Participate in live eBPF debugging sessions to troubleshoot and prevent Kubernetes issues in real-time with experienced engineers.

Actionable Workflow

1. Pre-Session Prep

   • Clone the tool repo and ensure dependencies (e.g., libbpf, go, kubectl) are installed.
   • Test local environment with make test or provided validation scripts.
   • Review session agenda (shared via GitHub Issues) to identify focus areas (e.g., network latency, container hangs).

2. Live Debugging Participation

   • Join via Zoom/Teams (link in repo README) and follow along in your cluster.
   • Use provided manifests to spin up test workloads (e.g., kubectl apply -f session-n.yaml).
   • Share screen and collaborate on reproducing issues; leverage shared documents for notes.

3. Post-Session Review

   • Document findings in the project’s troubleshooting wiki.
   • Submit PRs for tool improvements or new probes based on session outcomes.
   • Update internal runbooks with validated fixes.

Policy Example: Contribution Guidelines

## Session Contribution Policy  
1. **Pre-Session**:  
   - All participants must test local setup 24h prior.  
   - Report environment details (OS, kernel, Kubernetes version) in the session Slack channel.  
2. **During Session**:  
   - Use `#debugging-session` channel for Qs; avoid derailing live demos.  
   - Share relevant logs/traces via Gist or shared drive.  
3. **Post-Session**:  
   - PRs must include test cases for newly added probes.  
   - Documentation updates required for merged changes.  

Tooling Stack

• eBPF: bcc-tools, bpftrace, libbpf-bootstrap for probe development.
• Kubernetes: kubectl, k9s, kubeadm for cluster interaction.
• Observability: Prometheus/Grafana for metrics, fluentd for logging.
• Collaboration: GitHub Projects for tracking session action items, Zoom for screen sharing.

Tradeoffs & Caveats

• Time Investment: Live sessions require 2–3 hours weekly; prioritize if your team lacks eBPF expertise.
• Environment Lock-in: Tooling assumes Linux kernel ≥5.10; older setups may need adjustments.
• Learning Curve: Beginners may struggle without prior eBPF exposure—review eBPF.io basics first.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Missing Dependencies:
  • Error: unable to load BPF object file
  • Fix: Ensure kernel headers match running kernel (apt install linux-headers-$(uname -r)).
• Permissions Denied:
  • Error: access to program failed: Operation not permitted
  • Fix: Run with sudo or adjust capabilities via setcap cap_net_admin+ep /path/to/tool.
• Session Dropouts:
  • Verify network bandwidth; use tmux to persist terminal sessions.
• Probe Mismatches:
  • If attaching to wrong pods, double-check labels/selectors in manifests.

This approach balances hands-on learning with operational rigor—adapt based on your team’s Kubernetes maturity and incident volume.

Source thread: We’re doing weekly live coding sessions on our open-source eBPF root cause analysis tool -anyone interested in joining?