Get deeper insights into your system with eBPF
Keen Observer
© Lead Image © Ioannis Kounadeas, Fotolia.com
Use the eBPF in-kernel virtual machine to identify resource bottlenecks and optimize your installation.
eBPF [1] is a relatively new addition to the Linux kernel that takes over more monitoring, security, and networking duties from individual kernel modules. Originally called the Berkeley Packet Filter, BPF came to life in 1992 [2] in order to provide a better and optimized mechanism to filter packets.
BPF was first used as an HTTP packet filter in BSD. Several decades later, it was completely rehashed and took on new tasks. The new version of BPF is what is known as enhanced BPF or eBPF. In addition to various new features, eBPF also has a new mechanism to connect to the Linux kernel. Instead of just redirecting packets, eBPF can attach itself to any kernel event or any socket. eBPF is tightly integrated with the Linux kernel and can be used as an efficient mechanism for Linux tracing. You can also use eBPF behind the scenes on your Linux machines to discover performance issues and bottlenecks.
Get Started
eBPF requires a kernel newer than v4.4 and one that has been compiled with the CONFIG_BPF_SYSCALL option. Neither of these requirements should be a problem if you are using one of the mainstream distributions like Ubuntu and updating it regularly.
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