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-rw-r--r--Documentation/trace/rv/da_monitor_instrumentation.rst171
-rw-r--r--Documentation/trace/rv/da_monitor_synthesis.rst147
-rw-r--r--Documentation/trace/rv/deterministic_automata.rst184
-rw-r--r--Documentation/trace/rv/index.rst14
-rw-r--r--Documentation/trace/rv/monitor_wip.rst55
-rw-r--r--Documentation/trace/rv/monitor_wwnr.rst45
-rw-r--r--Documentation/trace/rv/runtime-verification.rst231
7 files changed, 847 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/trace/rv/da_monitor_instrumentation.rst b/Documentation/trace/rv/da_monitor_instrumentation.rst
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+Deterministic Automata Instrumentation
+======================================
+
+The RV monitor file created by dot2k, with the name "$MODEL_NAME.c"
+includes a section dedicated to instrumentation.
+
+In the example of the wip.dot monitor created on [1], it will look like::
+
+ /*
+ * This is the instrumentation part of the monitor.
+ *
+ * This is the section where manual work is required. Here the kernel events
+ * are translated into model's event.
+ *
+ */
+ static void handle_preempt_disable(void *data, /* XXX: fill header */)
+ {
+ da_handle_event_wip(preempt_disable_wip);
+ }
+
+ static void handle_preempt_enable(void *data, /* XXX: fill header */)
+ {
+ da_handle_event_wip(preempt_enable_wip);
+ }
+
+ static void handle_sched_waking(void *data, /* XXX: fill header */)
+ {
+ da_handle_event_wip(sched_waking_wip);
+ }
+
+ static int enable_wip(void)
+ {
+ int retval;
+
+ retval = da_monitor_init_wip();
+ if (retval)
+ return retval;
+
+ rv_attach_trace_probe("wip", /* XXX: tracepoint */, handle_preempt_disable);
+ rv_attach_trace_probe("wip", /* XXX: tracepoint */, handle_preempt_enable);
+ rv_attach_trace_probe("wip", /* XXX: tracepoint */, handle_sched_waking);
+
+ return 0;
+ }
+
+The comment at the top of the section explains the general idea: the
+instrumentation section translates *kernel events* into the *model's
+event*.
+
+Tracing callback functions
+--------------------------
+
+The first three functions are the starting point of the callback *handler
+functions* for each of the three events from the wip model. The developer
+does not necessarily need to use them: they are just starting points.
+
+Using the example of::
+
+ void handle_preempt_disable(void *data, /* XXX: fill header */)
+ {
+ da_handle_event_wip(preempt_disable_wip);
+ }
+
+The preempt_disable event from the model connects directly to the
+preemptirq:preempt_disable. The preemptirq:preempt_disable event
+has the following signature, from include/trace/events/preemptirq.h::
+
+ TP_PROTO(unsigned long ip, unsigned long parent_ip)
+
+Hence, the handle_preempt_disable() function will look like::
+
+ void handle_preempt_disable(void *data, unsigned long ip, unsigned long parent_ip)
+
+In this case, the kernel event translates one to one with the automata
+event, and indeed, no other change is required for this function.
+
+The next handler function, handle_preempt_enable() has the same argument
+list from the handle_preempt_disable(). The difference is that the
+preempt_enable event will be used to synchronize the system to the model.
+
+Initially, the *model* is placed in the initial state. However, the *system*
+might or might not be in the initial state. The monitor cannot start
+processing events until it knows that the system has reached the initial state.
+Otherwise, the monitor and the system could be out-of-sync.
+
+Looking at the automata definition, it is possible to see that the system
+and the model are expected to return to the initial state after the
+preempt_enable execution. Hence, it can be used to synchronize the
+system and the model at the initialization of the monitoring section.
+
+The start is informed via a special handle function, the
+"da_handle_start_event_$(MONITOR_NAME)(event)", in this case::
+
+ da_handle_start_event_wip(preempt_enable_wip);
+
+So, the callback function will look like::
+
+ void handle_preempt_enable(void *data, unsigned long ip, unsigned long parent_ip)
+ {
+ da_handle_start_event_wip(preempt_enable_wip);
+ }
+
+Finally, the "handle_sched_waking()" will look like::
+
+ void handle_sched_waking(void *data, struct task_struct *task)
+ {
+ da_handle_event_wip(sched_waking_wip);
+ }
+
+And the explanation is left for the reader as an exercise.
