* [PATCH v9 1/9] perf cs-etm: Fix thread leaks on trace queue init failure
2026-06-16 14:51 [PATCH v9 0/9] perf cs-etm: Support thread stack and callchain Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 14:51 ` Leo Yan
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 2/9] perf cs-etm: Filter synthesized branch samples Leo Yan
` (7 subsequent siblings)
8 siblings, 0 replies; 16+ messages in thread
From: Leo Yan @ 2026-06-16 14:51 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo, John Garry, Will Deacon, James Clark,
Mike Leach, Suzuki K Poulose, Namhyung Kim, Mark Rutland,
Alexander Shishkin, Jiri Olsa, Ian Rogers, Adrian Hunter,
Al Grant, Paschalis Mpeis, Amir Ayupov
Cc: linux-arm-kernel, coresight, linux-perf-users, Leo Yan
cs_etm__init_traceid_queue() allocates the frontend and decode threads,
if a later allocation fails, the error path does not drop thread
reference that was already acquired.
Release both thread pointers with thread__zput() on the error path, so
does not leak thread references or leave stale pointers behind.
Fixes: 951ccccdc715 ("perf cs-etm: Only track threads instead of PID and TIDs")
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
---
tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c | 4 ++++
1 file changed, 4 insertions(+)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
index 0927b0b9c06b15046afeafe23fe170b8248cfcc6..d484a6155c2c22fa916d0365987302f6bb9978e9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
@@ -627,6 +627,8 @@ static int cs_etm__init_traceid_queue(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
queue->tid);
tidq->decode_thread = machine__findnew_thread(&etm->session->machines.host, -1,
queue->tid);
+ if (!tidq->frontend_thread || !tidq->decode_thread)
+ goto out;
tidq->packet = zalloc(sizeof(struct cs_etm_packet));
if (!tidq->packet)
@@ -661,6 +663,8 @@ static int cs_etm__init_traceid_queue(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
zfree(&tidq->prev_packet);
zfree(&tidq->packet);
out:
+ thread__zput(tidq->frontend_thread);
+ thread__zput(tidq->decode_thread);
return rc;
}
--
2.34.1
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread* [PATCH v9 2/9] perf cs-etm: Filter synthesized branch samples
2026-06-16 14:51 [PATCH v9 0/9] perf cs-etm: Support thread stack and callchain Leo Yan
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 1/9] perf cs-etm: Fix thread leaks on trace queue init failure Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 14:51 ` Leo Yan
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 3/9] perf cs-etm: Decode ETE exception packets Leo Yan
` (6 subsequent siblings)
8 siblings, 0 replies; 16+ messages in thread
From: Leo Yan @ 2026-06-16 14:51 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo, John Garry, Will Deacon, James Clark,
Mike Leach, Suzuki K Poulose, Namhyung Kim, Mark Rutland,
Alexander Shishkin, Jiri Olsa, Ian Rogers, Adrian Hunter,
Al Grant, Paschalis Mpeis, Amir Ayupov
Cc: linux-arm-kernel, coresight, linux-perf-users, Leo Yan, Leo Yan
From: Leo Yan <leo.yan@linaro.org>
The itrace 'c' and 'r' options request synthesized branch events for
calls and returns only. For perf script the default itrace options are
"--itrace=ce", so CS ETM should emit call branches and error events by
default.
CS ETM currently synthesizes a branch sample for every decoded taken
branch whenever branch synthesis is enabled. This produces redundant
jump and conditional branch samples.
Add a branch filter derived from the itrace calls and returns options.
When neither option is set, keep the existing behavior and synthesize all
branch samples. When calls or returns are requested, emit only branch
samples whose flags match the selected branch type, while preserving trace
begin/end markers.
Also update test_arm_coresight_disasm.sh and arm-cs-trace-disasm.py
to use the --itrace=b option for generating branch samples.
Before:
perf script -F,+flags
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: tr strt jmp 0 [unknown] ([unknown]) => ffff8000803a3a68 perf_report_aux_output_id+0x50 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: call ffff8000803a3a74 perf_report_aux_output_id+0x5c ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000817f4d88 memset+0x0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: jmp ffff8000817f4d8c memset+0x4 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000817f4c00 __pi_memset_generic+0x0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: jcc ffff8000817f4c1c __pi_memset_generic+0x1c ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000817f4c44 __pi_memset_generic+0x44 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: jcc ffff8000817f4c4c __pi_memset_generic+0x4c ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000817f4c5c __pi_memset_generic+0x5c ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: jcc ffff8000817f4c5c __pi_memset_generic+0x5c ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000817f4cf0 __pi_memset_generic+0xf0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: jcc ffff8000817f4d30 __pi_memset_generic+0x130 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000817f4d68 __pi_memset_generic+0x168 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: jcc ffff8000817f4d78 __pi_memset_generic+0x178 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000817f4d6c __pi_memset_generic+0x16c ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: jcc ffff8000817f4d78 __pi_memset_generic+0x178 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000817f4d6c __pi_memset_generic+0x16c ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: jcc ffff8000817f4d78 __pi_memset_generic+0x178 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000817f4d6c __pi_memset_generic+0x16c ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: return ffff8000817f4d84 __pi_memset_generic+0x184 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000803a3a78 perf_report_aux_output_id+0x60 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: jcc ffff8000803a3a98 perf_report_aux_output_id+0x80 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000803a3b04 perf_report_aux_output_id+0xec ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: call ffff8000803a3b1c perf_report_aux_output_id+0x104 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000803a38f8 __perf_event_header__init_id+0x0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
After:
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: tr strt jmp 0 [unknown] ([unknown]) => ffff8000803a3a68 perf_report_aux_output_id+0x50 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: call ffff8000803a3a74 perf_report_aux_output_id+0x5c ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000817f4d88 memset+0x0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: call ffff8000803a3b1c perf_report_aux_output_id+0x104 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000803a38f8 __perf_event_header__init_id+0x0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: call ffff8000803a39c0 __perf_event_header__init_id+0xc8 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff800080105258 __task_pid_nr_ns+0x0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: call ffff80008010528c __task_pid_nr_ns+0x34 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000801d5610 __rcu_read_lock+0x0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: call ffff8000801052b0 __task_pid_nr_ns+0x58 ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff800080192078 lock_acquire+0x0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6114 [005] 331519.825214: 1 branches: call ffff8000801923f4 lock_acquire+0x37c ([kernel.kallsyms]) => ffff8000801d6da0 rcu_is_watching+0x0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
Fixes: b12235b113cf ("perf tools: Add mechanic to synthesise CoreSight trace packets")
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@linaro.org>
Reviewed-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
---
tools/perf/scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py | 9 +++++----
.../tests/shell/coresight/test_arm_coresight_disasm.sh | 4 ++--
tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c | 15 +++++++++++++++
3 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
