From: Tom Zanussi Add background and details on inter-event hist triggers, including hist variables, synthetic events, and actions. Link: http://lkml.kernel.org/r/b0414efb66535aa52aa7411f58c3d56724027fce.1516069914.git.tom.zanussi@linux.intel.com Signed-off-by: Tom Zanussi Signed-off-by: Baohong Liu Signed-off-by: Steven Rostedt (VMware) --- Documentation/trace/histogram.txt | 381 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 381 insertions(+) diff --git a/Documentation/trace/histogram.txt b/Documentation/trace/histogram.txt index 0aec2d8e166b..df08882d091c 100644 --- a/Documentation/trace/histogram.txt +++ b/Documentation/trace/histogram.txt @@ -1603,3 +1603,384 @@ Hits: 489 Entries: 7 Dropped: 0 + + +2.2 Inter-event hist triggers +----------------------------- + +Inter-event hist triggers are hist triggers that combine values from +one or more other events and create a histogram using that data. Data +from an inter-event histogram can in turn become the source for +further combined histograms, thus providing a chain of related +histograms, which is important for some applications. + +The most important example of an inter-event quantity that can be used +in this manner is latency, which is simply a difference in timestamps +between two events. Although latency is the most important +inter-event quantity, note that because the support is completely +general across the trace event subsystem, any event field can be used +in an inter-event quantity. + +An example of a histogram that combines data from other histograms +into a useful chain would be a 'wakeupswitch latency' histogram that +combines a 'wakeup latency' histogram and a 'switch latency' +histogram. + +Normally, a hist trigger specification consists of a (possibly +compound) key along with one or more numeric values, which are +continually updated sums associated with that key. A histogram +specification in this case consists of individual key and value +specifications that refer to trace event fields associated with a +single event type. + +The inter-event hist trigger extension allows fields from multiple +events to be referenced and combined into a multi-event histogram +specification. In support of this overall goal, a few enabling +features have been added to the hist trigger support: + + - In order to compute an inter-event quantity, a value from one + event needs to saved and then referenced from another event. This + requires the introduction of support for histogram 'variables'. + + - The computation of inter-event quantities and their combination + require some minimal amount of support for applying simple + expressions to variables (+ and -). + + - A histogram consisting of inter-event quantities isn't logically a + histogram on either event (so having the 'hist' file for either + event host the histogram output doesn't really make sense). To + address the idea that the histogram is associated with a + combination of events, support is added allowing the creation of + 'synthetic' events that are events derived from other events. + These synthetic events are full-fledged events just like any other + and can be used as such, as for instance to create the + 'combination' histograms mentioned previously. + + - A set of 'actions' can be associated with histogram entries - + these can be used to generate the previously mentioned synthetic + events, but can also be used for other purposes, such as for + example saving context when a 'max' latency has been hit. + + - Trace events don't have a 'timestamp' associated with them, but + there is an implicit timestamp saved along with an event in the + underlying ftrace ring buffer. This timestamp is now exposed as a + a synthetic field named 'common_timestamp' which can be used in + histograms as if it were any other event field; it isn't an actual + field in the trace format but rather is a synthesized value that + nonetheless can be used as if it were an actual field. By default + it is in units of nanoseconds; appending '.usecs' to a + common_timestamp field changes the units to microseconds. + +These features are decribed in more detail in the following sections. + +2.2.1 Histogram Variables +------------------------- + +Variables are simply named locations used for saving and retrieving +values between matching events. A 'matching' event is defined as an +event that has a matching key - if a variable is saved for a histogram +entry corresponding to that key, any subsequent event with a matching +key can access that variable. + +A variable's value is normally available to any subsequent event until +it is set to something else by a subsequent event. The one exception +to that rule is that any variable used in an expression is essentially +'read-once' - once it's used by an expression in a subsequent event, +it's reset to its 'unset' state, which means it can't be used again +unless it's set again. This ensures not only that an event doesn't +use an uninitialized variable in a calculation, but that that variable +is used only once and not for any unrelated subsequent match. + +The basic syntax for saving a variable is to simply prefix a unique +variable name not corresponding to any keyword along with an '=' sign +to any event field. + +Either keys or values can be saved and retrieved in this way. This +creates a variable named 'ts0' for a histogram entry with the key +'next_pid': + + # echo 'hist:keys=next_pid:vals=$ts0:ts0=common_timestamp ... >> \ + event/trigger + +The ts0 variable can be accessed by any subsequent event having the +same pid as 'next_pid'. + +Variable references are formed by prepending the variable name with +the '$' sign. Thus for example, the ts0 variable above would be +referenced as '$ts0' in expressions. + +Because 'vals=' is used, the common_timestamp variable value above +will also be summed as a normal