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brendangregg-use-tsa

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Methodical performance troubleshooting and root-cause analysis with Brendan Gregg's USE and TSA methods, plus evidence-backed RCA and postmortem reports.

When to use

• Use when a server, VM, or container is "slow" and the cause is unknown
• Use when latency or throughput regressed after a deploy, config change, or load shift
• Use when CPU, memory, disk, or network metrics look abnormal and need interpretation
• Use when an application hangs or threads pile up
• Use when the user asks for debugging, triage, or root-cause analysis of a performance issue
• Use when an incident needs an RCA report or a blameless postmortem with an evidence trail

When not to use

• This skill does not replace environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Some metrics require privileges or tooling that may be absent (eBPF/bcc needs Linux ≥ 4.8 and usually root; `perf` needs perf_events access; sar needs sysstat). Missing instruments are reported as known-unknowns, not silently skipped.
• The deepest checklists target Linux; other OSes follow the same resource × metric matrix with different instruments.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, or safety boundaries are missing.

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