Sun Dtrace vs AIX trace

AIX Trace Facility available since April 1990

The trace facility helps you isolate system problems by monitoring selected system events or selected processes. Events that can be monitored include: entry and exit to selected subroutines, kernel routines, kernel extension routines, and interrupt handlers. Trace can also be restricted to tracing a set of running processes or threads, or it can be used to initiate and trace a program.

When the trace facility is active, information is recorded in a system trace log file. The trace facility includes commands for activating and controlling traces and generating trace reports. Applications and kernel extensions can use several subroutines to record additional events. See more under:

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/pseries/v5r3/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.aix.genprogc/doc/genprogc/trace_facility.htm