//! Direct, unsafe bindings for Linux [`perf_event_open`][man] and friends. //! //! Linux's `perf_event_open` system call provides access to the processor's //! performance measurement counters (things like instructions retired, cache //! misses, and so on), kernel counters (context switches, page faults), and //! many other sources of performance information. //! //! You can't get the `perf_event_open` function from the `libc` crate, as you //! would any other system call. The Linux standard C library does not provide a //! binding for this function or its associated types and constants. //! //! Rust analogs to the C types and constants from `` and //! ``, generated with `bindgen`, are available in the //! [`bindings`] module. //! //! There are several ioctls for use with `perf_event_open` file descriptors; //! see the [`ioctls`] module for those. //! //! For a safe and convenient interface to this functionality, see the //! [`perf_event`] crate. //! //! ## Using the raw API //! //! As the kernel interface evolves, the struct and union types from the //! [`bindings`] module may acquire new fields. To ensure that your code will //! continue to compile against newer versions of this crate, you should //! construct values of these types by calling their `Default` implementations, //! which return zero-filled values, and then assigning to the fields you care //! about. For example: //! //! ``` //! use perf_event_open_sys as sys; //! //! // Construct a zero-filled `perf_event_attr`. //! let mut attrs = sys::bindings::perf_event_attr::default(); //! //! // Populate the fields we need. //! attrs.size = std::mem::size_of::() as u32; //! attrs.type_ = sys::bindings::perf_type_id_PERF_TYPE_HARDWARE; //! attrs.config = sys::bindings::perf_hw_id_PERF_COUNT_HW_INSTRUCTIONS as u64; //! attrs.set_disabled(1); //! attrs.set_exclude_kernel(1); //! attrs.set_exclude_hv(1); //! //! // Make the system call. //! let result = unsafe { //! sys::perf_event_open(&mut attrs, 0, -1, -1, 0) //! }; //! //! if result < 0 { //! // ... handle error //! } //! //! // ... use `result` as a raw file descriptor //! ``` //! //! It is not necessary to adjust `size` to what the running kernel expects: //! older kernels can accept newer `perf_event_attr` structs, and vice versa. As //! long as the `size` field was properly initialized, an error result of //! `E2BIG` indicates that the `attrs` structure has requested behavior the //! kernel is too old to support. //! //! When `E2BIG` is returned, the kernel writes the size it expected back to the //! `size` field of the `attrs` struct. Again, if you want to retry the call, it //! is not necessary to adjust the size you pass to match what the kernel passed //! back. The size from the kernel just indicates which version of the API the //! kernel supports; see the documentation for the `PERF_EVENT_ATTR_SIZE_VER...` //! constants for details. //! //! ## Kernel versions //! //! The bindings in this crate are generated from the Linux kernel headers //! packaged by Fedora as `kernel-headers-5.6.11-100.fc30.x86_64`, which //! corresponds to `PERF_EVENT_ATTR_SIZE_VER6`. //! //! As explained above, bugs aside, it is not necessary to use the version of //! these structures that matches the kernel you want to run under, so it should //! always be acceptable to use the latest version of this crate, even if you //! want to support older kernels. //! //! This crate's `README.md` file includes instructions on regenerating the //! bindings from newer kernel headers. However, this can be a breaking change //! for users that have not followed the advice above, so regeneration should //! cause a major version increment. //! //! If you need features that are available only in a more recent version of the //! types than this crate provides, please file an issue. //! //! ## Linux API Backward/Forward Compatibility Strategy //! //! (This is more detail than necessary if you just want to use the crate. I //! want to write this down somewhere so that I have something to refer to when //! I forget the details.) //! //! It is an important principle of Linux kernel development that new versions //! of the kernel should not break userspace. If upgrading your kernel breaks a //! user program, then that's a bug in the kernel. (This refers to the run-time //! interface. I don't know what the stability rules are for the kernel headers: //! can new headers cause old code to fail to compile? Anyway, run time is our //! concern here.) //! //! But when you have an open-ended, complex system call like `perf_event_open`, //! it's really important for the interface to be able to evolve. Certainly, old //! programs must run properly on new kernels, but ideally, it should work the //! other way, too: a program built against a newer version of the kernel //! headers should run on an older kernel, as long as it only requests features //! the old kernel actually supports. That is, simply compiling against newer //! headers should not be disqualifying - only using those new headers to //! request features the running kernel can't provide should cause an error. //! //! Consider the specific case of passing a struct like `perf_event_attr` to a //! system call like `perf_event_open`. In general, there are two versions of //! the struct in play: the version the user program was compiled against, and //! the version the running kernel was compiled against. How can we let