diff --git a/tools/perf/scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py b/tools/perf/scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py
index 8f6fa4a007b42fcc98e71b74b36ba3a61d7acb2f..42579f8586842704d3800ad731d4609d2bb968da 100755
--- a/tools/perf/scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py
+++ b/tools/perf/scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py
@@ -31,18 +31,19 @@ from perf_trace_context import perf_sample_srccode, perf_config_get
#
# Output disassembly with objdump and auto detect vmlinux
# (when running on same machine.):
-# perf script -s scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py -d
+# perf script --itrace=b -s scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py \
+# -- -d
#
# Output disassembly with llvm-objdump:
-# perf script -s scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py \
+# perf script --itrace=b -s scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py \
# -- -d llvm-objdump-11 -k path/to/vmlinux
#
# Output accurate disassembly by passing kcore to script:
-# perf script -s scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py \
+# perf script --itrace=b -s scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py \
# -- -d -k perf.data/kcore_dir/kcore
#
# Output only source line and symbols:
-# perf script -s scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py
+# perf script --itrace=b -s scripts/python/arm-cs-trace-disasm.py
def default_objdump():
config = perf_config_get("annotate.objdump")
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/shell/coresight/test_arm_coresight_disasm.sh b/tools/perf/tests/shell/coresight/test_arm_coresight_disasm.sh
index ccb90dda24758522be12cba27140abc9b60d8261..f3ebad5963783e9ae74be5b046d20c3f2e01a5a1 100755
--- a/tools/perf/tests/shell/coresight/test_arm_coresight_disasm.sh
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/shell/coresight/test_arm_coresight_disasm.sh
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ branch_search='[[:space:]](bl|b(\.(eq|ne|cs|cc|mi|pl|vs|vc|hi|ls|ge|lt|gt|le|al)
if [ "$(id -u)" == 0 ] && [ -e /proc/kcore ]; then
echo "Testing kernel disassembly"
perf record -o ${perfdata} -e cs_etm//k --kcore -Se -m,64K -- touch $file > /dev/null 2>&1
- perf script -i ${perfdata} -s python:${script_path} -- \
+ perf script -i ${perfdata} --itrace=b -s python:${script_path} -- \
-d --stop-sample=2 -k ${perfdata}/kcore_dir/kcore 2> /dev/null > ${file}
grep -q -E ${branch_search} ${file}
echo "Found kernel branches"
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ fi
## Test user ##
echo "Testing userspace disassembly"
perf record -o ${perfdata} -e cs_etm//u -Se -m,64K -- touch $file > /dev/null 2>&1
-perf script -i ${perfdata} -s python:${script_path} -- \
+perf script -i ${perfdata} --itrace=b -s python:${script_path} -- \
-d --stop-sample=2 2> /dev/null > ${file}
grep -q -E ${branch_search} ${file}
echo "Found userspace branches"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
index d484a6155c2c22fa916d0365987302f6bb9978e9..42de2d82fd728bcc719adcab80670efa9859762f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ struct cs_etm_auxtrace {
int num_cpu;
u64 latest_kernel_timestamp;
u32 auxtrace_type;
+ u32 branches_filter;
u64 branches_sample_type;
u64 branches_id;
u64 instructions_sample_type;
@@ -1686,6 +1687,10 @@ static int cs_etm__synth_branch_sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
} dummy_bs;
u64 ip;
+ if (etm->branches_filter &&
+ !(etm->branches_filter & tidq->prev_packet->flags))
+ return 0;
+
ip = cs_etm__last_executed_instr(tidq->prev_packet);
event->sample.header.type = PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE;
@@ -3528,6 +3533,16 @@ int cs_etm__process_auxtrace_info_full(union perf_event *event,
etm->synth_opts.callchain = false;
}
+ if (etm->synth_opts.calls)
+ etm->branches_filter |= PERF_IP_FLAG_CALL |
+ PERF_IP_FLAG_TRACE_BEGIN |
+ PERF_IP_FLAG_TRACE_END;
+
+ if (etm->synth_opts.returns)
+ etm->branches_filter |= PERF_IP_FLAG_RETURN |
+ PERF_IP_FLAG_TRACE_BEGIN |
+ PERF_IP_FLAG_TRACE_END;
+
etm->session = session;
etm->num_cpu = num_cpu;
--
2.34.1
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread* [PATCH v9 3/9] perf cs-etm: Decode ETE exception packets
2026-06-16 14:51 [PATCH v9 0/9] perf cs-etm: Support thread stack and callchain Leo Yan
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 1/9] perf cs-etm: Fix thread leaks on trace queue init failure Leo Yan
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 2/9] perf cs-etm: Filter synthesized branch samples Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 14:51 ` Leo Yan
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 4/9] perf cs-etm: Refactor instruction size handling Leo Yan
` (5 subsequent siblings)
8 siblings, 0 replies; 16+ messages in thread
From: Leo Yan @ 2026-06-16 14:51 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo, John Garry, Will Deacon, James Clark,
Mike Leach, Suzuki K Poulose, Namhyung Kim, Mark Rutland,
Alexander Shishkin, Jiri Olsa, Ian Rogers, Adrian Hunter,
Al Grant, Paschalis Mpeis, Amir Ayupov
Cc: linux-arm-kernel, coresight, linux-perf-users, Leo Yan
ETE shares the same packet format as ETMv4, but exception decoding
handled ETMv4 packets only. As a result, ETE exception packets were
not classified.
Recognize the ETE magic for exception number decoding.
Reviewed-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
---
tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c | 6 +++---
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
index 42de2d82fd728bcc719adcab80670efa9859762f..e2c3d2efb5982136abf9295159acab04271897a0 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
@@ -2181,7 +2181,7 @@ static bool cs_etm__is_syscall(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
* HVC cases; need to check if it's SVC instruction based on
* packet address.
*/
- if (magic == __perf_cs_etmv4_magic) {
+ if (magic == __perf_cs_etmv4_magic || magic == __perf_cs_ete_magic) {
if (packet->exception_number == CS_ETMV4_EXC_CALL &&
cs_etm__is_svc_instr(etmq, tidq, prev_packet,
prev_packet->end_addr))
@@ -2204,7 +2204,7 @@ static bool cs_etm__is_async_exception(struct cs_etm_traceid_queue *tidq,
packet->exception_number == CS_ETMV3_EXC_FIQ)
return true;
- if (magic == __perf_cs_etmv4_magic)
+ if (magic == __perf_cs_etmv4_magic || magic == __perf_cs_ete_magic)
if (packet->exception_number == CS_ETMV4_EXC_RESET ||
packet->exception_number == CS_ETMV4_EXC_DEBUG_HALT ||
packet->exception_number == CS_ETMV4_EXC_SYSTEM_ERROR ||
@@ -2234,7 +2234,7 @@ static bool cs_etm__is_sync_exception(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
packet->exception_number == CS_ETMV3_EXC_GENERIC)
return true;
- if (magic == __perf_cs_etmv4_magic) {
+ if (magic == __perf_cs_etmv4_magic || magic == __perf_cs_ete_magic) {
if (packet->exception_number == CS_ETMV4_EXC_TRAP ||
packet->exception_number == CS_ETMV4_EXC_ALIGNMENT ||
packet->exception_number == CS_ETMV4_EXC_INST_FAULT ||
--
2.34.1
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread* [PATCH v9 4/9] perf cs-etm: Refactor instruction size handling
2026-06-16 14:51 [PATCH v9 0/9] perf cs-etm: Support thread stack and callchain Leo Yan
` (2 preceding siblings ...)
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 3/9] perf cs-etm: Decode ETE exception packets Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 14:51 ` Leo Yan
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 5/9] perf cs-etm: Use thread-stack for last branch entries Leo Yan
` (4 subsequent siblings)
8 siblings, 0 replies; 16+ messages in thread
From: Leo Yan @ 2026-06-16 14:51 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo, John Garry, Will Deacon, James Clark,
Mike Leach, Suzuki K Poulose, Namhyung Kim, Mark Rutland,
Alexander Shishkin, Jiri Olsa, Ian Rogers, Adrian Hunter,
Al Grant, Paschalis Mpeis, Amir Ayupov
Cc: linux-arm-kernel, coresight, linux-perf-users, Leo Yan, Leo Yan
From: Leo Yan <leo.yan@linaro.org>
This patch introduces a new function cs_etm__instr_size() to calculate
the instruction size based on ISA type and instruction address.
Given the trace data can be MB and most likely that will be A64/A32 on
a lot of platforms, cs_etm__instr_addr() keeps a single ISA type check
for A64/A32 and executes an optimized calculation (addr + offset * 4).
