Set up Arm Performix

What Arm Performix is

Arm Performix is a performance analysis toolkit that uses guided recipes to turn hardware performance counter data into actionable insights on Arm-based systems. Unlike command-line tools such as Perf, Performix attributes metrics directly to functions. It applies Arm’s standardized performance methodologies, and presents results with context and suggested next steps.

Performix runs on your local machine (Windows, macOS, or Linux). The tool connects over SSH to a remote Arm Linux server, referred to as the target, where it collects performance data.

For a walkthrough of the Performix GUI and setup process, see this video on getting started with Arm Performix .

In addition to the GUI, you can use Arm Performix through the command line. You can also use Model Context Protocol (MCP) to integrate Performix into AI-assisted workflows with the Arm MCP Server .

Configure SSH key-based authentication

Arm Performix connects to your target over SSH. After installing Performix, set it up for profiling by configuring SSH key-based authentication.

If you don’t already have an SSH key pair, generate one on your local machine:

    

        
        
ssh-keygen -t ed25519

    

Press the Enter key to accept the defaults.

Then, copy the public key to your target:

    

        
        
ssh-copy-id username@your-server

    

Replace username with your user on the server and your-server with the hostname or IP address of the server.

On your local machine, verify that you can connect to the server without a password prompt:

    

        
        
ssh username@your-server

    

For more information, see the SSH install guide .

Enable passwordless sudo on the server

Performix installs profiling tools on the target and requires root privileges.

If your target prompts for a password to perform root-level operations, configure passwordless sudo for your user. By configuring passwordless sudo, you’ll avoid interactive prompts during analysis.

On the target, create a sudoers drop-in file for your user, replacing username with your username:

    

        
        
echo "username ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL" | sudo tee /etc/sudoers.d/username
sudo chmod 440 /etc/sudoers.d/username

    

Verify passwordless sudo works by running:

    

        
        
sudo whoami

    

The expected output is:

    

        
        root

        
    

Add a new target in Arm Performix

When you launch Arm Performix, the Welcome screen appears. From this screen, you can connect to a target as follows:

Performix welcome screen

1. Select Connect a Target to open the Targets view.

2. Select Add Target.

3. Fill in the Configure Target form with the following details:

   • Host: the hostname or IP address of the Arm Linux server

   • Name: a descriptive name for the target

   • Port: the SSH port number (the default port is 22)

   • User: the username for SSH connection, which must be a valid user on the target machine

   • Authentication method: select one of the following:

     • Automatically Detect Key: let Performix find your private SSH key, stored locally (usually at ~/.ssh/id_rsa or ~/.ssh/id_ed25519)
     • Select Key Manually: provide the path to a specific private key
     • Username and password: be prompted for a password on connection

   • If you need to route your connection through intermediate hosts, select Add Jump Node to add one or more jump nodes. Specify them in the order your connection should use them.

4. Select Test Connection to verify your target is reachable. If any required tools are missing, Performix installs them for you.

5. After validating the connection, select Add Target. The target appears in the list and is ready for profiling.

Adding a target in Performix

You should see your target listed in the Targets view with a connected status, confirming Performix can reach your server.

What you’ve accomplished and what’s next

You’ve set up Arm Performix and prepared your local machine and target for profiling a sample application.

Next, you’ll build an example application to profile.