+
+enable and disable functions
+----------------------------
+
+dot2k automatically creates two special functions::
+
+ enable_$(MONITOR_NAME)()
+ disable_$(MONITOR_NAME)()
+
+These functions are called when the monitor is enabled and disabled,
+respectively.
+
+They should be used to *attach* and *detach* the instrumentation to the running
+system. The developer must add to the relative function all that is needed to
+*attach* and *detach* its monitor to the system.
+
+For the wip case, these functions were named::
+
+ enable_wip()
+ disable_wip()
+
+But no change was required because: by default, these functions *attach* and
+*detach* the tracepoints_to_attach, which was enough for this case.
+
+Instrumentation helpers
+-----------------------
+
+To complete the instrumentation, the *handler functions* need to be attached to a
+kernel event, at the monitoring enable phase.
+
+The RV interface also facilitates this step. For example, the macro "rv_attach_trace_probe()"
+is used to connect the wip model events to the relative kernel event. dot2k automatically
+adds "rv_attach_trace_probe()" function call for each model event in the enable phase, as
+a suggestion.
+
+For example, from the wip sample model::
+
+ static int enable_wip(void)
+ {
+ int retval;
+
+ retval = da_monitor_init_wip();
+ if (retval)
+ return retval;
+
+ rv_attach_trace_probe("wip", /* XXX: tracepoint */, handle_preempt_enable);
+ rv_attach_trace_probe("wip", /* XXX: tracepoint */, handle_sched_waking);
+ rv_attach_trace_probe("wip", /* XXX: tracepoint */, handle_preempt_disable);
+
+ return 0;
+ }
+
+The probes then need to be detached at the disable phase.
+
+[1] The wip model is presented in::
+
+ Documentation/trace/rv/deterministic_automata.rst
+
+The wip monitor is presented in::
+
+ Documentation/trace/rv/da_monitor_synthesis.rst
diff --git a/Documentation/trace/rv/da_monitor_synthesis.rst b/Documentation/trace/rv/da_monitor_synthesis.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0dbdcd1e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/trace/rv/da_monitor_synthesis.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+Deterministic Automata Monitor Synthesis
+========================================
+
+The starting point for the application of runtime verification (RV) technics
+is the *specification* or *modeling* of the desired (or undesired) behavior
+of the system under scrutiny.
+
+The formal representation needs to be then *synthesized* into a *monitor*
+that can then be used in the analysis of the trace of the system. The
+*monitor* connects to the system via an *instrumentation* that converts
+the events from the *system* to the events of the *specification*.
+
+
+In Linux terms, the runtime verification monitors are encapsulated inside
+the *RV monitor* abstraction. The RV monitor includes a set of instances
+of the monitor (per-cpu monitor, per-task monitor, and so on), the helper
+functions that glue the monitor to the system reference model, and the
+trace output as a reaction to event parsing and exceptions, as depicted
+below::
+
+ Linux +----- RV Monitor ----------------------------------+ Formal
+ Realm | | Realm
+ +-------------------+ +----------------+ +-----------------+
+ | Linux kernel | | Monitor | | Reference |
+ | Tracing | -> | Instance(s) | <- | Model |
+ | (instrumentation) | | (verification) | | (specification) |
+ +-------------------+ +----------------+ +-----------------+
+ | | |
+ | V |
+ | +----------+ |
+ | | Reaction | |
+ | +--+--+--+-+ |
+ | | | | |
+ | | | +-> trace output ? |
+ +------------------------|--|----------------------+
+ | +----> panic ?
+ +-------> <user-specified>
+
+DA monitor synthesis
+--------------------
+
+The synthesis of automata-based models into the Linux *RV monitor* abstraction
+is automated by the dot2k tool and the rv/da_monitor.h header file that
+contains a set of macros that automatically generate the monitor's code.
+
+dot2k
+-----
+
+The dot2k utility leverages dot2c by converting an automaton model in
+the DOT format into the C representation [1] and creating the skeleton of
+a kernel monitor in C.
+
+For example, it is possible to transform the wip.dot model present in
+[1] into a per-cpu monitor with the following command::
+
+ $ dot2k -d wip.dot -t per_cpu
+
+This will create a directory named wip/ with the following files:
+
+- wip.h: the wip model in C
+- wip.c: the RV monitor
+
+The wip.c file contains the monitor declaration and the starting point for
+the system instrumentation.