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@linaro.org>
Reviewed-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
---
tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c | 43 ++++++++++++++++++++++---------------------
1 file changed, 22 insertions(+), 21 deletions(-)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
index e2c3d2efb5982136abf9295159acab04271897a0..6827ef8871a8fc092500b93a8284d5d162558357 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
@@ -1371,6 +1371,18 @@ static inline int cs_etm__t32_instr_size(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
return ((instrBytes[1] & 0xF8) >= 0xE8) ? 4 : 2;
}
+static inline int cs_etm__instr_size(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
+ struct cs_etm_traceid_queue *tidq,
+ struct cs_etm_packet *packet,
+ u64 addr)
+{
+ if (packet->isa == CS_ETM_ISA_T32)
+ return cs_etm__t32_instr_size(etmq, tidq, packet, addr);
+
+ /* Otherwise, 4-byte instruction size for A32/A64 */
+ return 4;
+}
+
static inline u64 cs_etm__first_executed_instr(struct cs_etm_packet *packet)
{
/*
@@ -1399,19 +1411,17 @@ static inline u64 cs_etm__instr_addr(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
struct cs_etm_packet *packet,
u64 offset)
{
- if (packet->isa == CS_ETM_ISA_T32) {
- u64 addr = packet->start_addr;
+ u64 addr = packet->start_addr;
- while (offset) {
- addr += cs_etm__t32_instr_size(etmq, tidq, packet,
- addr);
- offset--;
- }
- return addr;
- }
+ /* 4-byte instruction size for A32/A64 */
+ if (packet->isa == CS_ETM_ISA_A64 || packet->isa == CS_ETM_ISA_A32)
+ return addr + offset * 4;
- /* Assume a 4 byte instruction size (A32/A64) */
- return packet->start_addr + offset * 4;
+ while (offset) {
+ addr += cs_etm__instr_size(etmq, tidq, packet, addr);
+ offset--;
+ }
+ return addr;
}
static void cs_etm__update_last_branch_rb(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
@@ -1581,16 +1591,7 @@ static void cs_etm__copy_insn(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
return;
}
- /*
- * T32 instruction size might be 32-bit or 16-bit, decide by calling
- * cs_etm__t32_instr_size().
- */
- if (packet->isa == CS_ETM_ISA_T32)
- sample->insn_len = cs_etm__t32_instr_size(etmq, tidq, packet,
- sample->ip);
- /* Otherwise, A64 and A32 instruction size are always 32-bit. */
- else
- sample->insn_len = 4;
+ sample->insn_len = cs_etm__instr_size(etmq, tidq, packet, sample->ip);
cs_etm__frontend_mem_access(etmq, tidq, packet, sample->ip,
sample->insn_len, (void *)sample->insn);
--
2.34.1
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread* [PATCH v9 5/9] perf cs-etm: Use thread-stack for last branch entries
2026-06-16 14:51 [PATCH v9 0/9] perf cs-etm: Support thread stack and callchain Leo Yan
` (3 preceding siblings ...)
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 4/9] perf cs-etm: Refactor instruction size handling Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 14:51 ` Leo Yan
2026-06-16 15:13 ` sashiko-bot
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 6/9] perf cs-etm: Flush thread stacks after decoder reset Leo Yan
` (3 subsequent siblings)
8 siblings, 1 reply; 16+ messages in thread
From: Leo Yan @ 2026-06-16 14:51 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo, John Garry, Will Deacon, James Clark,
Mike Leach, Suzuki K Poulose, Namhyung Kim, Mark Rutland,
Alexander Shishkin, Jiri Olsa, Ian Rogers, Adrian Hunter,
Al Grant, Paschalis Mpeis, Amir Ayupov
Cc: linux-arm-kernel, coresight, linux-perf-users, Leo Yan
CS ETM maintains its own circular array for last branch entries, with
local helpers to update, copy and reset the branch stack. This
duplicates logic already provided by the common code.
Record taken branches with thread_stack__event() and synthesize
PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_STACK data with thread_stack__br_sample(). This
removes the private last_branch_rb buffer and its position tracking.
This also makes the branch history state belong to the thread rather
than the trace queue. That is a better fit for CoreSight traces where
a trace queue can effectively be CPU scoped, while call/return history
is per thread.
Keep the buffer number updated via thread_stack__set_trace_nr(), which
is used when exporting samples to Python scripts. Pass callstack=false
for now; synthesized callchains are added by a later patch.
The output should remain same, except that be->flags.predicted is no
longer set. Since CoreSight trace does not provide branch prediction
information, clearing the flag avoids confusion.
Reviewed-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
---
tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c | 163 +++++++++++++++--------------------------------
1 file changed, 50 insertions(+), 113 deletions(-)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
index 6827ef8871a8fc092500b93a8284d5d162558357..51b05a0bc1898128ad66d82bef6e09b5c853463c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
@@ -85,10 +85,9 @@ struct cs_etm_auxtrace {
struct cs_etm_traceid_queue {
u8 trace_chan_id;
u64 period_instructions;
- size_t last_branch_pos;
union perf_event *event_buf;
+ unsigned int br_stack_sz;
struct branch_stack *last_branch;
- struct branch_stack *last_branch_rb;
struct cs_etm_packet *prev_packet;
struct cs_etm_packet *packet;
struct cs_etm_packet_queue packet_queue;
@@ -647,9 +646,8 @@ static int cs_etm__init_traceid_queue(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
tidq->last_branch = zalloc(sz);
if (!tidq->last_branch)
goto out_free;
- tidq->last_branch_rb = zalloc(sz);
- if (!tidq->last_branch_rb)
- goto out_free;
+
+ tidq->br_stack_sz = etm->synth_opts.last_branch_sz;
}
tidq->event_buf = malloc(PERF_SAMPLE_MAX_SIZE);
@@ -659,7 +657,6 @@ static int cs_etm__init_traceid_queue(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
return 0;
out_free:
- zfree(&tidq->last_branch_rb);
zfree(&tidq->last_branch);
zfree(&tidq->prev_packet);
zfree(&tidq->packet);
@@ -944,7 +941,6 @@ static void cs_etm__free_traceid_queues(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq)
thread__zput(tidq->decode_thread);
zfree(&tidq->event_buf);
zfree(&tidq->last_branch);
- zfree(&tidq->last_branch_rb);
zfree(&tidq->prev_packet);
zfree(&tidq->packet);
zfree(&tidq);
@@ -1304,57 +1300,6 @@ static int cs_etm__queue_first_cs_timestamp(struct cs_etm_auxtrace *etm,
return ret;
}
-static inline
-void cs_etm__copy_last_branch_rb(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
- struct cs_etm_traceid_queue *tidq)
-{
- struct branch_stack *bs_src = tidq->last_branch_rb;
- struct branch_stack *bs_dst = tidq->last_branch;
- size_t nr = 0;
-
- /*
- * Set the number of records before early exit: ->nr is used to
- * determine how many branches to copy from ->entries.
- */
- bs_dst->nr = bs_src->nr;
-
- /*
- * Early exit when there is nothing to copy.
- */
- if (!bs_src->nr)
- return;
-
- /*
- * As bs_src->entries is a circular buffer, we need to copy from it in
- * two steps. First, copy the branches from the most recently inserted
- * branch ->last_branch_pos until the end of bs_src->entries buffer.
- */
- nr = etmq->etm->synth_opts.last_branch_sz - tidq->last_branch_pos;
- memcpy(&bs_dst->entries[0],
- &bs_src->entries[tidq->last_branch_pos],
- sizeof(struct branch_entry) * nr);
-
- /*
- * If we wrapped around at least once, the branches from the beginning
- * of the bs_src->entries buffer and until the ->last_branch_pos element
- * are older valid branches: copy them over. The total number of
- * branches copied over will be equal to the number of branches asked by
- * the user in last_branch_sz.