histogram value would (though for a +timestamp it makes little sense). + +The below shows that a key value can also be saved in the same way: + + # echo 'hist:timer_pid=common_pid:key=timer_pid ...' >> event/trigger + +If a variable isn't a key variable or prefixed with 'vals=', the +associated event field will be saved in a variable but won't be summed +as a value: + + # echo 'hist:keys=next_pid:ts1=common_timestamp ... >> event/trigger + +Multiple variables can be assigned at the same time. The below would +result in both ts0 and b being created as variables, with both +common_timestamp and field1 additionally being summed as values: + + # echo 'hist:keys=pid:vals=$ts0,$b:ts0=common_timestamp,b=field1 ... >> \ + event/trigger + +Note that variable assignments can appear either preceding or +following their use. The command below behaves identically to the +command above: + + # echo 'hist:keys=pid:ts0=common_timestamp,b=field1:vals=$ts0,$b ... >> \ + event/trigger + +Any number of variables not bound to a 'vals=' prefix can also be +assigned by simply separating them with colons. Below is the same +thing but without the values being summed in the histogram: + + # echo 'hist:keys=pid:ts0=common_timestamp:b=field1 ... >> event/trigger + +Variables set as above can be referenced and used in expressions on +another event. + +For example, here's how a latency can be calculated: + + # echo 'hist:keys=pid,prio:ts0=common_timestamp ... >> event1/trigger + # echo 'hist:keys=next_pid:wakeup_lat=common_timestamp-$ts0 ... >> event2/trigger + +In the first line above, the event's timetamp is saved into the +variable ts0. In the next line, ts0 is subtracted from the second +event's timestamp to produce the latency, which is then assigned into +yet another variable, 'wakeup_lat'. The hist trigger below in turn +makes use of the wakeup_lat variable to compute a combined latency +using the same key and variable from yet another event: + + # echo 'hist:key=pid:wakeupswitch_lat=$wakeup_lat+$switchtime_lat ... >> event3/trigger + +2.2.2 Synthetic Events +---------------------- + +Synthetic events are user-defined events generated from hist trigger +variables or fields associated with one or more other events. Their +purpose is to provide a mechanism for displaying data spanning +multiple events consistent with the existing and already familiar +usage for normal events. + +To define a synthetic event, the user writes a simple specification +consisting of the name of the new event along with one or more +variables and their types, which can be any valid field type, +separated by semicolons, to the tracing/synthetic_events file. + +For instance, the following creates a new event named 'wakeup_latency' +with 3 fields: lat, pid, and prio. Each of those fields is simply a +variable reference to a variable on another event: + + # echo 'wakeup_latency \ + u64 lat; \ + pid_t pid; \ + int prio' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/synthetic_events + +Reading the tracing/synthetic_events file lists all the currently +defined synthetic events, in this case the event defined above: + + # cat /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/synthetic_events + wakeup_latency u64 lat; pid_t pid; int prio + +An existing synthetic event definition can be removed by prepending +the command that defined it with a '!': + + # echo '!wakeup_latency u64 lat pid_t pid int prio' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/synthetic_events + +At this point, there isn't yet an actual 'wakeup_latency' event +instantiated in the event subsytem - for this to happen, a 'hist +trigger action' needs to be instantiated and bound to actual fields +and variables defined on other events (see Section 6.3.3 below). + +Once that is done, an event instance is created, and a histogram can +be defined using it: + + # echo 'hist:keys=pid,prio,lat.log2:sort=pid,lat' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/synthetic/wakeup_latency/trigger + +The new event is created under the tracing/events/synthetic/ directory +and looks and behaves just like any other event: + + # ls /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/synthetic/wakeup_latency + enable filter format hist id trigger + +Like any other event, once a histogram is enabled for the event, the +output can be displayed by reading the event's 'hist' file. + +2.2.3 Hist trigger 'actions' +---------------------------- + +A hist trigger 'action' is a function that's executed whenever a +histogram entry is added or updated. + +The default 'action' if no special function is explicity specified is +as it always has been, to simply update the set of values associated +with an entry. Some applications, however, may want to perform +additional actions at that point, such as generate another event, or +compare and save a maximum. + +The following additional actions are available. To specify an action +for a given event, simply specify the action between colons in the +hist trigger specification. + + - onmatch(matching.event).(param list) + + The 'onmatch(matching.event).(params)' hist + trigger action is invoked whenever an event matches and the + histogram entry would be added or updated. It causes the named + synthetic event to be generated with the values given in the + 'param list'. The result is the generation of a synthetic event + that consists of the values contained in those variables at the + time the invoking event was hit. + + The 'param list' consists of one or more parameters which may be + either variables or fields defined on either the 'matching.event' + or the target event. The variables or fields specified in the + param list may be either fully-qualified or unqualified. If a + variable is specified as unqualified, it must be unique between + the two events. A field name used as a param can be unqualified + if it refers to the target event, but must be fully qualified if + it refers to the matching event. A fully-qualified name is of the + form 'system.event_name.