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@@ -3,28 +3,30 @@
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Mathieu Desnoyers
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Mathieu Desnoyers
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-This document introduces Linux Kernel Tracepoints and their use. It provides
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-examples of how to insert tracepoints in the kernel and connect probe functions
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-to them and provides some examples of probe functions.
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+This document introduces Linux Kernel Tracepoints and their use. It
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+provides examples of how to insert tracepoints in the kernel and
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+connect probe functions to them and provides some examples of probe
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+functions.
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* Purpose of tracepoints
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* Purpose of tracepoints
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-A tracepoint placed in code provides a hook to call a function (probe) that you
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-can provide at runtime. A tracepoint can be "on" (a probe is connected to it) or
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-"off" (no probe is attached). When a tracepoint is "off" it has no effect,
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-except for adding a tiny time penalty (checking a condition for a branch) and
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-space penalty (adding a few bytes for the function call at the end of the
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-instrumented function and adds a data structure in a separate section). When a
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-tracepoint is "on", the function you provide is called each time the tracepoint
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-is executed, in the execution context of the caller. When the function provided
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-ends its execution, it returns to the caller (continuing from the tracepoint
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-site).
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+A tracepoint placed in code provides a hook to call a function (probe)
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+that you can provide at runtime. A tracepoint can be "on" (a probe is
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+connected to it) or "off" (no probe is attached). When a tracepoint is
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+"off" it has no effect, except for adding a tiny time penalty
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+(checking a condition for a branch) and space penalty (adding a few
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+bytes for the function call at the end of the instrumented function
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+and adds a data structure in a separate section). When a tracepoint
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+is "on", the function you provide is called each time the tracepoint
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+is executed, in the execution context of the caller. When the function
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+provided ends its execution, it returns to the caller (continuing from
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+the tracepoint site).
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You can put tracepoints at important locations in the code. They are
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You can put tracepoints at important locations in the code. They are
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lightweight hooks that can pass an arbitrary number of parameters,
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lightweight hooks that can pass an arbitrary number of parameters,
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-which prototypes are described in a tracepoint declaration placed in a header
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-file.
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+which prototypes are described in a tracepoint declaration placed in a
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+header file.
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They can be used for tracing and performance accounting.
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They can be used for tracing and performance accounting.
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@@ -63,36 +65,41 @@ Where :
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- subsys_eventname is an identifier unique to your event
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- subsys_eventname is an identifier unique to your event
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- subsys is the name of your subsystem.
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- subsys is the name of your subsystem.
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- eventname is the name of the event to trace.
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- eventname is the name of the event to trace.
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-- TPPTOTO(int firstarg, struct task_struct *p) is the prototype of the function
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- called by this tracepoint.
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-- TPARGS(firstarg, p) are the parameters names, same as found in the prototype.
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-Connecting a function (probe) to a tracepoint is done by providing a probe
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-(function to call) for the specific tracepoint through
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+- TPPTOTO(int firstarg, struct task_struct *p) is the prototype of the
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+ function called by this tracepoint.
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+
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+- TPARGS(firstarg, p) are the parameters names, same as found in the
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+ prototype.
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+
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+Connecting a function (probe) to a tracepoint is done by providing a
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+probe (function to call) for the specific tracepoint through
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register_trace_subsys_eventname(). Removing a probe is done through
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register_trace_subsys_eventname(). Removing a probe is done through
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unregister_trace_subsys_eventname(); it will remove the probe.
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unregister_trace_subsys_eventname(); it will remove the probe.
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-tracepoint_synchronize_unregister() must be called before the end of the module exit
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-function to make sure there is no caller left using the probe. This, and the
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-fact that preemption is disabled around the probe call, make sure that probe
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-removal and module unload are safe. See the "Probe example" section below for a
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-sample probe module.
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-
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-The tracepoint mechanism supports inserting multiple instances of the same
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-tracepoint, but a single definition must be made of a given tracepoint name over
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-all the kernel to make sure no type conflict will occur. Name mangling of the
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-tracepoints is done using the prototypes to make sure typing is correct.
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-Verification of probe type correctness is done at the registration site by the
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-compiler. Tracepoints can be put in inline functions, inlined static functions,
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-and unrolled loops as well as regular functions.
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-
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-The naming scheme "subsys_event" is suggested here as a convention intended
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-to limit collisions. Tracepoint names are global to the kernel: they are
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-considered as being the same whether they are in the core kernel image or in
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-modules.
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+
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+tracepoint_synchronize_unregister() must be called before the end of
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+the module exit function to make sure there is no caller left using
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+the probe. This, and the fact that preemption is disabled around the
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+probe call, make sure that probe removal and module unload are safe.
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+See the "Probe example" section below for a sample probe module.
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+
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+The tracepoint mechanism supports inserting multiple instances of the
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+same tracepoint, but a single definition must be made of a given
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+tracepoint name over all the kernel to make sure no type conflict will
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+occur. Name mangling of the tracepoints is done using the prototypes
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+to make sure typing is correct. Verification of probe type correctness
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+is done at the registration site by the compiler. Tracepoints can be
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+put in inline functions, inlined static functions, and unrolled loops
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+as well as regular functions.
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+
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+The naming scheme "subsys_event" is suggested here as a convention
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+intended to limit collisions. Tracepoint names are global to the
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+kernel: they are considered as being the same whether they are in the
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+core kernel image or in modules.
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If the tracepoint has to be used in kernel modules, an
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If the tracepoint has to be used in kernel modules, an
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-EXPORT_TRACEPOINT_SYMBOL_GPL() or EXPORT_TRACEPOINT_SYMBOL() can be used to
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-export the defined tracepoints.
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+EXPORT_TRACEPOINT_SYMBOL_GPL() or EXPORT_TRACEPOINT_SYMBOL() can be
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+used to export the defined tracepoints.
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* Probe / tracepoint example
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* Probe / tracepoint example
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