Long Term Distributed File Reference Tracing: Implementation and Experience

DFSTrace is a system to collect and analyze long‐term file reference data in a distributed UNIX workstation environment. The design of DFSTrace is unique in that it pays particular attention to the efficiency, extensibility and the logistics of long‐term trace data collection in a distributed environment. The components of DFSTrace are a set of kernel hooks, a kernel buffer mechanism, a data extraction agent, a set of collection servers and post‐processing tools.