31a2d710380e36289b7 100644 (file)
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -40,10 +40,21 @@ Mailing list
 ------------
 
 There's a mailing list associated with fio. It's meant for general
 ------------
 
 There's a mailing list associated with fio. It's meant for general

-discussion, bug reporting, questions - basically anything that has to
-do with fio. An automated mail detailing recent commits is automatically
-sent to the list at most daily. The list address is fio-devel@kernel.dk,
-subscribe by sending an empty email to fio-devel+subscribe@kernel.dk.
+discussion, bug reporting, questions, and development - basically anything
+that has to do with fio. An automated mail detailing recent commits is
+automatically sent to the list at most daily. The list address is
+fio@vger.kernel.org, subscribe by sending an email to
+majordomo@vger.kernel.org with
+
+subscribe fio
+
+in the body of the email. Archives can be found here:
+
+http://www.spinics.net/lists/fio/
+
+and archives for the old list can be found here:
+
+http://maillist.kernel.dk/fio-devel/

 
 
 Building
 
 
 Building


@@ -118,6 +129,9 @@ options in fio. Currently the options are:
        parse           Dump info related to option matching and parsing
        diskutil        Dump info related to disk utilization updates
        job:x           Dump info only related to job number x
        parse           Dump info related to option matching and parsing
        diskutil        Dump info related to disk utilization updates
        job:x           Dump info only related to job number x

+       mutex           Dump info only related to mutex up/down ops
+       profile         Dump info related to profile extensions
+       time            Dump info related to internal time keeping

        ? or help       Show available debug options.
 
 You can specify as many as you want, eg --debug=file,mem will enable
        ? or help       Show available debug options.
 
 You can specify as many as you want, eg --debug=file,mem will enable


@@ -132,9 +146,11 @@ always parsed and taken into account.
 
 Fio has an internal allocator for shared memory called smalloc. It
 allocates shared structures from this pool. The pool defaults to 1024k
 
 Fio has an internal allocator for shared memory called smalloc. It
 allocates shared structures from this pool. The pool defaults to 1024k

-in size, and can grow to 32 pools. If running large jobs with randommap
+in size, and can grow to 128 pools. If running large jobs with randommap

 enabled it can run out of memory, in which case the --alloc-size switch
 enabled it can run out of memory, in which case the --alloc-size switch

-is handy for starting with a larger pool size.
+is handy for starting with a larger pool size. The backing store is
+files in /tmp. Fio cleans up after itself, while it is running you
+may see .fio_smalloc.* files in /tmp.

 
 
 Job file
 
 
 Job file


@@ -191,8 +207,8 @@ The job file parameters are:
                        also include k/m postfix.
        direct=x        1 for direct IO, 0 for buffered IO
        thinktime=x     "Think" x usec after each io
                        also include k/m postfix.
        direct=x        1 for direct IO, 0 for buffered IO
        thinktime=x     "Think" x usec after each io

-       rate=x          Throttle rate to x KiB/sec
-       ratemin=x       Quit if rate of x KiB/sec can't be met
+       rate=x          Throttle rate to x KB/sec
+       ratemin=x       Quit if rate of x KB/sec can't be met

        ratecycle=x     ratemin averaged over x msecs
        cpumask=x       Only allow job to run on CPUs defined by mask.
        cpus_allowed=x  Like 'cpumask', but allow text setting of CPU affinity.
        ratecycle=x     ratemin averaged over x msecs
        cpumask=x       Only allow job to run on CPUs defined by mask.
        cpus_allowed=x  Like 'cpumask', but allow text setting of CPU affinity.


@@ -250,6 +266,33 @@ The job file parameters are:
        cpuchunks=x     Split burn cycles into pieces of x usecs.
 
 
        cpuchunks=x     Split burn cycles into pieces of x usecs.
 
 

+
+Platforms
+---------
+
+Fio works on (at least) Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD. Some features and/or
+options may only be available on some of the platforms, typically because
+those features only apply to that platform (like the solarisaio engine, or
+the splice engine on Linux).
+
+Some features are not available on FreeBSD/Solaris even if they could be
+implemented, I'd be happy to take patches for that. An example of that is
+disk utility statistics and (I think) huge page support, support for that
+does exist in FreeBSD/Solaris.
+
+Fio uses pthread mutexes for signalling and locking and FreeBSD does not
+support process shared pthread mutexes. As a result, only threads are
+supported on FreeBSD. This could be fixed with sysv ipc locking or
+other locking alternatives.
+
+Other *BSD platforms are untested, but fio should work there almost out
+of the box. Since I don't do test runs or even compiles on those platforms,
+your mileage may vary. Sending me patches for other platforms is greatly
+appreciated. There's a lot of value in having the same test/benchmark tool
+available on all platforms.
+
+
+

 Author
 ------
 
 Author
 ------