+
+Monitor macros
+--------------
+
+The rv/da_monitor.h enables automatic code generation for the *Monitor
+Instance(s)* using C macros.
+
+The benefits of the usage of macro for monitor synthesis are 3-fold as it:
+
+- Reduces the code duplication;
+- Facilitates the bug fix/improvement;
+- Avoids the case of developers changing the core of the monitor code
+ to manipulate the model in a (let's say) non-standard way.
+
+This initial implementation presents three different types of monitor instances:
+
+- ``#define DECLARE_DA_MON_GLOBAL(name, type)``
+- ``#define DECLARE_DA_MON_PER_CPU(name, type)``
+- ``#define DECLARE_DA_MON_PER_TASK(name, type)``
+
+The first declares the functions for a global deterministic automata monitor,
+the second for monitors with per-cpu instances, and the third with per-task
+instances.
+
+In all cases, the 'name' argument is a string that identifies the monitor, and
+the 'type' argument is the data type used by dot2k on the representation of
+the model in C.
+
+For example, the wip model with two states and three events can be
+stored in an 'unsigned char' type. Considering that the preemption control
+is a per-cpu behavior, the monitor declaration in the 'wip.c' file is::
+
+ DECLARE_DA_MON_PER_CPU(wip, unsigned char);
+
+The monitor is executed by sending events to be processed via the functions
+presented below::
+
+ da_handle_event_$(MONITOR_NAME)($(event from event enum));
+ da_handle_start_event_$(MONITOR_NAME)($(event from event enum));
+ da_handle_start_run_event_$(MONITOR_NAME)($(event from event enum));
+
+The function ``da_handle_event_$(MONITOR_NAME)()`` is the regular case where
+the event will be processed if the monitor is processing events.
+
+When a monitor is enabled, it is placed in the initial state of the automata.
+However, the monitor does not know if the system is in the *initial state*.
+
+The ``da_handle_start_event_$(MONITOR_NAME)()`` function is used to notify the
+monitor that the system is returning to the initial state, so the monitor can
+start monitoring the next event.
+
+The ``da_handle_start_run_event_$(MONITOR_NAME)()`` function is used to notify
+the monitor that the system is known to be in the initial state, so the
+monitor can start monitoring and monitor the current event.
+
+Using the wip model as example, the events "preempt_disable" and
+"sched_waking" should be sent to monitor, respectively, via [2]::
+
+ da_handle_event_wip(preempt_disable_wip);
+ da_handle_event_wip(sched_waking_wip);
+
+While the event "preempt_enabled" will use::
+
+ da_handle_start_event_wip(preempt_enable_wip);
+
+To notify the monitor that the system will be returning to the initial state,
+so the system and the monitor should be in sync.
+
+Final remarks
+-------------
+
+With the monitor synthesis in place using the rv/da_monitor.h and
+dot2k, the developer's work should be limited to the instrumentation
+of the system, increasing the confidence in the overall approach.
+
+[1] For details about deterministic automata format and the translation
+from one representation to another, see::
+
+ Documentation/trace/rv/deterministic_automata.rst
+
+[2] dot2k appends the monitor's name suffix to the events enums to
+avoid conflicting variables when exporting the global vmlinux.h
+use by BPF programs.
diff --git a/Documentation/trace/rv/deterministic_automata.rst b/Documentation/trace/rv/deterministic_automata.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d0638f95a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/trace/rv/deterministic_automata.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,184 @@
+Deterministic Automata
+======================
+
+Formally, a deterministic automaton, denoted by G, is defined as a quintuple:
+
+ *G* = { *X*, *E*, *f*, x\ :subscript:`0`, X\ :subscript:`m` }
+
+where:
+
+- *X* is the set of states;
+- *E* is the finite set of events;
+- x\ :subscript:`0` is the initial state;
+- X\ :subscript:`m` (subset of *X*) is the set of marked (or final) states.
+- *f* : *X* x *E* -> *X* $ is the transition function. It defines the state
+ transition in the occurrence of an event from *E* in the state *X*. In the
+ special case of deterministic automata, the occurrence of the event in *E*
+ in a state in *X* has a deterministic next state from *X*.