$var_name' or 'system.event_name.field'. + + The 'matching.event' specification is simply the fully qualified + event name of the event that matches the target event for the + onmatch() functionality, in the form 'system.event_name'. + + Finally, the number and type of variables/fields in the 'param + list' must match the number and types of the fields in the + synthetic event being generated. + + As an example the below defines a simple synthetic event and uses + a variable defined on the sched_wakeup_new event as a parameter + when invoking the synthetic event. Here we define the synthetic + event: + + # echo 'wakeup_new_test pid_t pid' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/synthetic_events + + # cat /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/synthetic_events + wakeup_new_test pid_t pid + + The following hist trigger both defines the missing testpid + variable and specifies an onmatch() action that generates a + wakeup_new_test synthetic event whenever a sched_wakeup_new event + occurs, which because of the 'if comm == "cyclictest"' filter only + happens when the executable is cyclictest: + + # echo 'hist:keys=$testpid:testpid=pid:onmatch(sched.sched_wakeup_new).\ + wakeup_new_test($testpid) if comm=="cyclictest"' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched/sched_wakeup_new/trigger + + Creating and displaying a histogram based on those events is now + just a matter of using the fields and new synthetic event in the + tracing/events/synthetic directory, as usual: + + # echo 'hist:keys=pid:sort=pid' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/synthetic/wakeup_new_test/trigger + + Running 'cyclictest' should cause wakeup_new events to generate + wakeup_new_test synthetic events which should result in histogram + output in the wakeup_new_test event's hist file: + + # cat /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/synthetic/wakeup_new_test/hist + + A more typical usage would be to use two events to calculate a + latency. The following example uses a set of hist triggers to + produce a 'wakeup_latency' histogram: + + First, we define a 'wakeup_latency' synthetic event: + + # echo 'wakeup_latency u64 lat; pid_t pid; int prio' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/synthetic_events + + Next, we specify that whenever we see a sched_waking event for a + cyclictest thread, save the timestamp in a 'ts0' variable: + + # echo 'hist:keys=$saved_pid:saved_pid=pid:ts0=common_timestamp.usecs \ + if comm=="cyclictest"' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched/sched_waking/trigger + + Then, when the corresponding thread is actually scheduled onto the + CPU by a sched_switch event, calculate the latency and use that + along with another variable and an event field to generate a + wakeup_latency synthetic event: + + # echo 'hist:keys=next_pid:wakeup_lat=common_timestamp.usecs-$ts0:\ + onmatch(sched.sched_waking).wakeup_latency($wakeup_lat,\ + $saved_pid,next_prio) if next_comm=="cyclictest"' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched/sched_switch/trigger + + We also need to create a histogram on the wakeup_latency synthetic + event in order to aggregate the generated synthetic event data: + + # echo 'hist:keys=pid,prio,lat:sort=pid,lat' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/synthetic/wakeup_latency/trigger + + Finally, once we've run cyclictest to actually generate some + events, we can see the output by looking at the wakeup_latency + synthetic event's hist file: + + # cat /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/synthetic/wakeup_latency/hist + + - onmax(var).save(field,.. .) + + The 'onmax(var).save(field,...)' hist trigger action is invoked + whenever the value of 'var' associated with a histogram entry + exceeds the current maximum contained in that variable. + + The end result is that the trace event fields specified as the + onmax.save() params will be saved if 'var' exceeds the current + maximum for that hist trigger entry. This allows context from the + event that exhibited the new maximum to be saved for later + reference. When the histogram is displayed, additional fields + displaying the saved values will be printed. + + As an example the below defines a couple of hist triggers, one for + sched_waking and another for sched_switch, keyed on pid. Whenever + a sched_waking occurs, the timestamp is saved in the entry + corresponding to the current pid, and when the scheduler switches + back to that pid, the timestamp difference is calculated. If the + resulting latency, stored in wakeup_lat, exceeds the current + maximum latency, the values specified in the save() fields are + recoreded: + + # echo 'hist:keys=pid:ts0=common_timestamp.usecs \ + if comm=="cyclictest"' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched/sched_waking/trigger + + # echo 'hist:keys=next_pid:\ + wakeup_lat=common_timestamp.usecs-$ts0:\ + onmax($wakeup_lat).save(next_comm,prev_pid,prev_prio,prev_comm) \ + if next_comm=="cyclictest"' >> \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched/sched_switch/trigger + + When the histogram is displayed, the max value and the saved + values corresponding to the max are displayed following the rest + of the fields: + + # cat /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched/sched_switch/hist + { next_pid: 2255 } hitcount: 239 + common_timestamp-ts0: 0 + max: 27 + next_comm: cyclictest + prev_pid: 0 prev_prio: 120 prev_comm: swapper/1 + + { next_pid: 2256 } hitcount: 2355 + common_timestamp-ts0: 0 + max: 49 next_comm: cyclictest + prev_pid: 0 prev_prio: 120 prev_comm: swapper/0 + + Totals: + Hits: 12970 + Entries: 2 + Dropped: 0 -- 2.15.1