[PATCH v1 0/4] Remove BPF event support

From: Ian Rogers
Date: Thu Aug 10 2023 - 14:49:06 EST


The patch series removes BPF event support as past commits have shown
the support has bit rotten:
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20230728001212.457900-1-irogers@xxxxxxxxxx/

Similar functionality is now available via the --filter option, that
uses a BPF skeleton, and is therefore more compact and simpler to
use. The simplicity coming from not having to build BPF object files.

A different use case for the events was for syscall augmentation in
perf trace. So that this isn't broken, and to make its use
significantly simpler, the support is migrated to use a BPF
skeleton. This means perf trace is much more likely to augment
syscalls for users.

Removal of BPF events was raised on LKML two weeks ago with the
original authors cc-ed:
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAP-5=fXxGimJRXKf7bcaPqfjxxGcn1k3CspY_iSjQnpAKs3uFQ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx/

BPF events are described publicly in very few places but one is:
https://www.brendangregg.com/perf.html#eBPF
"eBPF is currently a little restricted and difficult to use from
perf. It's getting better all the time. A different and currently
easier way to access eBPF is via the bcc Python interface, which is
described on my eBPF Tools page. On this page, I'll discuss perf."

I don't think the "getting better all the time" is any longer true as
BPF features are being added to perf primarily by using BPF
skeletons. The given example is a filter and would be better supported
via "perf record --filter".

Ian Rogers (4):
perf parse-events: Remove BPF event support
perf trace: Migrate BPF augmentation to use a skeleton
perf bpf examples: With no BPF events remove examples
perf trace: Tidy comments

tools/perf/Documentation/perf-config.txt | 33 -
tools/perf/Documentation/perf-record.txt | 22 -
tools/perf/Makefile.config | 43 -
tools/perf/Makefile.perf | 19 +-
tools/perf/builtin-record.c | 45 -
tools/perf/builtin-trace.c | 310 +--
tools/perf/examples/bpf/5sec.c | 53 -
tools/perf/examples/bpf/empty.c | 12 -
tools/perf/examples/bpf/hello.c | 27 -
tools/perf/examples/bpf/sys_enter_openat.c | 33 -
tools/perf/perf.c | 2 -
tools/perf/tests/.gitignore | 5 -
tools/perf/tests/Build | 31 -
tools/perf/tests/bpf-script-example.c | 60 -
tools/perf/tests/bpf-script-test-kbuild.c | 21 -
tools/perf/tests/bpf-script-test-prologue.c | 49 -
tools/perf/tests/bpf-script-test-relocation.c | 51 -
tools/perf/tests/bpf.c | 390 ----
tools/perf/tests/builtin-test.c | 3 -
tools/perf/tests/clang.c | 32 -
tools/perf/tests/llvm.c | 219 --
tools/perf/tests/llvm.h | 31 -
tools/perf/tests/make | 2 -
tools/perf/tests/tests.h | 2 -
tools/perf/trace/beauty/beauty.h | 15 +-
tools/perf/util/Build | 8 +-
tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.c | 2006 -----------------
tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.h | 216 --
.../bpf_skel/augmented_raw_syscalls.bpf.c} | 35 +-
tools/perf/util/c++/Build | 5 -
tools/perf/util/c++/clang-c.h | 43 -
tools/perf/util/c++/clang-test.cpp | 67 -
tools/perf/util/c++/clang.cpp | 225 --
tools/perf/util/c++/clang.h | 27 -
tools/perf/util/config.c | 4 -
tools/perf/util/llvm-utils.c | 612 -----
tools/perf/util/llvm-utils.h | 69 -
tools/perf/util/parse-events.c | 268 ---
tools/perf/util/parse-events.h | 15 -
tools/perf/util/parse-events.l | 31 -
tools/perf/util/parse-events.y | 44 +-
41 files changed, 133 insertions(+), 5052 deletions(-)
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/examples/bpf/5sec.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/examples/bpf/empty.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/examples/bpf/hello.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/examples/bpf/sys_enter_openat.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/tests/.gitignore
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/tests/bpf-script-example.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/tests/bpf-script-test-kbuild.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/tests/bpf-script-test-prologue.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/tests/bpf-script-test-relocation.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/tests/bpf.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/tests/clang.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/tests/llvm.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/tests/llvm.h
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.h
rename tools/perf/{examples/bpf/augmented_raw_syscalls.c => util/bpf_skel/augmented_raw_syscalls.bpf.c} (93%)
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/util/c++/Build
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/util/c++/clang-c.h
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/util/c++/clang-test.cpp
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/util/c++/clang.cpp
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/util/c++/clang.h
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/util/llvm-utils.c
delete mode 100644 tools/perf/util/llvm-utils.h

--
2.41.0.640.ga95def55d0-goog