+
+For example, a given automaton named 'wip' (wakeup in preemptive) can
+be defined as:
+
+- *X* = { ``preemptive``, ``non_preemptive``}
+- *E* = { ``preempt_enable``, ``preempt_disable``, ``sched_waking``}
+- x\ :subscript:`0` = ``preemptive``
+- X\ :subscript:`m` = {``preemptive``}
+- *f* =
+ - *f*\ (``preemptive``, ``preempt_disable``) = ``non_preemptive``
+ - *f*\ (``non_preemptive``, ``sched_waking``) = ``non_preemptive``
+ - *f*\ (``non_preemptive``, ``preempt_enable``) = ``preemptive``
+
+One of the benefits of this formal definition is that it can be presented
+in multiple formats. For example, using a *graphical representation*, using
+vertices (nodes) and edges, which is very intuitive for *operating system*
+practitioners, without any loss.
+
+The previous 'wip' automaton can also be represented as::
+
+ preempt_enable
+ +---------------------------------+
+ v |
+ #============# preempt_disable +------------------+
+ --> H preemptive H -----------------> | non_preemptive |
+ #============# +------------------+
+ ^ |
+ | sched_waking |
+ +--------------+
+
+Deterministic Automaton in C
+----------------------------
+
+In the paper "Efficient formal verification for the Linux kernel",
+the authors present a simple way to represent an automaton in C that can
+be used as regular code in the Linux kernel.
+
+For example, the 'wip' automata can be presented as (augmented with comments)::
+
+ /* enum representation of X (set of states) to be used as index */
+ enum states {
+ preemptive = 0,
+ non_preemptive,
+ state_max
+ };
+
+ #define INVALID_STATE state_max
+
+ /* enum representation of E (set of events) to be used as index */
+ enum events {
+ preempt_disable = 0,
+ preempt_enable,
+ sched_waking,
+ event_max
+ };
+
+ struct automaton {
+ char *state_names[state_max]; // X: the set of states
+ char *event_names[event_max]; // E: the finite set of events
+ unsigned char function[state_max][event_max]; // f: transition function
+ unsigned char initial_state; // x_0: the initial state
+ bool final_states[state_max]; // X_m: the set of marked states
+ };
+
+ struct automaton aut = {
+ .state_names = {
+ "preemptive",
+ "non_preemptive"
+ },
+ .event_names = {
+ "preempt_disable",
+ "preempt_enable",
+ "sched_waking"
+ },
+ .function = {
+ { non_preemptive, INVALID_STATE, INVALID_STATE },
+ { INVALID_STATE, preemptive, non_preemptive },
+ },
+ .initial_state = preemptive,
+ .final_states = { 1, 0 },
+ };
+
+The *transition function* is represented as a matrix of states (lines) and
+events (columns), and so the function *f* : *X* x *E* -> *X* can be solved
+in O(1). For example::
+
+ next_state = automaton_wip.function[curr_state][event];
+
+Graphviz .dot format
+--------------------
+
+The Graphviz open-source tool can produce the graphical representation
+of an automaton using the (textual) DOT language as the source code.
+The DOT format is widely used and can be converted to many other formats.
+
+For example, this is the 'wip' model in DOT::
+
+ digraph state_automaton {
+ {node [shape = circle] "non_preemptive"};
+ {node [shape = plaintext, style=invis, label=""] "__init_preemptive"};
+ {node [shape = doublecircle] "preemptive"};
+ {node [shape = circle] "preemptive"};
+ "__init_preemptive" -> "preemptive";
+ "non_preemptive" [label = "non_preemptive"];
+ "non_preemptive" -> "non_preemptive" [ label = "sched_waking" ];
+ "non_preemptive" -> "preemptive" [ label = "preempt_enable" ];
+ "preemptive" [label = "preemptive"];
+ "preemptive" -> "non_preemptive" [ label = "preempt_disable" ];
+ { rank = min ;
+ "__init_preemptive";
+ "preemptive";
+ }
+ }
+
+This DOT format can be transformed into a bitmap or vectorial image
+using the dot utility, or into an ASCII art using graph-easy. For
+instance::
+
+ $ dot -Tsvg -o wip.svg wip.dot
+ $ graph-easy wip.dot > wip.txt
+
+dot2c
+-----
+
+dot2c is a utility that can parse a .dot file containing an automaton as
+in the example above and automatically convert it to the C representation
+presented in [3].
