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author | Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org> | 2024-04-27 10:05:51 +0000 |
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committer | Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org> | 2024-04-27 10:05:51 +0000 |
commit | 5d1646d90e1f2cceb9f0828f4b28318cd0ec7744 (patch) | |
tree | a94efe259b9009378be6d90eb30d2b019d95c194 /Documentation/trace/tracepoints.rst | |
parent | Initial commit. (diff) | |
download | linux-upstream/5.10.209.tar.xz linux-upstream/5.10.209.zip |
Adding upstream version 5.10.209.upstream/5.10.209upstream
Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/trace/tracepoints.rst')
-rw-r--r-- | Documentation/trace/tracepoints.rst | 175 |
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diff --git a/Documentation/trace/tracepoints.rst b/Documentation/trace/tracepoints.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..0cb8d9ca3 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/trace/tracepoints.rst @@ -0,0 +1,175 @@ +================================== +Using the Linux Kernel Tracepoints +================================== + +:Author: Mathieu Desnoyers + + +This document introduces Linux Kernel Tracepoints and their use. It +provides examples of how to insert tracepoints in the kernel and +connect probe functions to them and provides some examples of probe +functions. + + +Purpose of tracepoints +---------------------- +A tracepoint placed in code provides a hook to call a function (probe) +that you can provide at runtime. A tracepoint can be "on" (a probe is +connected to it) or "off" (no probe is attached). When a tracepoint is +"off" it has no effect, except for adding a tiny time penalty +(checking a condition for a branch) and space penalty (adding a few +bytes for the function call at the end of the instrumented function +and adds a data structure in a separate section). When a tracepoint +is "on", the function you provide is called each time the tracepoint +is executed, in the execution context of the caller. When the function +provided ends its execution, it returns to the caller (continuing from +the tracepoint site). + +You can put tracepoints at important locations in the code. They are +lightweight hooks that can pass an arbitrary number of parameters, +which prototypes are described in a tracepoint declaration placed in a +header file. + +They can be used for tracing and performance accounting. + + +Usage +----- +Two elements are required for tracepoints : + +- A tracepoint definition, placed in a header file. +- The tracepoint statement, in C code. + +In order to use tracepoints, you should include linux/tracepoint.h. + +In include/trace/events/subsys.h:: + + #undef TRACE_SYSTEM + #define TRACE_SYSTEM subsys + + #if !defined(_TRACE_SUBSYS_H) || defined(TRACE_HEADER_MULTI_READ) + #define _TRACE_SUBSYS_H + + #include <linux/tracepoint.h> + + DECLARE_TRACE(subsys_eventname, + TP_PROTO(int firstarg, struct task_struct *p), + TP_ARGS(firstarg, p)); + + #endif /* _TRACE_SUBSYS_H */ + + /* This part must be outside protection */ + #include <trace/define_trace.h> + +In subsys/file.c (where the tracing statement must be added):: + + #include <trace/events/subsys.h> + + #define CREATE_TRACE_POINTS + DEFINE_TRACE(subsys_eventname); + + void somefct(void) + { + ... + trace_subsys_eventname(arg, task); + ... + } + +Where : + - subsys_eventname is an identifier unique to your event + + - subsys is the name of your subsystem. + - eventname is the name of the event to trace. + + - `TP_PROTO(int firstarg, struct task_struct *p)` is the prototype of the + function called by this tracepoint. + + - `TP_ARGS(firstarg, p)` are the parameters names, same as found in the + prototype. + + - if you use the header in multiple source files, `#define CREATE_TRACE_POINTS` + should appear only in one source file. + +Connecting a function (probe) to a tracepoint is done by providing a +probe (function to call) for the specific tracepoint through +register_trace_subsys_eventname(). Removing a probe is done through +unregister_trace_subsys_eventname(); it will remove the probe. + +tracepoint_synchronize_unregister() must be called before the end of +the module exit function to make sure there is no caller left using +the probe. This, and the fact that preemption is disabled around the +probe call, make sure that probe removal and module unload are safe. + +The tracepoint mechanism supports inserting multiple instances of the +same tracepoint, but a single definition must be made of a given +tracepoint name over all the kernel to make sure no type conflict will +occur. Name mangling of the tracepoints is done using the prototypes +to make sure typing is correct. Verification of probe type correctness +is done at the registration site by the compiler. Tracepoints can be +put in inline functions, inlined static functions, and unrolled loops +as well as regular functions. + +The naming scheme "subsys_event" is suggested here as a convention +intended to limit collisions. Tracepoint names are global to the +kernel: they are considered as being the same whether they are in the +core kernel image or in modules. + +If the tracepoint has to be used in kernel modules, an +EXPORT_TRACEPOINT_SYMBOL_GPL() or EXPORT_TRACEPOINT_SYMBOL() can be +used to export the defined tracepoints. + +If you need to do a bit of work for a tracepoint parameter, and +that work is only used for the tracepoint, that work can be encapsulated +within an if statement with the following:: + + if (trace_foo_bar_enabled()) { + int i; + int tot = 0; + + for (i = 0; i < count; i++) + tot += calculate_nuggets(); + + trace_foo_bar(tot); + } + +All trace_<tracepoint>() calls have a matching trace_<tracepoint>_enabled() +function defined that returns true if the tracepoint is enabled and +false otherwise. The trace_<tracepoint>() should always be within the +block of the if (trace_<tracepoint>_enabled()) to prevent races between +the tracepoint being enabled and the check being seen. + +The advantage of using the trace_<tracepoint>_enabled() is that it uses +the static_key of the tracepoint to allow the if statement to be implemented +with jump labels and avoid conditional branches. + +.. note:: The convenience macro TRACE_EVENT provides an alternative way to + define tracepoints. Check http://lwn.net/Articles/379903, + http://lwn.net/Articles/381064 and http://lwn.net/Articles/383362 + for a series of articles with more details. + +If you require calling a tracepoint from a header file, it is not +recommended to call one directly or to use the trace_<tracepoint>_enabled() +function call, as tracepoints in header files can have side effects if a +header is included from a file that has CREATE_TRACE_POINTS set, as +well as the trace_<tracepoint>() is not that small of an inline +and can bloat the kernel if used by other inlined functions. Instead, +include tracepoint-defs.h and use tracepoint_enabled(). + +In a C file:: + + void do_trace_foo_bar_wrapper(args) + { + trace_foo_bar(args); + } + +In the header file:: + + DECLARE_TRACEPOINT(foo_bar); + + static inline void some_inline_function() + { + [..] + if (tracepoint_enabled(foo_bar)) + do_trace_foo_bar_wrapper(args); + [..] + } |