Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1759298AbZFRKYl (ORCPT ); Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:24:41 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1756997AbZFRKYd (ORCPT ); Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:24:33 -0400 Received: from mga01.intel.com ([192.55.52.88]:35830 "EHLO mga01.intel.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1756536AbZFRKYc convert rfc822-to-8bit (ORCPT ); Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:24:32 -0400 X-ExtLoop1: 1 X-IronPort-AV: E=Sophos;i="4.42,243,1243839600"; d="scan'208";a="467494955" From: "Metzger, Markus T" To: Ingo Molnar CC: Peter Zijlstra , "linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org" , "mingo@redhat.com" , "hpa@zytor.com" , "oleg@redhat.com" , "tglx@linutronix.de" , "linux-tip-commits@vger.kernel.org" Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:23:59 +0100 Subject: RE: [tip:tracing/core] Revert "x86, bts: reenable ptrace branch trace support" Thread-Topic: [tip:tracing/core] Revert "x86, bts: reenable ptrace branch trace support" Thread-Index: Acnq3W9qc0zQykQwSmmmONQ+SHjnNgAbXFZgASz3vFA= Message-ID: <928CFBE8E7CB0040959E56B4EA41A77EBBD00DC5@irsmsx504.ger.corp.intel.com> References: <928CFBE8E7CB0040959E56B4EA41A77EBBC6544B@irsmsx504.ger.corp.intel.com> <1244702183.6691.8.camel@laptop> <20090611102159.GA31719@elte.hu> <928CFBE8E7CB0040959E56B4EA41A77EBBC6555D@irsmsx504.ger.corp.intel.com> <20090611214124.GA4133@elte.hu> <928CFBE8E7CB0040959E56B4EA41A77EBBC65961@irsmsx504.ger.corp.intel.com> In-Reply-To: <928CFBE8E7CB0040959E56B4EA41A77EBBC65961@irsmsx504.ger.corp.intel.com> Accept-Language: en-US Content-Language: en-US X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: acceptlanguage: en-US Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8BIT Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 6503 Lines: 152 >-----Original Message----- >From: Metzger, Markus T >Sent: Friday, June 12, 2009 1:05 PM >To: Ingo Molnar >Cc: Peter Zijlstra; linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org; mingo@redhat.com; hpa@zytor.com; oleg@redhat.com; >tglx@linutronix.de; linux-tip-commits@vger.kernel.org >Subject: RE: [tip:tracing/core] Revert "x86, bts: reenable ptrace branch trace support" > >>-----Original Message----- >>From: Ingo Molnar [mailto:mingo@elte.hu] >>Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 11:41 PM >>To: Metzger, Markus T >>Cc: Peter Zijlstra; linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org; mingo@redhat.com; hpa@zytor.com; oleg@redhat.com; >>tglx@linutronix.de; linux-tip-commits@vger.kernel.org >>Subject: Re: [tip:tracing/core] Revert "x86, bts: reenable ptrace branch trace support" >> >> >>* Metzger, Markus T wrote: >> >>> >-----Original Message----- >>> >From: Ingo Molnar [mailto:mingo@elte.hu] >>> >Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 12:22 PM >>> >To: Peter Zijlstra >>> >Cc: Metzger, Markus T; linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org; mingo@redhat.com; hpa@zytor.com; >>oleg@redhat.com; >>> >tglx@linutronix.de; linux-tip-commits@vger.kernel.org >>> >Subject: Re: [tip:tracing/core] Revert "x86, bts: reenable ptrace branch trace support" >>> > >>> > >>> >* Peter Zijlstra wrote: >>> > >>> >> On Thu, 2009-06-11 at 07:30 +0100, Metzger, Markus T wrote: >>> >> > >-----Original Message----- >>> >> > >From: tip-bot for Ingo Molnar [mailto:mingo@elte.hu] >>> >> > >Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 1:37 AM >>> >> > >To: linux-tip-commits@vger.kernel.org >>> >> > >Cc: hpa@zytor.com; mingo@redhat.com; peterz@infradead.org; Metzger, Markus T; >oleg@redhat.com; >>> >> > >tglx@linutronix.de; mingo@elte.hu >>> >> > >Subject: [tip:tracing/core] Revert "x86, bts: reenable ptrace branch trace support" >>> >> > > >>> >> > >Commit-ID: 511b01bdf64ad8a38414096eab283c7784aebfc4 >>> >> > >Gitweb: http://git.kernel.org/tip/511b01bdf64ad8a38414096eab283c7784aebfc4 >>> >> > >Author: Ingo Molnar >>> >> > >AuthorDate: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:32:00 +0200 >>> >> > >Committer: Ingo Molnar >>> >> > >CommitDate: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:32:00 +0200 >>> >> > > >>> >> > >Revert "x86, bts: reenable ptrace branch trace support" >>> >> > > >>> >> > >This reverts commit 7e0bfad24d85de7cf2202a7b0ce51de11a077b21. >>> >> > > >>> >> > >A late objection to the ABI has arrived: >>> >> > > >>> >> > > http://lkml.org/lkml/2009/6/10/253 >>> >> > >>> >> > I thought that this has been resolved. See for example http://lkml.org/lkml/2009/6/10/257. >>> >> > >>> >> > Peters concerns were that Debug Store details are exposed to user space, which is >>> >> > not the case. Debug Store itself is fully in-kernel and the expectation of a >>> >> > user-defined buffer can be implemented on top of the Debug Store changes that >>> >> > Peter expects are needed to support PEBS. >>> >> > >>> >> > A user-defined trace buffer size is required to support >>> >> > different usage models. Some users only need a small amount of >>> >> > trace, whereas others need a big amount. The interface will have >>> >> > to reflect that in some way. >>> >> >>> >> Right, your last email did explain how we could keep per task >>> >> in-kernel buffers and fill them from the DS and still have them of >>> >> user-specified size. >>> >> >>> >> That would indeed keep the proposed ABI workable, what I'm still >>> >> not liking is that this buffer is in-kernel, but I guess that >>> >> might be something for other people to have an opinion on. >>> > >>> > Hm. Wrt. the ABI, wouldnt it make more sense to expose this PMU >>> > feature via perfcounters: a sampling hw-branch-executions >>> > counter, with interval=1. >>> > >>> > That would give the exact existing semantics, plus a lot lot >>> > more. Markus? >>> >>> What more would we get? >> >>There's numerous direct functionality advantages: >> >> - We will get all the sampling features of perfcounters such as >> timed samples, CPU ID samples. Some will be approximate (timing), >> some precise (CPU ID). >> >> - We will get the advanced workflow isolation features: we could >> sample on a per CPU basis (system-wide BTS), and we could sample >> child tasks automatically. The current code is limited to a >> single task. >> >> - We will sample other types of information into the same outgoing >> event buffer: for example branch-miss events, intermixed with BTS >> records. This could help not just the narrow purpose of >> debugging, but also the purpose of performance analysis. >> >> - There's a rich and fast/efficient VFS based APIs to wait for >> event overflows: poll(), read(), mmap(). >> >> - Remote sampling via perfcounters is transparent, while ptrace >> sampling can be seen by apps. >> >>There's maintenance advantages as well from the x86 architecture and >>scheduler maintenance point of view: >> >> - We would have a single facility handling the Debug Store, and >> we'd have almost all pieces in place for PEBS support in >> perfcounters as well so there's good synergy. > >I'm not exactly sure what you are proposing. > >There currently is a single facility handling Debug Store which is used >by perfmon for PEBS sampling and by BTS for branch tracing. The ptrace >interface is a thin layer that allows debuggers to easily access the >part that is relevant for them. > > >Are you proposing a single abstraction of sampling and branch tracing events >using records of different sizes in one big stream? Ingo, I did not hear from you. Could you be a bit more specific about what you have in mind regarding this? regards, markus. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Intel GmbH Dornacher Strasse 1 85622 Feldkirchen/Muenchen Germany Sitz der Gesellschaft: Feldkirchen bei Muenchen Geschaeftsfuehrer: Douglas Lusk, Peter Gleissner, Hannes Schwaderer Registergericht: Muenchen HRB 47456 Ust.-IdNr. VAT Registration No.: DE129385895 Citibank Frankfurt (BLZ 502 109 00) 600119052 This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential material for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). Any review or distribution by others is strictly prohibited. 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