- */
- if (bs_src->nr >= etmq->etm->synth_opts.last_branch_sz) {
- memcpy(&bs_dst->entries[nr],
- &bs_src->entries[0],
- sizeof(struct branch_entry) * tidq->last_branch_pos);
- }
-}
-
-static inline
-void cs_etm__reset_last_branch_rb(struct cs_etm_traceid_queue *tidq)
-{
- tidq->last_branch_pos = 0;
- tidq->last_branch_rb->nr = 0;
-}
-
static inline int cs_etm__t32_instr_size(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
struct cs_etm_traceid_queue *tidq,
struct cs_etm_packet *packet, u64 addr)
@@ -1424,38 +1369,6 @@ static inline u64 cs_etm__instr_addr(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
return addr;
}
-static void cs_etm__update_last_branch_rb(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
- struct cs_etm_traceid_queue *tidq)
-{
- struct branch_stack *bs = tidq->last_branch_rb;
- struct branch_entry *be;
-
- /*
- * The branches are recorded in a circular buffer in reverse
- * chronological order: we start recording from the last element of the
- * buffer down. After writing the first element of the stack, move the
- * insert position back to the end of the buffer.
- */
- if (!tidq->last_branch_pos)
- tidq->last_branch_pos = etmq->etm->synth_opts.last_branch_sz;
-
- tidq->last_branch_pos -= 1;
-
- be = &bs->entries[tidq->last_branch_pos];
- be->from = cs_etm__last_executed_instr(tidq->prev_packet);
- be->to = cs_etm__first_executed_instr(tidq->packet);
- /* No support for mispredict */
- be->flags.mispred = 0;
- be->flags.predicted = 1;
-
- /*
- * Increment bs->nr until reaching the number of last branches asked by
- * the user on the command line.
- */
- if (bs->nr < etmq->etm->synth_opts.last_branch_sz)
- bs->nr += 1;
-}
-
static int cs_etm__inject_event(struct cs_etm_auxtrace *etm, union perf_event *event,
struct perf_sample *sample, u64 type)
{
@@ -1619,6 +1532,46 @@ static inline u64 cs_etm__resolve_sample_time(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
return etm->latest_kernel_timestamp;
}
+static bool cs_etm__packet_has_taken_branch(struct cs_etm_packet *packet)
+{
+ if (packet->sample_type == CS_ETM_RANGE &&
+ packet->last_instr_taken_branch)
+ return true;
+
+ return false;
+}
+
+static void cs_etm__add_stack_event(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
+ struct cs_etm_traceid_queue *tidq)
+{
+ struct cs_etm_auxtrace *etm = etmq->etm;
+ u64 from, to;
+ int size;
+
+ if (!etm->synth_opts.branches && !etm->synth_opts.instructions)
+ return;
+
+ if (!cs_etm__packet_has_taken_branch(tidq->prev_packet))
+ return;
+
+ if (etmq->etm->synth_opts.last_branch) {
+ from = cs_etm__last_executed_instr(tidq->prev_packet);
+ to = cs_etm__first_executed_instr(tidq->packet);
+
+ size = cs_etm__instr_size(etmq, tidq, tidq->prev_packet, from);
+
+ /* Enable callchain so thread stack entry can be allocated */
+ thread_stack__event(tidq->frontend_thread, tidq->prev_packet->cpu,
+ tidq->prev_packet->flags, from, to, size,
+ etmq->buffer->buffer_nr + 1, false,
+ tidq->br_stack_sz, 0);
+ } else {
+ thread_stack__set_trace_nr(tidq->frontend_thread,
+ tidq->prev_packet->cpu,
+ etmq->buffer->buffer_nr + 1);
+ }
+}
+
static int cs_etm__synth_instruction_sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
struct cs_etm_traceid_queue *tidq,
struct cs_etm_packet *packet,
@@ -1649,8 +1602,11 @@ static int cs_etm__synth_instruction_sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
cs_etm__copy_insn(etmq, tidq, packet, &sample);
- if (etm->synth_opts.last_branch)
+ if (etm->synth_opts.last_branch) {
+ thread_stack__br_sample(tidq->frontend_thread, tidq->packet->cpu,
+ tidq->last_branch, tidq->br_stack_sz);
sample.branch_stack = tidq->last_branch;
+ }
if (etm->synth_opts.inject) {
ret = cs_etm__inject_event(etm, event, &sample,
@@ -1841,14 +1797,7 @@ static int cs_etm__sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
tidq->period_instructions += tidq->packet->instr_count;
- /*
- * Record a branch when the last instruction in
- * PREV_PACKET is a branch.
- */
- if (etm->synth_opts.last_branch &&
- tidq->prev_packet->sample_type == CS_ETM_RANGE &&
- tidq->prev_packet->last_instr_taken_branch)
- cs_etm__update_last_branch_rb(etmq, tidq);
+ cs_etm__add_stack_event(etmq, tidq);
if (etm->synth_opts.instructions &&
tidq->period_instructions >= etm->instructions_sample_period) {
@@ -1907,10 +1856,6 @@ static int cs_etm__sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
u64 offset = etm->instructions_sample_period - instrs_prev;
u64 addr;
- /* Prepare last branches for instruction sample */
- if (etm->synth_opts.last_branch)
- cs_etm__copy_last_branch_rb(etmq, tidq);
-
while (tidq->period_instructions >=
etm->instructions_sample_period) {
/*
@@ -1941,8 +1886,7 @@ static int cs_etm__sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
generate_sample = true;
/* Generate sample for branch taken packet */
- if (tidq->prev_packet->sample_type == CS_ETM_RANGE &&
- tidq->prev_packet->last_instr_taken_branch)
+ if (cs_etm__packet_has_taken_branch(tidq->prev_packet))
generate_sample = true;
if (generate_sample) {
@@ -1990,10 +1934,6 @@ static int cs_etm__flush(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
etmq->etm->synth_opts.instructions &&
tidq->prev_packet->sample_type == CS_ETM_RANGE) {
u64 addr;
-
- /* Prepare last branches for instruction sample */
- cs_etm__copy_last_branch_rb(etmq, tidq);
-
/*
* Generate a last branch event for the branches left in the
* circular buffer at the end of the trace.
@@ -2025,7 +1965,7 @@ static int cs_etm__flush(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
/* Reset last branches after flush the trace */
if (etm->synth_opts.last_branch)
- cs_etm__reset_last_branch_rb(tidq);
+ thread_stack__flush(tidq->frontend_thread);
return err;
}
@@ -2049,9 +1989,6 @@ static int cs_etm__end_block(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
tidq->prev_packet->sample_type == CS_ETM_RANGE) {
u64 addr;
- /* Prepare last branches for instruction sample */
- cs_etm__copy_last_branch_rb(etmq, tidq);
-
/*
* Use the address of the end of the last reported execution
* range.
--
2.34.1
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread* Re: [PATCH v9 5/9] perf cs-etm: Use thread-stack for last branch entries
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 5/9] perf cs-etm: Use thread-stack for last branch entries Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 15:13 ` sashiko-bot
2026-06-16 15:42 ` Leo Yan
0 siblings, 1 reply; 16+ messages in thread
From: sashiko-bot @ 2026-06-16 15:13 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Leo Yan; +Cc: linux-perf-users
Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 1 potential issue(s) to consider:
- [High] Cross-CPU state corruption when flushing shared thread stacks on local trace discontinuity
--
commit abf6f97a0108ff607c740e49b61365089d433985
Author: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
perf cs-etm: Use thread-stack for last branch entries
CS ETM maintains its own circular array for last branch entries, with
local helpers to update, copy and reset the branch stack. This
duplicates logic already provided by the common code.
> diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
> index 6827ef8871a8f..51b05a0bc1898 100644
> --- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
> +++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
[ ... ]
> @@ -2025,7 +1965,7 @@ static int cs_etm__flush(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
>
> /* Reset last branches after flush the trace */
> if (etm->synth_opts.last_branch)
> - cs_etm__reset_last_branch_rb(tidq);
> + thread_stack__flush(tidq->frontend_thread);
[Severity: High]
Can this cause cross-CPU state corruption when flushing shared thread stacks?
When cs_etm__flush() is called due to a local trace discontinuity or the end of
a block on a specific trace queue (CPU), it calls thread_stack__flush() on
the frontend_thread.
If the traced thread is shared across multiple CPUs (such as the global idle
thread pid == 0), thread_stack__flush() will iterate over ts->arr_sz and
reset the branch stacks for all CPUs associated with that thread:
tools/perf/util/thread-stack.c:thread_stack__flush() {
...
for (pos = 0; pos < ts->arr_sz; pos++) {
int ret = __thread_stack__flush(thread, ts + pos);
...
}
This replaces the previously safe localized reset for the trace queue with a
global flush. Could a localized discontinuity on CPU A silently wipe out the
active branch stack and callchain history of the shared thread executing
concurrently on CPU B?
>
> return err;
> }
--
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260616-b4-arm_cs_callchain_support_v1-v9-0-f8fad931c413@arm.com?part=5
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread* Re: [PATCH v9 5/9] perf cs-etm: Use thread-stack for last branch entries
2026-06-16 15:13 ` sashiko-bot
@ 2026-06-16 15:42 ` Leo Yan
0 siblings, 0 replies; 16+ messages in thread
From: Leo Yan @ 2026-06-16 15:42 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: sashiko-reviews; +Cc: linux-perf-users
On Tue, Jun 16, 2026 at 03:13:13PM +0000, sashiko-bot@kernel.org wrote:
[...]
> > @@ -2025,7 +1965,7 @@ static int cs_etm__flush(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
> >
> > /* Reset last branches after flush the trace */
> > if (etm->synth_opts.last_branch)
> > - cs_etm__reset_last_branch_rb(tidq);
> > + thread_stack__flush(tidq->frontend_thread);
>
> [Severity: High]
> Can this cause cross-CPU state corruption when flushing shared thread stacks?
>
> When cs_etm__flush() is called due to a local trace discontinuity or the end of
> a block on a specific trace queue (CPU), it calls thread_stack__flush() on
> the frontend_thread.
>
> If the traced thread is shared across multiple CPUs (such as the global idle
> thread pid == 0), thread_stack__flush() will iterate over ts->arr_sz and
> reset the branch stacks for all CPUs associated with that thread:
>
> tools/perf/util/thread-stack.c:thread_stack__flush() {
> ...
> for (pos = 0; pos < ts->arr_sz; pos++) {
> int ret = __thread_stack__flush(thread, ts + pos);
> ...
> }
>
> This replaces the previously safe localized reset for the trace queue with a
> global flush. Could a localized discontinuity on CPU A silently wipe out the
> active branch stack and callchain history of the shared thread executing
> concurrently on CPU B?
So far, this only affects idle threads across CPUs. In most cases, idle
threads are not the profiling target, and it requires to refactor the
common code that manages idle threads on a per-CPU basis.
I would defer this until there is a clear requirement.
That said, I hope we rather spend time to improve cs-etm discontinuity
issue (from both driver and tooling).
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread
* [PATCH v9 6/9] perf cs-etm: Flush thread stacks after decoder reset
2026-06-16 14:51 [PATCH v9 0/9] perf cs-etm: Support thread stack and callchain Leo Yan
` (4 preceding siblings ...)
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 5/9] perf cs-etm: Use thread-stack for last branch entries Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 14:51 ` Leo Yan
2026-06-16 15:10 ` sashiko-bot
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 7/9] perf cs-etm: Support call indentation Leo Yan
` (2 subsequent siblings)
8 siblings, 1 reply; 16+ messages in thread
From: Leo Yan @ 2026-06-16 14:51 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo, John Garry, Will Deacon, James Clark,
Mike Leach, Suzuki K Poulose, Namhyung Kim, Mark Rutland,
Alexander Shishkin, Jiri Olsa, Ian Rogers, Adrian Hunter,
Al Grant, Paschalis Mpeis, Amir Ayupov
Cc: linux-arm-kernel, coresight, linux-perf-users, Leo Yan
Perf resets the CoreSight decoder when moving to a new AUX trace buffer,
this causes trace discontinunity globally.
For callchain synthesis, keeping thread-stack state after decoder reset
can leave stale call/return history attached to threads that are decoded
later, producing incorrect synthesized callchains.
Flush all host thread stacks after a decoder reset. When virtualization
is present, flush the guest thread stacks as well.
Reviewed-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
---
tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c | 45 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 45 insertions(+)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
index 51b05a0bc1898128ad66d82bef6e09b5c853463c..d41aad583a26fe9f2f74c52630bd01c2a5bbe0e4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
@@ -2006,6 +2006,45 @@ static int cs_etm__end_block(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
return 0;
}
+
+static int cs_etm__flush_stack_cb(struct thread *thread,
+ void *data __maybe_unused)
+{
+ thread_stack__flush(thread);
+ return 0;
+}
+
+static void cs_etm__flush_machine_stack(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq, pid_t pid)
+{
+ struct machine *machine;
+
+ machine = machines__find(&etmq->etm->session->machines, pid);
+ if (machine)
+ machine__for_each_thread(machine, cs_etm__flush_stack_cb, NULL);
+}
+
+static void cs_etm__flush_all_stack(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq)
+{
+ enum cs_etm_pid_fmt pid_fmt = cs_etm__get_pid_fmt(etmq);
+
+ if (!etmq->etm->synth_opts.last_branch)
+ return;
+
+ switch (pid_fmt) {
+ case CS_ETM_PIDFMT_CTXTID2:
+ /* Clear the guest stack if virtualization is supported */
+ cs_etm__flush_machine_stack(etmq, DEFAULT_GUEST_KERNEL_ID);
+ fallthrough;
+ case CS_ETM_PIDFMT_CTXTID:
+ cs_etm__flush_machine_stack(etmq, HOST_KERNEL_ID);
+ break;
+ case CS_ETM_PIDFMT_NONE:
+ default:
+ break;
+
+ }
+}
+
/*
* cs_etm__get_data_block: Fetch a block from the auxtrace_buffer queue
* if need be.
@@ -2028,6 +2067,12 @@ static int cs_etm__get_data_block(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq)
ret = cs_etm_decoder__reset(etmq->decoder);
if (ret)
return ret;
+
+ /*
+ * Since the decoder is reset, this causes a global trace
+ * discontinuity. Flush all thread stacks.
+ */
+ cs_etm__flush_all_stack(etmq);
}
return etmq->buf_len;
--
2.34.1
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread* Re: [PATCH v9 6/9] perf cs-etm: Flush thread stacks after decoder reset
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 6/9] perf cs-etm: Flush thread stacks after decoder reset Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 15:10 ` sashiko-bot
0 siblings, 0 replies; 16+ messages in thread
From: sashiko-bot @ 2026-06-16 15:10 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Leo Yan; +Cc: linux-perf-users
Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 1 potential issue(s) to consider:
- [Medium] `cs_etm__flush_all_stack` fails to flush thread stacks when the trace format is `CS_ETM_PIDFMT_NONE`, leaving stale branch history for traces without context IDs.
--
commit c2d1898309c0432c8c4f6c738f95194793449ff7
Author: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
perf cs-etm: Flush thread stacks after decoder reset
Perf resets the CoreSight decoder when moving to a new AUX trace buffer,
causing global trace discontinuity. This commit flushes host and guest thread
stacks after a decoder reset to prevent stale call/return history from
producing incorrect synthesized callchains.
> diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
> index 51b05a0bc1898..d41aad583a26f 100644
> --- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
> +++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
[ ... ]
> +static void cs_etm__flush_all_stack(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq)
> +{
> + enum cs_etm_pid_fmt pid_fmt = cs_etm__get_pid_fmt(etmq);
> +
> + if (!etmq->etm->synth_opts.last_branch)
> + return;
> +
> + switch (pid_fmt) {
> + case CS_ETM_PIDFMT_CTXTID2:
> + /* Clear the guest stack if virtualization is supported */
> + cs_etm__flush_machine_stack(etmq, DEFAULT_GUEST_KERNEL_ID);
> + fallthrough;
> + case CS_ETM_PIDFMT_CTXTID:
> + cs_etm__flush_machine_stack(etmq, HOST_KERNEL_ID);
> + break;
> + case CS_ETM_PIDFMT_NONE:
> + default:
> + break;
[Severity: Medium]
For traces without context IDs (CS_ETM_PIDFMT_NONE), will this skip flushing
the thread stacks entirely?
Even in per-thread recording without context IDs, traces are still attributed
to threads stored in the host machine (HOST_KERNEL_ID) which actively
accumulate branch stack histories.
Could this leave stale call histories intact across resets for these traces,
producing incorrect synthesized callchains? Should HOST_KERNEL_ID also be
flushed when the format is CS_ETM_PIDFMT_NONE?
> +
> + }
> +}
--
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260616-b4-arm_cs_callchain_support_v1-v9-0-f8fad931c413@arm.com?part=6
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread
* [PATCH v9 7/9] perf cs-etm: Support call indentation
2026-06-16 14:51 [PATCH v9 0/9] perf cs-etm: Support thread stack and callchain Leo Yan
` (5 preceding siblings ...)
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 6/9] perf cs-etm: Flush thread stacks after decoder reset Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 14:51 ` Leo Yan
2026-06-16 15:08 ` sashiko-bot
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 8/9] perf cs-etm: Synthesize callchains for instruction samples Leo Yan
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 9/9] perf test: Add Arm CoreSight callchain test Leo Yan
8 siblings, 1 reply; 16+ messages in thread
From: Leo Yan @ 2026-06-16 14:51 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo, John Garry, Will Deacon, James Clark,
Mike Leach, Suzuki K Poulose, Namhyung Kim, Mark Rutland,
Alexander Shishkin, Jiri Olsa, Ian Rogers, Adrian Hunter,
Al Grant, Paschalis Mpeis, Amir Ayupov
Cc: linux-arm-kernel, coresight, linux-perf-users, Leo Yan, Leo Yan
From: Leo Yan <leo.yan@linaro.org>
The perf script callindent is derived from call stack in thread context,
CS ETM ignores the requirement for callindent without pushing and poping
call stack.
Enable thread-stack when either itrace thread-stack support or last branch
entries are requested, allocate the branch stack storage accordingly, and
feed taken branches to thread_stack__event() whenever thread-stack state
is needed.
When callindent is requested, pass callstack=true to thread_stack__event()
so the common thread-stack code maintains call depth for branch samples.
Before:
perf script -F +callindent
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: main ffff93252258 __libc_start_call_main+0x78 (/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6)
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: foo aaaad6b607c4 main+0x8 (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: print aaaad6b607ac foo+0x8 (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: do_svc aaaad6b60794 print+0x8 (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: vectors aaaad6b60780 do_svc+0x18 (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: el0t_64_sync_handler ffff80008001159c el0t_64_sync+0x194 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: el0_svc ffff800081829194 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x9c ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: lockdep_hardirqs_off ffff800081828794 el0_svc+0x24 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: __this_cpu_preempt_check ffff80008182b348 lockdep_hardirqs_off+0xf0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
After:
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: main ffff93252258 __libc_start_call_main+0x78 (/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6)
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: foo aaaad6b607c4 main+0x8 (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: print aaaad6b607ac foo+0x8 (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: do_svc aaaad6b60794 print+0x8 (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: vectors aaaad6b60780 do_svc+0x18 (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: el0t_64_sync_handler ffff80008001159c el0t_64_sync+0x194 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: el0_svc ffff800081829194 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x9c ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: lockdep_hardirqs_off ffff800081828794 el0_svc+0x24 ([kernel.kallsyms])
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 branches: __this_cpu_preempt_check ffff80008182b348 lockdep_hardirqs_off+0xf0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@linaro.org>
Reviewed-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
---
tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c | 20 +++++++++++++++-----
1 file changed, 15 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
index d41aad583a26fe9f2f74c52630bd01c2a5bbe0e4..e18d2dec79431f7e4b26742d98cf074483c4a246 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
@@ -67,6 +67,8 @@ struct cs_etm_auxtrace {
bool snapshot_mode;
bool data_queued;
bool has_virtual_ts; /* Virtual/Kernel timestamps in the trace. */
+ bool use_thread_stack;
+ bool use_callchain;
int num_cpu;
u64 latest_kernel_timestamp;
@@ -638,7 +640,7 @@ static int cs_etm__init_traceid_queue(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
if (!tidq->prev_packet)
goto out_free;
- if (etm->synth_opts.last_branch) {
+ if (etm->use_thread_stack) {
size_t sz = sizeof(struct branch_stack);
sz += etm->synth_opts.last_branch_sz *
@@ -1554,7 +1556,7 @@ static void cs_etm__add_stack_event(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
if (!cs_etm__packet_has_taken_branch(tidq->prev_packet))
return;
- if (etmq->etm->synth_opts.last_branch) {
+ if (etmq->etm->use_thread_stack) {
from = cs_etm__last_executed_instr(tidq->prev_packet);
to = cs_etm__first_executed_instr(tidq->packet);
@@ -1563,7 +1565,8 @@ static void cs_etm__add_stack_event(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
/* Enable callchain so thread stack entry can be allocated */
thread_stack__event(tidq->frontend_thread, tidq->prev_packet->cpu,
tidq->prev_packet->flags, from, to, size,
- etmq->buffer->buffer_nr + 1, false,
+ etmq->buffer->buffer_nr + 1,
+ etmq->etm->use_callchain,
tidq->br_stack_sz, 0);
} else {
thread_stack__set_trace_nr(tidq->frontend_thread,
@@ -1964,7 +1967,7 @@ static int cs_etm__flush(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
cs_etm__packet_swap(etm, tidq);
/* Reset last branches after flush the trace */
- if (etm->synth_opts.last_branch)
+ if (etm->use_thread_stack)
thread_stack__flush(tidq->frontend_thread);
return err;
@@ -2027,7 +2030,7 @@ static void cs_etm__flush_all_stack(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq)
{
enum cs_etm_pid_fmt pid_fmt = cs_etm__get_pid_fmt(etmq);
- if (!etmq->etm->synth_opts.last_branch)
+ if (!etmq->etm->use_thread_stack)
return;
switch (pid_fmt) {
@@ -3514,6 +3517,7 @@ int cs_etm__process_auxtrace_info_full(union perf_event *event,
itrace_synth_opts__set_default(&etm->synth_opts,
session->itrace_synth_opts->default_no_sample);
etm->synth_opts.callchain = false;
+ etm->synth_opts.thread_stack = session->itrace_synth_opts->thread_stack;
}
if (etm->synth_opts.calls)
@@ -3575,6 +3579,12 @@ int cs_etm__process_auxtrace_info_full(union perf_event *event,
etm->tc.cap_user_time_zero = tc->cap_user_time_zero;
etm->tc.cap_user_time_short = tc->cap_user_time_short;
}
+
+ etm->use_thread_stack = etm->synth_opts.thread_stack ||
+ etm->synth_opts.last_branch;
+
+ etm->use_callchain = etm->synth_opts.thread_stack;
+
err = cs_etm__synth_events(etm, session);
if (err)
goto err_free_queues;
--
2.34.1
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread* Re: [PATCH v9 7/9] perf cs-etm: Support call indentation
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 7/9] perf cs-etm: Support call indentation Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 15:08 ` sashiko-bot
0 siblings, 0 replies; 16+ messages in thread
From: sashiko-bot @ 2026-06-16 15:08 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Leo Yan; +Cc: linux-perf-users
Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 1 potential issue(s) to consider:
- [Medium] Thread stacks for per-thread traces (CS_ETM_PIDFMT_NONE) are not flushed upon a trace discontinuity, leading to stale callindent depths.