+
+For example, having the previous 'wip' model into a file named 'wip.dot',
+the following command will transform the .dot file into the C
+representation (previously shown) in the 'wip.h' file::
+
+ $ dot2c wip.dot > wip.h
+
+The 'wip.h' content is the code sample in section 'Deterministic Automaton
+in C'.
+
+Remarks
+-------
+
+The automata formalism allows modeling discrete event systems (DES) in
+multiple formats, suitable for different applications/users.
+
+For example, the formal description using set theory is better suitable
+for automata operations, while the graphical format for human interpretation;
+and computer languages for machine execution.
+
+References
+----------
+
+Many textbooks cover automata formalism. For a brief introduction see::
+
+ O'Regan, Gerard. Concise guide to software engineering. Springer,
+ Cham, 2017.
+
+For a detailed description, including operations, and application on Discrete
+Event Systems (DES), see::
+
+ Cassandras, Christos G., and Stephane Lafortune, eds. Introduction to discrete
+ event systems. Boston, MA: Springer US, 2008.
+
+For the C representation in kernel, see::
+
+ De Oliveira, Daniel Bristot; Cucinotta, Tommaso; De Oliveira, Romulo
+ Silva. Efficient formal verification for the Linux kernel. In:
+ International Conference on Software Engineering and Formal Methods.
+ Springer, Cham, 2019. p. 315-332.
diff --git a/Documentation/trace/rv/index.rst b/Documentation/trace/rv/index.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..15fa96610
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/trace/rv/index.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+====================
+Runtime Verification
+====================
+
+.. toctree::
+ :maxdepth: 2
+ :glob:
+
+ runtime-verification.rst
+ deterministic_automata.rst
+ da_monitor_synthesis.rst
+ da_monitor_instrumentation.rst
+ monitor_wip.rst
+ monitor_wwnr.rst
diff --git a/Documentation/trace/rv/monitor_wip.rst b/Documentation/trace/rv/monitor_wip.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a95763438
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/trace/rv/monitor_wip.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+Monitor wip
+===========
+
+- Name: wip - wakeup in preemptive
+- Type: per-cpu deterministic automaton
+- Author: Daniel Bristot de Oliveira <bristot@kernel.org>
+
+Description
+-----------
+
+The wakeup in preemptive (wip) monitor is a sample per-cpu monitor
+that verifies if the wakeup events always take place with
+preemption disabled::
+
+ |
+ |
+ v
+ #==================#
+ H preemptive H <+
+ #==================# |
+ | |
+ | preempt_disable | preempt_enable
+ v |
+ sched_waking +------------------+ |
+ +--------------- | | |
+ | | non_preemptive | |
+ +--------------> | | -+
+ +------------------+
+
+The wakeup event always takes place with preemption disabled because
+of the scheduler synchronization. However, because the preempt_count
+and its trace event are not atomic with regard to interrupts, some
+inconsistencies might happen. For example::
+
+ preempt_disable() {
+ __preempt_count_add(1)
+ -------> smp_apic_timer_interrupt() {
+ preempt_disable()
+ do not trace (preempt count >= 1)
+
+ wake up a thread
+
+ preempt_enable()
+ do not trace (preempt count >= 1)
+ }
+ <------
+ trace_preempt_disable();
+ }
+
+This problem was reported and discussed here:
+ https://lore.kernel.org/r/cover.1559051152.git.bristot@redhat.com/
+
+Specification
+-------------
+Grapviz Dot file in tools/verification/models/wip.dot
diff --git a/Documentation/trace/rv/monitor_wwnr.rst b/Documentation/trace/rv/monitor_wwnr.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..80f1777b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/trace/rv/monitor_wwnr.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+Monitor wwnr
+============
+
+- Name: wwrn - wakeup while not running
+- Type: per-task deterministic automaton
+- Author: Daniel Bristot de Oliveira <bristot@kernel.org>
+
+Description
+-----------
+
+This is a per-task sample monitor, with the following
+definition::
+
+ |
+ |
+ v
+ wakeup +-------------+
+ +--------- | |
+ | | not_running |
+ +--------> | | <+
+ +-------------+ |
+ | |
+ | switch_in | switch_out
+ v |
+ +-------------+ |
+ | running | -+
+ +-------------+
+
+This model is borken, the reason is that a task can be running
+in the processor without being set as RUNNABLE. Think about a
+task about to sleep::
+
+ 1: set_current_state(TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE);
+ 2: schedule();
+
+And then imagine an IRQ happening in between the lines one and two,
+waking the task up. BOOM, the wakeup will happen while the task is
+running.
