"servicability" is a term coined by IBM to describe a set of O/S features
that help system programmers and field engineers do problem determination
more quickly. their goal was "first-time" capture of all information
needed to diagnose a problem.
this might include such things as kernel tracing and kernel-level
debugging available (optional) in production kernels, automated panic dump
capture, powerful kernel crash analysis tools, and extensive documentation
and training available for system programmers who want to solve these
problems themselves. it also might include special coding conventions
(like "eye-catchers" in dynamically allocated blocks so dump analysis
could identify how memory is used), and sophisticated logging of hardware
error events like machine checks and disk errors.
linux doesn't include these as standard features -- they are "value-adds"
provided by independent patches and software distributors like Red Hat.
- Chuck Lever
-- corporate: <chuckl@netscape.com> personal: <chucklever@netscape.net> or <cel@monkey.org>The Linux Scalability project: http://www.citi.umich.edu/projects/linux-scalability/
- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/