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[fio.git] / README

diff --git a/README b/README
index ef614a28f250bc424c0b3c36f1e4ba95a003568c..f2438badd3a13e76e689a31a2d710380e36289b7 100644 (file)
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -40,22 +40,47 @@ 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
 --------
 
 Just type 'make' and 'make install'. If on FreeBSD, for now you have to
 
 
 Building
 --------
 
 Just type 'make' and 'make install'. If on FreeBSD, for now you have to

-specify the FreeBSD Makefile with -f, eg:
+specify the FreeBSD Makefile with -f and use gmake (not make), eg:

 
 

-$ make -f Makefile.Freebsd && make -f Makefile.FreeBSD install
+$ gmake -f Makefile.Freebsd && gmake -f Makefile.FreeBSD install

 
 Likewise with OpenSolaris, use the Makefile.solaris to compile there.
 
 Likewise with OpenSolaris, use the Makefile.solaris to compile there.

-This might change in the future if I opt for an autoconf type setup.
+The OpenSolaris make should work fine. This might change in the
+future if I opt for an autoconf type setup.
+
+If your compile fails with an error like this:
+
+    CC gettime.o
+In file included from fio.h:23,
+                 from gettime.c:8:
+os/os.h:15:20: error: libaio.h: No such file or directory
+In file included from gettime.c:8:
+fio.h:119: error: field 'iocb' has incomplete type
+make: *** [gettime.o] Error 1
+
+Check that you have the libaio development package installed. On RPM
+based distros, it's typically called libaio-devel.

 
 
 Command line
 
 
 Command line


@@ -76,6 +101,7 @@ $ fio
        --eta=when      When ETA estimate should be printed
                        May be "always", "never" or "auto"
        --section=name  Only run specified section in job file
        --eta=when      When ETA estimate should be printed
                        May be "always", "never" or "auto"
        --section=name  Only run specified section in job file

+       --alloc-size=kb Set smalloc pool to this size in kb (def 1024)

 
 
 Any parameters following the options will be assumed to be job files,
 
 
 Any parameters following the options will be assumed to be job files,


@@ -101,6 +127,11 @@ options in fio. Currently the options are:
        all             Enable all debug options
        random          Dump info related to random offset generation
        parse           Dump info related to option matching and parsing
        all             Enable all debug options
        random          Dump info related to random offset generation
        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


@@ -113,6 +144,14 @@ only by giving it a --section=heavy command line option. The section
 option only applies to job sections, the reserved 'global' section is
 always parsed and taken into account.
 
 option only applies to job sections, the reserved 'global' section is
 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
+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
+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
 --------


@@ -145,12 +184,13 @@ The job file parameters are:
                        across runs, if 'x' is 1.
        size=x          Set file size to x bytes (x string can include k/m/g)
        ioengine=x      'x' may be: aio/libaio/linuxaio for Linux aio,
                        across runs, if 'x' is 1.
        size=x          Set file size to x bytes (x string can include k/m/g)
        ioengine=x      'x' may be: aio/libaio/linuxaio for Linux aio,

-                       posixaio for POSIX aio, sync for regular read/write io,
+                       posixaio for POSIX aio, solarisaio for Solaris
+                       native async IO, sync for regular read/write io,

                        psync for regular pread/pwrite io, vsync for regular
                        readv/writev (with queuing emulation) mmap for mmap'ed
                        io, syslet-rw for syslet driven read/write, splice for
                        psync for regular pread/pwrite io, vsync for regular
                        readv/writev (with queuing emulation) mmap for mmap'ed
                        io, syslet-rw for syslet driven read/write, splice for

-                       using splice/vmsplice, sgio for direct SG_IO io, net
-                       for network io, or cpuio for a cycler burner load. sgio
+                       using splice/vmsplice, sg for direct SG_IO io, net
+                       for network io, or cpuio for a cycler burner load. sg

                        only works on Linux on SCSI (or SCSI-like devices, such
                        as usb-storage or sata/libata driven) devices. Fio also
                        has a null io engine, which is mainly used for testing
                        only works on Linux on SCSI (or SCSI-like devices, such
                        as usb-storage or sata/libata driven) devices. Fio also
                        has a null io engine, which is mainly used for testing


@@ -167,8 +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.


@@ -194,6 +234,7 @@ The job file parameters are:
        verify=x        If 'x' == md5, use md5 for verifies. If 'x' == crc32,
                        use crc32 for verifies. md5 is 'safer', but crc32 is
                        a lot faster. Only makes sense for writing to a file.
        verify=x        If 'x' == md5, use md5 for verifies. If 'x' == crc32,
                        use crc32 for verifies. md5 is 'safer', but crc32 is
                        a lot faster. Only makes sense for writing to a file.

+                       For other types of checksumming, see HOWTO.

        stonewall       Wait for preceeding jobs to end before running.
        numjobs=x       Create 'x' similar entries for this job
        thread          Use pthreads instead of forked jobs
        stonewall       Wait for preceeding jobs to end before running.
        numjobs=x       Create 'x' similar entries for this job
        thread          Use pthreads instead of forked jobs


@@ -225,6 +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
 ------