DTRACE_PID(4) FreeBSD Kernel Interfaces Manual DTRACE_PID(4)
NAME
dtrace_pid - a DTrace provider for dynamic userspace tracing based on
function boundary instrumentation
SYNOPSIS
pidPID:module:function:entry
pidPID:module:function:[offset]
pidPID:module:function:return
DESCRIPTION
The pid provider implements userspace dynamic tracing by instrumenting
the entry and return of functions in userspace programs. Refer to
dtrace_fbt(4) for more details about function boundary instrumentation.
The pid provider provides the following probes:
pidPID:module:function:entry instruments the entry of the function.
pidPID:module:function:[offset] instruments the instruction within the
function located at offset bytes (expressed as a hexadecimal integer).
pidPID:module:function:return instruments the return from the function.
Probe Arguments
The arguments of the entry probe (pidPID:module:function:entry) are the
arguments of the traced function call.
Entry Probe Argument Definition
uint64_t arg0 Function's first argument
uint64_t arg1 Function's second argument
uint64_t arg2 Function's third argument
... ...
The offset probes (pidPID:module:function:[offset]) do not define any
arguments. Use uregs[] to inspect the registers.
The arguments of the return probe (pidPID:module:function:return) are the
program counter and the function's return value.
Return Probe Argument Definition
uint64_t arg0 Program counter
uint64_t arg1 Function's return value
Note that all probe arguments within the pid provider are of type
uint64_t.
SEE ALSO
dtrace(1), dtrace_fbt(4), dtrace_kinst(4), elf(5), d(7), tracing(7)
Brendan Gregg and Jim Mauro, DTrace: Dynamic Tracing in Oracle Solaris,
Mac OS X and FreeBSD, Prentice Hall,
https://www.brendangregg.com/dtracebook/, 2011.
The illumos Dynamic Tracing Guide,
https://illumos.org/books/dtrace/chp-pid.html, 2008, Chapter pid
Provider.
AUTHORS
This manual page was written by Mateusz Piotrowski <0mp@FreeBSD.org>.
FreeBSD 15.1-STABLE-HBSD November 6, 2025 DTRACE_PID(4)