linux-kernel - Re: perf_counters: page fault trace record

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Message-ID: <20090613100916.GA9959@elte.hu>
Date:	Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:09:16 +0200
From:	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>
To:	Paul Mackerras <paulus@...ba.org>
Cc:	Corey Ashford <cjashfor@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>,
	LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Peter Zijlstra <a.p.zijlstra@...llo.nl>
Subject: Re: perf_counters: page fault trace record


* Paul Mackerras <paulus@...ba.org> wrote:

> Corey Ashford writes:
> 
> > Paul Mackerras wrote:
> > > Can't you do what you need just using a page fault software 
> > > counter with sample_type = PERF_SAMPLE_IP | PERF_SAMPLE_ADDR 
> > > and sample_period = 1?
> > 
> > I thought about that, but I was under the (incorrect?) 
> > impression that on Power, the PERF_SAMPLE_ADDR would be set by 
> > the value of the SDAR register, which wouldn't be correct for 
> > the case of a page fault.
> 
> No, the PERF_SAMPLE_ADDR value only comes from SDAR for a hardware 
> counter overflow event.  For the page-fault software counter the 
> PERF_SAMPLE_ADDR value will always be the faulting address.

Corey, could you please add support for it in 'perf'? We dont want 
such sw-counter features to be in the kernel code without matching 
support in tools/perf/.

While user data symbols wont be resolved, if we have a 
--target-address switch in perf record we could see the faulting 
frequency (and the fault coverage - and ordering as well) of shared 
libraries, in perf report and perf annotate.

This would be a very useful facility.

Thanks,

	Ingo
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