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diff --git a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-list.txt b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-list.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..4c7db1da8 --- /dev/null +++ b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-list.txt @@ -0,0 +1,315 @@ +perf-list(1) +============ + +NAME +---- +perf-list - List all symbolic event types + +SYNOPSIS +-------- +[verse] +'perf list' [--no-desc] [--long-desc] + [hw|sw|cache|tracepoint|pmu|sdt|metric|metricgroup|event_glob] + +DESCRIPTION +----------- +This command displays the symbolic event types which can be selected in the +various perf commands with the -e option. + +OPTIONS +------- +-d:: +--desc:: +Print extra event descriptions. (default) + +--no-desc:: +Don't print descriptions. + +-v:: +--long-desc:: +Print longer event descriptions. + +--debug:: +Enable debugging output. + +--details:: +Print how named events are resolved internally into perf events, and also +any extra expressions computed by perf stat. + +--deprecated:: +Print deprecated events. By default the deprecated events are hidden. + +[[EVENT_MODIFIERS]] +EVENT MODIFIERS +--------------- + +Events can optionally have a modifier by appending a colon and one or +more modifiers. Modifiers allow the user to restrict the events to be +counted. The following modifiers exist: + + u - user-space counting + k - kernel counting + h - hypervisor counting + I - non idle counting + G - guest counting (in KVM guests) + H - host counting (not in KVM guests) + p - precise level + P - use maximum detected precise level + S - read sample value (PERF_SAMPLE_READ) + D - pin the event to the PMU + W - group is weak and will fallback to non-group if not schedulable, + e - group or event are exclusive and do not share the PMU + +The 'p' modifier can be used for specifying how precise the instruction +address should be. The 'p' modifier can be specified multiple times: + + 0 - SAMPLE_IP can have arbitrary skid + 1 - SAMPLE_IP must have constant skid + 2 - SAMPLE_IP requested to have 0 skid + 3 - SAMPLE_IP must have 0 skid, or uses randomization to avoid + sample shadowing effects. + +For Intel systems precise event sampling is implemented with PEBS +which supports up to precise-level 2, and precise level 3 for +some special cases + +On AMD systems it is implemented using IBS (up to precise-level 2). +The precise modifier works with event types 0x76 (cpu-cycles, CPU +clocks not halted) and 0xC1 (micro-ops retired). Both events map to +IBS execution sampling (IBS op) with the IBS Op Counter Control bit +(IbsOpCntCtl) set respectively (see AMD64 Architecture Programmer’s +Manual Volume 2: System Programming, 13.3 Instruction-Based +Sampling). Examples to use IBS: + + perf record -a -e cpu-cycles:p ... # use ibs op counting cycles + perf record -a -e r076:p ... # same as -e cpu-cycles:p + perf record -a -e r0C1:p ... # use ibs op counting micro-ops + +RAW HARDWARE EVENT DESCRIPTOR +----------------------------- +Even when an event is not available in a symbolic form within perf right now, +it can be encoded in a per processor specific way. + +For instance For x86 CPUs NNN represents the raw register encoding with the +layout of IA32_PERFEVTSELx MSRs (see [Intel® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer's Manual Volume 3B: System Programming Guide] Figure 30-1 Layout +of IA32_PERFEVTSELx MSRs) or AMD's PerfEvtSeln (see [AMD64 Architecture Programmer’s Manual Volume 2: System Programming], Page 344, +Figure 13-7 Performance Event-Select Register (PerfEvtSeln)). + +Note: Only the following bit fields can be set in x86 counter +registers: event, umask, edge, inv, cmask. Esp. guest/host only and +OS/user mode flags must be setup using <<EVENT_MODIFIERS, EVENT +MODIFIERS>>. + +Example: + +If the Intel docs for a QM720 Core i7 describe an event as: + + Event Umask Event Mask + Num. Value Mnemonic Description Comment + + A8H 01H LSD.UOPS Counts the number of micro-ops Use cmask=1 and + delivered by loop stream detector invert to count + cycles + +raw encoding of 0x1A8 can be used: + + perf stat -e r1a8 -a sleep 1 + perf record -e r1a8 ... + +It's also possible to use pmu syntax: + + perf record -e r1a8 -a sleep 1 + perf record -e cpu/r1a8/ ... + perf record -e cpu/r0x1a8/ ... + +You should refer to the processor specific documentation for getting these +details. Some of them are referenced in the SEE ALSO section below. + +ARBITRARY PMUS +-------------- + +perf also supports an extended syntax for specifying raw parameters +to PMUs. Using this typically requires looking up the specific event +in the CPU vendor specific documentation. + +The available PMUs and their raw parameters can be listed with + + ls /sys/devices/*/format + +For example the raw event "LSD.UOPS" core pmu event above could +be specified as + + perf stat -e cpu/event=0xa8,umask=0x1,name=LSD.UOPS_CYCLES,cmask=0x1/ ... + + or using extended name syntax + + perf stat -e cpu/event=0xa8,umask=0x1,cmask=0x1,name=\'LSD.UOPS_CYCLES:cmask=0x1\'/ ... + +PER SOCKET PMUS +--------------- + +Some PMUs are not associated with a core, but with a whole CPU socket. +Events on these PMUs generally cannot be sampled, but only counted globally +with perf stat -a. They can be bound to one logical CPU, but will measure +all the CPUs in the same socket. + +This example measures memory bandwidth every second +on the first memory controller on socket 0 of a Intel Xeon system + + perf stat -C 0 -a uncore_imc_0/cas_count_read/,uncore_imc_0/cas_count_write/ -I 1000 ... + +Each memory controller has its own PMU. Measuring the complete system +bandwidth would require specifying all imc PMUs (see perf list output), +and adding the values together. To simplify creation of multiple events, +prefix and glob matching is supported in the PMU name, and the prefix +'uncore_' is also ignored when performing the match. So the command above +can be expanded to all memory controllers by using the syntaxes: + + perf stat -C 0 -a imc/cas_count_read/,imc/cas_count_write/ -I 1000 ... + perf stat -C 0 -a *imc*/cas_count_read/,*imc*/cas_count_write/ -I 1000 ... + +This example measures the combined core power every second + + perf stat -I 1000 -e power/energy-cores/ -a + +ACCESS RESTRICTIONS +------------------- + +For non root users generally only context switched PMU events are available. +This is normally only the events in the cpu PMU, the predefined events +like cycles and instructions and some software events. + +Other PMUs and global measurements are normally root only. +Some event qualifiers, such as "any", are also root only. + +This can be overridden by setting the kernel.perf_event_paranoid +sysctl to -1, which allows non root to use these events. + +For accessing trace point events perf needs to have read access to +/sys/kernel/debug/tracing, even when perf_event_paranoid is in a relaxed +setting. + +TRACING +------- + +Some PMUs control advanced hardware tracing capabilities, such as Intel PT, +that allows low overhead execution tracing. These are described in a separate +intel-pt.txt document. + +PARAMETERIZED EVENTS +-------------------- + +Some pmu events listed by 'perf-list' will be displayed with '?' in them. For +example: + + hv_gpci/dtbp_ptitc,phys_processor_idx=?/ + +This means that when provided as an event, a value for '?' must +also be supplied. For example: + + perf stat -C 0 -e 'hv_gpci/dtbp_ptitc,phys_processor_idx=0x2/' ... + +EVENT QUALIFIERS: + +It is also possible to add extra qualifiers to an event: + +percore: + +Sums up the event counts for all hardware threads in a core, e.g.: + + + perf stat -e cpu/event=0,umask=0x3,percore=1/ + + +EVENT GROUPS +------------ + +Perf supports time based multiplexing of events, when the number of events +active exceeds the number of hardware performance counters. Multiplexing +can cause measurement errors when the workload changes its execution +profile. + +When metrics are computed using formulas from event counts, it is useful to +ensure some events are always measured together as a group to minimize multiplexing +errors. Event groups can be specified using { }. + + perf stat -e '{instructions,cycles}' ... + +The number of available performance counters depend on the CPU. A group +cannot contain more events than available counters. +For example Intel Core CPUs typically have four generic performance counters +for the core, plus three fixed counters for instructions, cycles and +ref-cycles. Some special events have restrictions on which counter they +can schedule, and may not support multiple instances in a single group. +When too many events are specified in the group some of them will not +be measured. + +Globally pinned events can limit the number of counters available for +other groups. On x86 systems, the NMI watchdog pins a counter by default. +The nmi watchdog can be disabled as root with + + echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/nmi_watchdog + +Events from multiple different PMUs cannot be mixed in a group, with +some exceptions for software events. + +LEADER SAMPLING +--------------- + +perf also supports group leader sampling using the :S specifier. + + perf record -e '{cycles,instructions}:S' ... + perf report --group + +Normally all events in an event group sample, but with :S only +the first event (the leader) samples, and it only reads the values of the +other events in the group. + +However, in the case AUX area events (e.g. Intel PT or CoreSight), the AUX +area event must be the leader, so then the second event samples, not the first. + +OPTIONS +------- + +Without options all known events will be listed. + +To limit the list use: + +. 'hw' or 'hardware' to list hardware events such as cache-misses, etc. + +. 'sw' or 'software' to list software events such as context switches, etc. + +. 'cache' or 'hwcache' to list hardware cache events such as L1-dcache-loads, etc. + +. 'tracepoint' to list all tracepoint events, alternatively use + 'subsys_glob:event_glob' to filter by tracepoint subsystems such as sched, + block, etc. + +. 'pmu' to print the kernel supplied PMU events. + +. 'sdt' to list all Statically Defined Tracepoint events. + +. 'metric' to list metrics + +. 'metricgroup' to list metricgroups with metrics. + +. If none of the above is matched, it will apply the supplied glob to all + events, printing the ones that match. + +. As a last resort, it will do a substring search in all event names. + +One or more types can be used at the same time, listing the events for the +types specified. + +Support raw format: + +. '--raw-dump', shows the raw-dump of all the events. +. '--raw-dump [hw|sw|cache|tracepoint|pmu|event_glob]', shows the raw-dump of + a certain kind of events. + +SEE ALSO +-------- +linkperf:perf-stat[1], linkperf:perf-top[1], +linkperf:perf-record[1], +http://www.intel.com/sdm/[Intel® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer's Manual Volume 3B: System Programming Guide], +http://support.amd.com/us/Processor_TechDocs/24593_APM_v2.pdf[AMD64 Architecture Programmer’s Manual Volume 2: System Programming] |