linux-kernel - Re: [RFC PATCH v2 09/12] rv: Replace tss monitor with more complete sts

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Message-ID: <e2b2e78a9c66973d90a9dbeea83b88b97182c36e.camel@redhat.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2025 16:44:49 +0200
From: Gabriele Monaco <gmonaco@...hat.com>
To: Nam Cao <namcao@...utronix.de>
Cc: linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, Steven Rostedt <rostedt@...dmis.org>, 
 Jonathan Corbet	 <corbet@....net>, Masami Hiramatsu <mhiramat@...nel.org>, 
	linux-trace-kernel@...r.kernel.org, linux-doc@...r.kernel.org, Ingo Molnar	
 <mingo@...hat.com>, Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>, Tomas Glozar	
 <tglozar@...hat.com>, Juri Lelli <jlelli@...hat.com>,
 john.ogness@...utronix.de
Subject: Re: [RFC PATCH v2 09/12] rv: Replace tss monitor with more complete
 sts



On Tue, 2025-06-24 at 09:36 +0200, Nam Cao wrote:
> On Wed, May 14, 2025 at 10:43:11AM +0200, Gabriele Monaco wrote:
> > diff --git a/kernel/trace/rv/monitors/tss/tss_trace.h
> > b/kernel/trace/rv/monitors/sts/sts_trace.h
> > similarity index 67%
> > rename from kernel/trace/rv/monitors/tss/tss_trace.h
> > rename to kernel/trace/rv/monitors/sts/sts_trace.h
> > index 4619dbb50cc0..d78beb58d5b3 100644
> > --- a/kernel/trace/rv/monitors/tss/tss_trace.h
> > +++ b/kernel/trace/rv/monitors/sts/sts_trace.h
> > @@ -4,12 +4,12 @@
> >   * Snippet to be included in rv_trace.h
> >   */
> >  
> > -#ifdef CONFIG_RV_MON_TSS
> > -DEFINE_EVENT(event_da_monitor, event_tss,
> > +#ifdef CONFIG_RV_MON_STS
> > +DEFINE_EVENT(event_da_monitor, event_sts,
> >  	     TP_PROTO(char *state, char *event, char *next_state,
> > bool final_state),
> >  	     TP_ARGS(state, event, next_state, final_state));
> >  
> > -DEFINE_EVENT(error_da_monitor, error_tss,
> > +DEFINE_EVENT(error_da_monitor, error_sts,
> >  	     TP_PROTO(char *state, char *event),
> >  	     TP_ARGS(state, event));
> > -#endif /* CONFIG_RV_MON_TSS */
> > +#endif /* CONFIG_RV_MON_STS */
> 
> You are changing the tracepoint's name. Should we worry about
> breaking
> userspace?
> 

Well, to be extremely picky, although that's what git shows, I'm not
changing tracepoints names, I'm removing tracepoints and adding similar
ones with different names.

That said, you're bringing a very good point, I guess removing/adding
monitors is going to be something quite common in the near future.

> It probably doesn't matter at the moment, because I doubt anyone is
> really
> relying on this tracepoint. But I think we should have a definite
> stance on
> this, for future references.
> 
> I have seen tracepoints being changed (I know of [1][2][3], I was one
> of
> them :P), so it seems to be considered okay. But adding userspace
> tools to
> the equation and it doesn't make sense to me. For example, lttng is
> using
> the page_fault tracepoints [4], which is broken by [3].
> 
> If this should be stable user API, then we should starting thinking
> about
> better API which allows changes like this to happen. Otherwise, they
> should
> be clearly documented to be unstable.
> 
> (I think I may also need to change my rtapp's tracepoint names at
> some point
> in the future, that's why I am asking)
> 

As you mentioned, nobody is likely relying on those tracepoints names
at the moment, but I would rather be cautious basing userspace tools on
some monitors to exist at all.

In my opinion, RV tracepoints are useful as an alternative of
reactors/rv userspace tool but cannot be used without considering the
RV interface itself (e.g. available_monitors and friends).

We could at least stick to the following assumptions:
1. monitors can change names, be added or removed
2. tracepoints are consistent to monitor names (in available_monitors)
3. the tracepoint structure does not change (i.e. event_/error_, args.)
   (can change for new monitors types where seen fit)

If in the future we allow the possibility to build RV monitors as BPF
programs, we'd probably also allow monitors without tracepoints at all,
but I'd say for now those assumptions are sensible.

What do you think?

Thanks,
Gabriele

> Best regards,
> Nam
> 
> [1] commit dbb6ecb328cb ("btrfs: tracepoints: simplify raid56
> events")
> [2] commit 244132c4e577 ("tracing/timers: Rename the hrtimer_init
> event to hrtimer_setup")
> [3]
> https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/2dda8c03-072a-43b2-af0c-bb996d64c388@cs.wisc.edu/#t
> [4]
> https://github.com/lttng/lttng-modules/blob/master/include/instrumentation/events/arch/x86/exceptions.h#L88C48-L88C63