linux-kernel - Re: Re: Re: Re: [PATCH v4 5/5] perf/sdt: Add support to perf record to trace SDT events

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Message-ID: <5459E8BC.8030500@hitachi.com>
Date:	Wed, 05 Nov 2014 18:07:08 +0900
From:	Masami Hiramatsu <masami.hiramatsu.pt@...achi.com>
To:	Hemant Kumar <hemant@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
Cc:	Namhyung Kim <namhyung@...nel.org>,
	LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Srikar Dronamraju <srikar@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>,
	Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>, oleg@...hat.com,
	hegdevasant@...ux.vnet.ibm.com, mingo@...hat.com, anton@...hat.com,
	systemtap@...rceware.org, aravinda@...ux.vnet.ibm.com,
	penberg@....fi, Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@...hat.com>
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: [PATCH v4 5/5] perf/sdt: Add support to perf record
 to trace SDT events

(2014/11/05 15:50), Hemant Kumar wrote:
> Hi Masami,
> 
>> Hi,
>>
>> (2014/11/04 17:06), Hemant Kumar wrote:
>>> Hi Namhyung,
>>>
>>> On 11/04/2014 01:08 PM, Namhyung Kim wrote:
>>>> Hi Hemant,
>>>>
>>>> As you know, you need to keep an eye on how (kprobes) event cache
>>>> patchset from Masami settles down.  For those who aren't CC'ed, please
>>>> see the link below:
>>>>
>>>>    https://lkml.org/lkml/2014/10/31/207
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, 02 Nov 2014 16:26:28 +0530, Hemant Kumar wrote:
>>>>> This patch adds support to perf to record SDT events. When invoked,
>>>>> the SDT event is looked up in the sdt-cache. If its found, an entry is
>>>>> made silently to uprobe_events file and then recording is invoked, and
>>>>> then the entry for the SDT event in uprobe_events is silently 
>>>>> discarded.
>>>>>
>>>>> The SDT events are already stored in a cache file
>>>>> (/var/cache/perf/perf-sdt-file.cache).
>>>>> Although the file_hash table helps in addition or deletion of SDT 
>>>>> events
>>>>> from the cache, its not of much use when it comes to probing the 
>>>>> actual
>>>>> SDT event, because the key to this hash list is a file name and not 
>>>>> the
>>>>> SDT event name (which is given as an argument to perf record). So, we
>>>>> won't be able to hash into it.
>>>> It likely to be ended up with per-file or per-buildid cache files under
>>>> ~/.debug directory.  In this case we also need to have the (central)
>>>> event-to-cache table anyway IMHO.
>>
>> What we are talking is to make a new caching file with buildid under
>> .debug/.
>> We already has ~/.debug/.build-id/<build-id> for string the binary
>> symbol maps. I think there are 2 options, one is expanding the current
>> build-id file format to include sdt and probe-event caches. The other is
> 
> Like a single cache to manage all the events for that file? How do we 
> distinguish between the events as we will be having perf record to read 
> SDT events from this cache?
> 
>> to add ~/.debug/.build-id/<build-id>.probe and
>> ~/.debug/.build-id/<build-id>.sdt for caching probe/sdt information.
>>
> 
> This approach looks convenient.
> 
>> And also, user interface is a discussion point. This series defines new
>> sdt-cache command, and we already have buildid-cache command. We should
>> have probe-cache command too? or consolidate those cache managing 
>> commands?
>> This question should be involving your series too.
>>
> 
> I think, we need not have multiple sub-commands to manage the cache. We 
> can consolidate the cache management of probe events (including SDT 
> events) to a single command.

Agreed. maybe perf-cache --buildid/--sdt/--probe would be good.

>>>>> To avoid this problem, we can create another hash list "event_hash" 
>>>>> list
>>>>> which will be maintained along with the file_hash list.
>>>>> Whenever a user invokes 'perf record -e %provider:event, perf should
>>>>> initialize the event_hash list and the file_hash list.
>>>>> The key to event_hash list is calculated from the event name and its
>>>>> provider name.
>>>> Isn't it enough just to use provide name?  I guess the provider names
>>>> are (should be?) unique among a system although there's no absolute
>>>> guarantee for that.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Yes, there is no guarantee for the provider names to be unique.
>>> If we use only provider name with "perf record", then, what if a user
>>> wants to trace
>>> only a specific SDT event (not all the events for that provider)?
>>> What do you think?
>>
>> How about failing if the provider name is not unique unless user
>> gives the actual binary path?
>>
>>
> 
> You mean something like this:
> # perf record -e %provider @/path/to/file ...?

Yes, that is what I meant. :)

Thank you,


-- 
Masami HIRAMATSU
Software Platform Research Dept. Linux Technology Research Center
Hitachi, Ltd., Yokohama Research Laboratory
E-mail: masami.hiramatsu.pt@...achi.com


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