+
+- Why do we need this model, so?
+- To test the reactors.
+
+Specification
+-------------
+Grapviz Dot file in tools/verification/models/wwnr.dot
diff --git a/Documentation/trace/rv/runtime-verification.rst b/Documentation/trace/rv/runtime-verification.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c46b61494
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/trace/rv/runtime-verification.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,231 @@
+====================
+Runtime Verification
+====================
+
+Runtime Verification (RV) is a lightweight (yet rigorous) method that
+complements classical exhaustive verification techniques (such as *model
+checking* and *theorem proving*) with a more practical approach for complex
+systems.
+
+Instead of relying on a fine-grained model of a system (e.g., a
+re-implementation a instruction level), RV works by analyzing the trace of the
+system's actual execution, comparing it against a formal specification of
+the system behavior.
+
+The main advantage is that RV can give precise information on the runtime
+behavior of the monitored system, without the pitfalls of developing models
+that require a re-implementation of the entire system in a modeling language.
+Moreover, given an efficient monitoring method, it is possible execute an
+*online* verification of a system, enabling the *reaction* for unexpected
+events, avoiding, for example, the propagation of a failure on safety-critical
+systems.
+
+Runtime Monitors and Reactors
+=============================
+
+A monitor is the central part of the runtime verification of a system. The
+monitor stands in between the formal specification of the desired (or
+undesired) behavior, and the trace of the actual system.
+
+In Linux terms, the runtime verification monitors are encapsulated inside the
+*RV monitor* abstraction. A *RV monitor* includes a reference model of the
+system, a set of instances of the monitor (per-cpu monitor, per-task monitor,
+and so on), and the helper functions that glue the monitor to the system via
+trace, as depicted bellow::
+
+ Linux +---- RV Monitor ----------------------------------+ Formal
+ Realm | | Realm
+ +-------------------+ +----------------+ +-----------------+
+ | Linux kernel | | Monitor | | Reference |
+ | Tracing | -> | Instance(s) | <- | Model |
+ | (instrumentation) | | (verification) | | (specification) |
+ +-------------------+ +----------------+ +-----------------+
+ | | |
+ | V |
+ | +----------+ |
+ | | Reaction | |
+ | +--+--+--+-+ |
+ | | | | |
+ | | | +-> trace output ? |
+ +------------------------|--|----------------------+
+ | +----> panic ?
+ +-------> <user-specified>
+
+In addition to the verification and monitoring of the system, a monitor can
+react to an unexpected event. The forms of reaction can vary from logging the
+event occurrence to the enforcement of the correct behavior to the extreme
+action of taking a system down to avoid the propagation of a failure.
+
+In Linux terms, a *reactor* is an reaction method available for *RV monitors*.
+By default, all monitors should provide a trace output of their actions,
+which is already a reaction. In addition, other reactions will be available
+so the user can enable them as needed.
+
+For further information about the principles of runtime verification and
+RV applied to Linux:
+
+ Bartocci, Ezio, et al. *Introduction to runtime verification.* In: Lectures on
+ Runtime Verification. Springer, Cham, 2018. p. 1-33.
+
+ Falcone, Ylies, et al. *A taxonomy for classifying runtime verification tools.*
+ In: International Conference on Runtime Verification. Springer, Cham, 2018. p.
+ 241-262.
+
+ De Oliveira, Daniel Bristot. *Automata-based formal analysis and
+ verification of the real-time Linux kernel.* Ph.D. Thesis, 2020.
+
+Online RV monitors
+==================
+
+Monitors can be classified as *offline* and *online* monitors. *Offline*
+monitor process the traces generated by a system after the events, generally by
+reading the trace execution from a permanent storage system. *Online* monitors
+process the trace during the execution of the system. Online monitors are said
+to be *synchronous* if the processing of an event is attached to the system
+execution, blocking the system during the event monitoring. On the other hand,
+an *asynchronous* monitor has its execution detached from the system. Each type
+of monitor has a set of advantages. For example, *offline* monitors can be
+executed on different machines but require operations to save the log to a
+file. In contrast, *synchronous online* method can react at the exact moment
+a violation occurs.
