[PATCH] perf tools: Handle partial AUX records and print a warning

From: Alexander Shishkin
Date: Mon Feb 20 2017 - 10:08:53 EST


This patch decodes the 'partial' flag in AUX records and prints
a warning to the user, so that they don't have to guess why their
PT traces contain gaps (or missing altogether):

> Warning:
> AUX data had gaps in it 8 times out of 8!
>
> Are you running a KVM guest in the background?

Trying to be even more helpful, we will detect if the user's
kvm driver sets up exclusive VMX root mode for the entire
lifespan of the kvm process:

> Reloading kvm_intel module with vmm_exclusive=0
> will reduce the gaps to only guest's timeslices.

Note however, that you'll still have gaps in cpu-wide traces
even with vmm_exclusive=0, but the number of gaps will be
below 100% (as opposed to the above example).

Currently this is the only reason for partial records.

Cc: Adrian Hunter <adrian.hunter@xxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Alexander Shishkin <alexander.shishkin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h | 1 +
tools/lib/api/fs/fs.c | 29 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
tools/lib/api/fs/fs.h | 1 +
tools/perf/util/event.c | 5 +++--
tools/perf/util/event.h | 1 +
tools/perf/util/session.c | 27 ++++++++++++++++++++++++---
6 files changed, 59 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h b/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
index bec0aad0e1..d09a9cd021 100644
--- a/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
+++ b/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
@@ -915,6 +915,7 @@ enum perf_callchain_context {
*/
#define PERF_AUX_FLAG_TRUNCATED 0x01 /* record was truncated to fit */
#define PERF_AUX_FLAG_OVERWRITE 0x02 /* snapshot from overwrite mode */
+#define PERF_AUX_FLAG_PARTIAL 0x04 /* record contains gaps */

#define PERF_FLAG_FD_NO_GROUP (1UL << 0)
#define PERF_FLAG_FD_OUTPUT (1UL << 1)
diff --git a/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.c b/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.c
index 4b6bfc43cc..809c7721cd 100644
--- a/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.c
+++ b/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.c
@@ -439,6 +439,35 @@ int sysfs__read_str(const char *entry, char **buf, size_t *sizep)
return filename__read_str(path, buf, sizep);
}

+int sysfs__read_bool(const char *entry, bool *value)
+{
+ char *buf;
+ size_t size;
+ int ret;
+
+ ret = sysfs__read_str(entry, &buf, &size);
+ if (ret < 0)
+ return ret;
+
+ switch (buf[0]) {
+ case '1':
+ case 'y':
+ case 'Y':
+ *value = true;
+ break;
+ case '0':
+ case 'n':
+ case 'N':
+ *value = false;
+ break;
+ default:
+ ret = -1;
+ }
+
+ free(buf);
+
+ return ret;
+}
int sysctl__read_int(const char *sysctl, int *value)
{
char path[PATH_MAX];
diff --git a/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.h b/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.h
index 6b332dc744..956c21127d 100644
--- a/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.h
+++ b/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.h
@@ -37,4 +37,5 @@ int sysctl__read_int(const char *sysctl, int *value);
int sysfs__read_int(const char *entry, int *value);
int sysfs__read_ull(const char *entry, unsigned long long *value);
int sysfs__read_str(const char *entry, char **buf, size_t *sizep);
+int sysfs__read_bool(const char *entry, bool *value);
#endif /* __API_FS__ */
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/event.c b/tools/perf/util/event.c
index d082cb7044..a042822834 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/event.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/event.c
@@ -1288,11 +1288,12 @@ int perf_event__process_exit(struct perf_tool *tool __maybe_unused,

size_t perf_event__fprintf_aux(union perf_event *event, FILE *fp)
{
- return fprintf(fp, " offset: %#"PRIx64" size: %#"PRIx64" flags: %#"PRIx64" [%s%s]\n",
+ return fprintf(fp, " offset: %#"PRIx64" size: %#"PRIx64" flags: %#"PRIx64" [%s%s%s]\n",
event->aux.aux_offset, event->aux.aux_size,
event->aux.flags,
event->aux.flags & PERF_AUX_FLAG_TRUNCATED ? "T" : "",
- event->aux.flags & PERF_AUX_FLAG_OVERWRITE ? "O" : "");
+ event->aux.flags & PERF_AUX_FLAG_OVERWRITE ? "O" : "",
+ event->aux.flags & PERF_AUX_FLAG_PARTIAL ? "P" : "");
}

size_t perf_event__fprintf_itrace_start(union perf_event *event, FILE *fp)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/event.h b/tools/perf/util/event.h
index e1d8166ebb..eb7a7b2007 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/event.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/event.h
@@ -276,6 +276,7 @@ struct events_stats {
u64 total_lost;
u64 total_lost_samples;
u64 total_aux_lost;
+ u64 total_aux_partial;
u64 total_invalid_chains;
u32 nr_events[PERF_RECORD_HEADER_MAX];
u32 nr_non_filtered_samples;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
index ae42e742d4..24259bc2c5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
#include <linux/kernel.h>
#include <traceevent/event-parse.h>
+#include <api/fs/fs.h>

#include <byteswap.h>
#include <unistd.h>
@@ -1260,9 +1261,12 @@ static int machines__deliver_event(struct machines *machines,
case PERF_RECORD_UNTHROTTLE:
return tool->unthrottle(tool, event, sample, machine);
case PERF_RECORD_AUX:
- if (tool->aux == perf_event__process_aux &&
- (event->aux.flags & PERF_AUX_FLAG_TRUNCATED))
- evlist->stats.total_aux_lost += 1;
+ if (tool->aux == perf_event__process_aux) {
+ if (event->aux.flags & PERF_AUX_FLAG_TRUNCATED)
+ evlist->stats.total_aux_lost += 1;
+ if (event->aux.flags & PERF_AUX_FLAG_PARTIAL)
+ evlist->stats.total_aux_partial += 1;
+ }
return tool->aux(tool, event, sample, machine);
case PERF_RECORD_ITRACE_START:
return tool->itrace_start(tool, event, sample, machine);
@@ -1555,6 +1559,23 @@ static void perf_session__warn_about_errors(const struct perf_session *session)
stats->nr_events[PERF_RECORD_AUX]);
}

+ if (session->tool->aux == perf_event__process_aux &&
+ stats->total_aux_partial != 0) {
+ bool vmm_exclusive = false;
+
+ (void)sysfs__read_bool("module/kvm_intel/parameters/vmm_exclusive",
+ &vmm_exclusive);
+
+ ui__warning("AUX data had gaps in it %" PRIu64 " times out of %u!\n\n"
+ "Are you running a KVM guest in the background?%s\n\n",
+ stats->total_aux_partial,
+ stats->nr_events[PERF_RECORD_AUX],
+ vmm_exclusive ?
+ "\nReloading kvm_intel module with vmm_exclusive=0\n"
+ "will reduce the gaps to only guest's timeslices." :
+ "");
+ }
+
if (stats->nr_unknown_events != 0) {
ui__warning("Found %u unknown events!\n\n"
"Is this an older tool processing a perf.data "
--
2.11.0