old //! programs call `perf_event_open` on new kernels, and vice versa? //! //! Linux has a neat strategy for making this work. There are four rules: //! //! - Every system call that passes a struct to the kernel includes some //! indication of how large userspace thinks that struct is. For //! `perf_event_open`, it's the `size` field of the `perf_event_attr` //! struct. For `ioctl`s that pass a struct, it's a bitfield of the //! `request` value. //! //! - Fields are never deleted from structs. At most, newer kernel headers may //! rename them to '__reserved_foo' or something like that, but once a field //! has been placed, its layout in the struct never changes. //! //! - New fields are added to the end of structs. //! //! - New fields' semantics are chosen such that filling them with zeros //! preserves the old behavior. That is, turning an old struct into a new //! struct by extending it with zero bytes should always give you a new //! struct with the same meaning the old struct had. //! //! Then, the kernel's strategy for receiving structs from userspace (explained //! by the kernel comments for `copy_struct_from_user` in //! `include/linux/uaccess.h`) is as follows: //! //! - If the kernel's struct is larger than the one passed from userspace, //! then that means the kernel is newer than the userspace program. The //! kernel copies the userspace data into the initial bytes of its own //! struct, and zeros the remaining bytes. Since zeroed fields have no //! effect, the resulting struct properly reflects the user's intent. //! //! - If the kernel's struct is smaller than the one passed from userspace, //! then that means that a userspace program compiled against newer kernel //! headers is running on an older kernel. The kernel checks that the excess //! bytes in the userspace struct are all zero; if they are not, the system //! call returns `E2BIG`, indicating that userspace has requested a feature //! the kernel doesn't support. If they are all zero, then the kernel //! initializes its own struct with the bytes from the start of the //! userspace struct, and drops the rest. Since the dropped bytes were all //! zero, they did not affect the requested behavior, and the resulting //! struct reflects the user's intent. //! //! - In either case, the kernel verifies that any `__reserved_foo` fields in //! its own version of the struct are zero. //! //! This covers both the old-on-new and new-on-old cases, and returns an error //! only when the call requests functionality the kernel doesn't support. //! //! You can find one example of using `perf_event_open` in the [`perf_event`] //! crate, which provides a safe interface to a subset of `perf_event_open`'s //! functionality. //! //! [`bindings`]: bindings/index.html //! [`ioctls`]: ioctls/index.html //! [man]: http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/perf_event_open.2.html //! [`perf_event`]: https://crates.io/crates/perf_event pub mod bindings; use libc::pid_t; use std::os::raw::{c_int, c_ulong}; /// The `perf_event_open` system call. /// /// See the [`perf_event_open(2) man page`][man] for details. /// /// On error, this returns a negated raw OS error value. The C `errno` value is /// not changed. /// /// Note: The `attrs` argument needs to be a `*mut` because if the `size` field /// is too small or too large, the kernel writes the size it was expecing back /// into that field. It might do other things as well. /// /// [man]: http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/perf_event_open.2.html pub unsafe fn perf_event_open( attrs: *mut bindings::perf_event_attr, pid: pid_t, cpu: c_int, group_fd: c_int, flags: c_ulong, ) -> c_int { libc::syscall( bindings::__NR_perf_event_open as libc::c_long, attrs as *const bindings::perf_event_attr, pid, cpu, group_fd, flags, ) as c_int } #[allow(dead_code, non_snake_case)] pub mod ioctls { //! Ioctls for use with `perf_event_open` file descriptors. //! //! See the [`perf_event_open(2)`][man] man page for details. //! //! On error, these return `-1` and set the C `errno` value. //! //! [man]: http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/perf_event_open.2.html use crate::bindings::{self, perf_event_attr, perf_event_query_bpf}; use std::os::raw::{c_char, c_int, c_uint, c_ulong}; macro_rules! define_ioctls { ( $( $args:tt )* ) => { $( define_ioctl!($args); )* } } macro_rules! define_ioctl { ({ $name:ident, $ioctl:ident, $arg_type:ty }) => { pub unsafe fn $name(fd: c_int, arg: $arg_type) -> c_int { untyped_ioctl(fd, bindings::$ioctl, arg) } }; } define_ioctls! { { ENABLE, perf_event_ioctls_ENABLE, c_uint } { DISABLE, perf_event_ioctls_DISABLE, c_uint } { REFRESH, perf_event_ioctls_REFRESH, c_int } { RESET, perf_event_ioctls_RESET, c_uint } { PERIOD, perf_event_ioctls_PERIOD, u64 } { SET_OUTPUT, perf_event_ioctls_SET_OUTPUT, c_int } { SET_FILTER, perf_event_ioctls_SET_FILTER, *mut c_char } { ID, perf_event_ioctls_ID, *mut u64 } { SET_BPF, perf_event_ioctls_SET_BPF, u32 } { PAUSE_OUTPUT, perf_event_ioctls_PAUSE_OUTPUT, u32 } { QUERY_BPF, perf_event_ioctls_QUERY_BPF, *mut perf_event_query_bpf } { MODIFY_ATTRIBUTES, perf_event_ioctls_MODIFY_ATTRIBUTES, *mut perf_event_attr } } unsafe fn untyped_ioctl( fd: c_int, ioctl: bindings::perf_event_ioctls, arg: A, ) -> c_int { #[cfg(target_env = "musl")] return libc::ioctl(fd, ioctl as c_int, arg); #[cfg(not(target_env = "musl"))] libc::ioctl(fd, ioctl as c_ulong, arg) } }