--
commit ccf60466ef97abd9a958c518b0578321fda247d0
Author: Leo Yan <leo.yan@linux.dev>
perf cs-etm: Support call indentation
The perf script callindent is derived from call stack in thread context,
CS ETM ignores the requirement for callindent without pushing and poping
call stack.
Enable thread-stack when either itrace thread-stack support or last branch
entries are requested, allocate the branch stack storage accordingly, and
feed taken branches to thread_stack__event() whenever thread-stack state
is needed.
> diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
> index d41aad583a26f..e18d2dec79431 100644
> --- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
> +++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
[ ... ]
> @@ -2027,7 +2030,7 @@ static void cs_etm__flush_all_stack(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq)
> {
> enum cs_etm_pid_fmt pid_fmt = cs_etm__get_pid_fmt(etmq);
>
> - if (!etmq->etm->synth_opts.last_branch)
> + if (!etmq->etm->use_thread_stack)
> return;
>
> switch (pid_fmt) {
[Severity: Medium]
Will this skip flushing thread stacks for per-thread traces upon a trace
discontinuity?
In cs_etm__flush_all_stack(), the switch statement explicitly skips flushing
the stack if the format is CS_ETM_PIDFMT_NONE:
switch (pid_fmt) {
...
case CS_ETM_PIDFMT_NONE:
default:
break;
}
Because the frontend thread for per-thread mode is still attached to the host
machine, the flush is completely skipped.
As a result, could instruction samples generated before the first branch in the
new buffer inherit the stale thread stack depth from before the discontinuity,
and break the newly added callindent output?
--
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260616-b4-arm_cs_callchain_support_v1-v9-0-f8fad931c413@arm.com?part=7
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread
* [PATCH v9 8/9] perf cs-etm: Synthesize callchains for instruction samples
2026-06-16 14:51 [PATCH v9 0/9] perf cs-etm: Support thread stack and callchain Leo Yan
` (6 preceding siblings ...)
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 7/9] perf cs-etm: Support call indentation Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 14:51 ` Leo Yan
2026-06-16 15:12 ` sashiko-bot
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 9/9] perf test: Add Arm CoreSight callchain test Leo Yan
8 siblings, 1 reply; 16+ messages in thread
From: Leo Yan @ 2026-06-16 14:51 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo, John Garry, Will Deacon, James Clark,
Mike Leach, Suzuki K Poulose, Namhyung Kim, Mark Rutland,
Alexander Shishkin, Jiri Olsa, Ian Rogers, Adrian Hunter,
Al Grant, Paschalis Mpeis, Amir Ayupov
Cc: linux-arm-kernel, coresight, linux-perf-users, Leo Yan, Leo Yan
From: Leo Yan <leo.yan@linaro.org>
CS ETM already records branches into the thread stack, but instruction
samples do not carry synthesized callchains. It misses to support the
callchain and no output with the itrace option 'g'.
Allocate a callchain buffer per queue and use thread_stack__sample()
when synthesizing instruction samples.
Advertise PERF_SAMPLE_CALLCHAIN on the synthetic instruction event.
Allocate one extra callchain entry than requested, as the first entry
is reserved for storing context information.
cs_etm__context() is introduced for handling context packet and update
the thread info and start kernel address for frontend decoding.
After:
perf script --itrace=g16l64i1i
callchain_test 6543 [002] 1 instructions:
ffff800080010c14 vectors+0x414 ([kernel.kallsyms])
aaaad6b60784 do_svc+0x1c (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
aaaad6b60798 print+0xc (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
aaaad6b607b0 foo+0xc (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
aaaad6b607c8 main+0xc (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
ffff9325225c __libc_start_call_main+0x7c (/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6)
ffff9325233c call_init+0x9c (inlined)
ffff9325233c __libc_start_main_impl+0x9c (inlined)
aaaad6b60670 _start+0x30 (/home/kernel/leoy/test_cs_callchain/callchain_test)
ffff800080012290 ret_to_user+0x120 ([kernel.kallsyms])
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@linaro.org>
Reviewed-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
---
tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c | 83 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
1 file changed, 78 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
index e18d2dec79431f7e4b26742d98cf074483c4a246..34489476681b8e46c7a0d9e20bff433f66962484 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
#include <stdlib.h>
#include "auxtrace.h"
+#include "callchain.h"
#include "color.h"
#include "cs-etm.h"
#include "cs-etm-decoder/cs-etm-decoder.h"
@@ -87,9 +88,11 @@ struct cs_etm_auxtrace {
struct cs_etm_traceid_queue {
u8 trace_chan_id;
u64 period_instructions;
+ u64 kernel_start;
union perf_event *event_buf;
unsigned int br_stack_sz;
struct branch_stack *last_branch;
+ struct ip_callchain *callchain;
struct cs_etm_packet *prev_packet;
struct cs_etm_packet *packet;
struct cs_etm_packet_queue packet_queue;
@@ -652,6 +655,15 @@ static int cs_etm__init_traceid_queue(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
tidq->br_stack_sz = etm->synth_opts.last_branch_sz;
}
+ if (etm->synth_opts.callchain) {
+ /* Add 1 to callchain_sz for callchain context */
+ tidq->callchain =
+ zalloc(struct_size(tidq->callchain, ips,
+ etm->synth_opts.callchain_sz + 1));
+ if (!tidq->callchain)
+ goto out_free;
+ }
+
tidq->event_buf = malloc(PERF_SAMPLE_MAX_SIZE);
if (!tidq->event_buf)
goto out_free;
@@ -659,6 +671,7 @@ static int cs_etm__init_traceid_queue(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
return 0;
out_free:
+ zfree(&tidq->callchain);
zfree(&tidq->last_branch);
zfree(&tidq->prev_packet);
zfree(&tidq->packet);
@@ -942,6 +955,7 @@ static void cs_etm__free_traceid_queues(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq)
thread__zput(tidq->frontend_thread);
thread__zput(tidq->decode_thread);
zfree(&tidq->event_buf);
+ zfree(&tidq->callchain);
zfree(&tidq->last_branch);
zfree(&tidq->prev_packet);
zfree(&tidq->packet);
@@ -1611,6 +1625,26 @@ static int cs_etm__synth_instruction_sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
sample.branch_stack = tidq->last_branch;
}
+ if (etm->synth_opts.callchain) {
+ if (tidq->kernel_start)
+ thread_stack__sample(tidq->frontend_thread,
+ tidq->packet->cpu,
+ tidq->callchain,
+ etm->synth_opts.callchain_sz + 1,
+ sample.ip, tidq->kernel_start);
+ else
+ /*
+ * Clear the callchain when the kernel start address is
+ * not available yet. The empty callchain can then be
+ * consumed by cs_etm__inject_event().