+
+Another important aspect regarding monitors is the overhead associated with the
+event analysis. If the system generates events at a frequency higher than the
+monitor's ability to process them in the same system, only the *offline*
+methods are viable. On the other hand, if the tracing of the events incurs
+on higher overhead than the simple handling of an event by a monitor, then a
+*synchronous online* monitors will incur on lower overhead.
+
+Indeed, the research presented in:
+
+ De Oliveira, Daniel Bristot; Cucinotta, Tommaso; De Oliveira, Romulo Silva.
+ *Efficient formal verification for the Linux kernel.* In: International
+ Conference on Software Engineering and Formal Methods. Springer, Cham, 2019.
+ p. 315-332.
+
+Shows that for Deterministic Automata models, the synchronous processing of
+events in-kernel causes lower overhead than saving the same events to the trace
+buffer, not even considering collecting the trace for user-space analysis.
+This motivated the development of an in-kernel interface for online monitors.
+
+For further information about modeling of Linux kernel behavior using automata,
+see:
+
+ De Oliveira, Daniel B.; De Oliveira, Romulo S.; Cucinotta, Tommaso. *A thread
+ synchronization model for the PREEMPT_RT Linux kernel.* Journal of Systems
+ Architecture, 2020, 107: 101729.
+
+The user interface
+==================
+
+The user interface resembles the tracing interface (on purpose). It is
+currently at "/sys/kernel/tracing/rv/".
+
+The following files/folders are currently available:
+
+**available_monitors**
+
+- Reading list the available monitors, one per line
+
+For example::
+
+ # cat available_monitors
+ wip
+ wwnr
+
+**available_reactors**
+
+- Reading shows the available reactors, one per line.
+
+For example::
+
+ # cat available_reactors
+ nop
+ panic
+ printk
+
+**enabled_monitors**:
+
+- Reading lists the enabled monitors, one per line
+- Writing to it enables a given monitor
+- Writing a monitor name with a '!' prefix disables it
+- Truncating the file disables all enabled monitors
+
+For example::
+
+ # cat enabled_monitors
+ # echo wip > enabled_monitors
+ # echo wwnr >> enabled_monitors
+ # cat enabled_monitors
+ wip
+ wwnr
+ # echo '!wip' >> enabled_monitors
+ # cat enabled_monitors
+ wwnr
+ # echo > enabled_monitors
+ # cat enabled_monitors
+ #
+
+Note that it is possible to enable more than one monitor concurrently.
+
+**monitoring_on**
+
+This is an on/off general switcher for monitoring. It resembles the
+"tracing_on" switcher in the trace interface.
+
+- Writing "0" stops the monitoring
+- Writing "1" continues the monitoring
+- Reading returns the current status of the monitoring
+
+Note that it does not disable enabled monitors but stop the per-entity
+monitors monitoring the events received from the system.
+
+**reacting_on**
+
+- Writing "0" prevents reactions for happening
+- Writing "1" enable reactions
+- Reading returns the current status of the reaction
+
+**monitors/**
+
+Each monitor will have its own directory inside "monitors/". There the
+monitor-specific files will be presented. The "monitors/" directory resembles
+the "events" directory on tracefs.
+
+For example::
+
+ # cd monitors/wip/
+ # ls
+ desc enable
+ # cat desc
+ wakeup in preemptive per-cpu testing monitor.
+ # cat enable
+ 0
+
+**monitors/MONITOR/desc**
+
+- Reading shows a description of the monitor *MONITOR*
+
+**monitors/MONITOR/enable**
+
+- Writing "0" disables the *MONITOR*
+- Writing "1" enables the *MONITOR*
+- Reading return the current status of the *MONITOR*
+
+**monitors/MONITOR/reactors**
+
+- List available reactors, with the select reaction for the given *MONITOR*
+ inside "[]". The default one is the nop (no operation) reactor.
+- Writing the name of a reactor enables it to the given MONITOR.
+
+For example::
+
+ # cat monitors/wip/reactors
+ [nop]
+ panic
+ printk
+ # echo panic > monitors/wip/reactors
+ # cat monitors/wip/reactors
+ nop
+ [panic]
+ printk