+ */
+ memset(tidq->callchain, 0,
+ struct_size(tidq->callchain, ips,
+ etm->synth_opts.callchain_sz + 1));
+
+ sample.callchain = tidq->callchain;
+ }
+
if (etm->synth_opts.inject) {
ret = cs_etm__inject_event(etm, event, &sample,
etm->instructions_sample_type);
@@ -1773,6 +1807,9 @@ static int cs_etm__synth_events(struct cs_etm_auxtrace *etm,
attr.branch_sample_type |= PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_HW_INDEX;
}
+ if (etm->synth_opts.callchain)
+ attr.sample_type |= PERF_SAMPLE_CALLCHAIN;
+
if (etm->synth_opts.instructions) {
attr.config = PERF_COUNT_HW_INSTRUCTIONS;
attr.sample_period = etm->synth_opts.period;
@@ -1904,6 +1941,34 @@ static int cs_etm__sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
return 0;
}
+static int cs_etm__context(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
+ struct cs_etm_traceid_queue *tidq)
+{
+ ocsd_ex_level el = tidq->packet->el;
+ struct machine *machine;
+ int ret;
+
+ machine = cs_etm__get_machine(etmq, el);
+ if (!machine) {
+ ret = -EINVAL;
+ goto err;
+ }
+
+ tidq->kernel_start = machine__kernel_start(machine);
+
+ ret = cs_etm__etmq_update_thread(etmq, el, tidq->packet->tid,
+ &tidq->frontend_thread);
+ if (ret)
+ goto err;
+
+ return 0;
+
+err:
+ thread__zput(tidq->frontend_thread);
+ tidq->kernel_start = 0;
+ return ret;
+}
+
static int cs_etm__exception(struct cs_etm_traceid_queue *tidq)
{
/*
@@ -2504,9 +2569,7 @@ static int cs_etm__process_traceid_queue(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
* tracing the kernel the context packet will be emitted
* between two ranges.
*/
- ret = cs_etm__etmq_update_thread(etmq, tidq->packet->el,
- tidq->packet->tid,
- &tidq->frontend_thread);
+ ret = cs_etm__context(etmq, tidq);
if (ret)
goto out;
break;
@@ -3530,6 +3593,14 @@ int cs_etm__process_auxtrace_info_full(union perf_event *event,
PERF_IP_FLAG_TRACE_BEGIN |
PERF_IP_FLAG_TRACE_END;
+ if (etm->synth_opts.callchain && !symbol_conf.use_callchain) {
+ symbol_conf.use_callchain = true;
+ if (callchain_register_param(&callchain_param) < 0) {
+ symbol_conf.use_callchain = false;
+ etm->synth_opts.callchain = false;
+ }
+ }
+
etm->session = session;
etm->num_cpu = num_cpu;
@@ -3581,9 +3652,11 @@ int cs_etm__process_auxtrace_info_full(union perf_event *event,
}
etm->use_thread_stack = etm->synth_opts.thread_stack ||
- etm->synth_opts.last_branch;
+ etm->synth_opts.last_branch ||
+ etm->synth_opts.callchain;
- etm->use_callchain = etm->synth_opts.thread_stack;
+ etm->use_callchain = etm->synth_opts.thread_stack ||
+ etm->synth_opts.callchain;
err = cs_etm__synth_events(etm, session);
if (err)
--
2.34.1
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread* Re: [PATCH v9 8/9] perf cs-etm: Synthesize callchains for instruction samples
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 8/9] perf cs-etm: Synthesize callchains for instruction samples Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 15:12 ` sashiko-bot
0 siblings, 0 replies; 16+ messages in thread
From: sashiko-bot @ 2026-06-16 15:12 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Leo Yan; +Cc: linux-perf-users
Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 1 potential issue(s) to consider:
- [Medium] Prematurely freeing `tidq->frontend_thread` on the error path in `cs_etm__context()` leads to a fatal NULL pointer dereference.
--
commit beaeb914d5e99fcdf91b04714fe39931a7466896
Author: Leo Yan <leo.yan@linux.dev>
perf cs-etm: Synthesize callchains for instruction samples
This commit synthesizes callchains for CS ETM instruction samples. It allocates
a callchain buffer per queue, uses thread_stack__sample() for instruction
samples, and introduces cs_etm__context() to handle context packets.
> diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
> index e18d2dec79431..34489476681b8 100644
> --- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
> +++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
[ ... ]
> @@ -1904,6 +1941,34 @@ static int cs_etm__sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
> return 0;
> }
>
> +static int cs_etm__context(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
> + struct cs_etm_traceid_queue *tidq)
> +{
> + ocsd_ex_level el = tidq->packet->el;
> + struct machine *machine;
> + int ret;
> +
> + machine = cs_etm__get_machine(etmq, el);
> + if (!machine) {
> + ret = -EINVAL;
> + goto err;
> + }
> +
> + tidq->kernel_start = machine__kernel_start(machine);
> +
> + ret = cs_etm__etmq_update_thread(etmq, el, tidq->packet->tid,
> + &tidq->frontend_thread);
> + if (ret)
> + goto err;
> +
> + return 0;
> +
> +err:
> + thread__zput(tidq->frontend_thread);
[Severity: Medium]
Will this error path result in a NULL pointer dereference?
If cs_etm__get_machine() or cs_etm__etmq_update_thread() fails, thread__zput()
is called which drops the reference and sets tidq->frontend_thread to NULL.
However, the calling loops, such as cs_etm__run_per_cpu_timeless_decoder()
which calls cs_etm__process_traceid_queue(), can ignore the error and continue
processing trace buffer packets.
When a subsequent packet like CS_ETM_RANGE is processed, it calls
cs_etm__synth_instruction_sample() which unconditionally dereferences the NULL
thread pointer:
cs_etm__synth_instruction_sample() {
...
sample.pid = thread__pid(tidq->frontend_thread);
...
}
Should the frontend_thread pointer be preserved on failure, or should the
caller be updated to abort packet processing when an error occurs?
> + tidq->kernel_start = 0;
> + return ret;
> +}
--
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260616-b4-arm_cs_callchain_support_v1-v9-0-f8fad931c413@arm.com?part=8
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread
* [PATCH v9 9/9] perf test: Add Arm CoreSight callchain test
2026-06-16 14:51 [PATCH v9 0/9] perf cs-etm: Support thread stack and callchain Leo Yan
` (7 preceding siblings ...)
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 8/9] perf cs-etm: Synthesize callchains for instruction samples Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 14:51 ` Leo Yan
2026-06-16 15:08 ` sashiko-bot
8 siblings, 1 reply; 16+ messages in thread
From: Leo Yan @ 2026-06-16 14:51 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo, John Garry, Will Deacon, James Clark,
Mike Leach, Suzuki K Poulose, Namhyung Kim, Mark Rutland,
Alexander Shishkin, Jiri Olsa, Ian Rogers, Adrian Hunter,
Al Grant, Paschalis Mpeis, Amir Ayupov
Cc: linux-arm-kernel, coresight, linux-perf-users, Leo Yan
Add a CoreSight shell test for synthesized callchains.
The test uses the new callchain workload to generate trace and decodes
it with synthesis callchain. It then verifies that the instruction
samples show the expected callchain push and pop.
Use control FIFOs so tracing starts only around the workload, which
keeps the trace data small. The test is limited to with the cs_etm
event available and root permission.
After:
perf test 138 -vvv
138: CoreSight synthesized callchain:
---- start ----
test child forked, pid 35581
Callchain flow matched:
l1=4642868 l2=4642880 l3=4642895 l4=4642919 l5=4670494 l6=4670500 l7=4670520
---- end(0) ----
138: CoreSight synthesized callchain : Ok
Assisted-by: Codex:GPT-5.5
Signed-off-by: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
---
tools/perf/Documentation/perf-test.txt | 6 +-
tools/perf/tests/builtin-test.c | 1 +
tools/perf/tests/shell/coresight/callchain.sh | 172 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
tools/perf/tests/tests.h | 1 +
tools/perf/tests/workloads/Build | 2 +
tools/perf/tests/workloads/callchain.c | 33 +++++
6 files changed, 213 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-test.txt b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-test.txt
index 81c8525f594680d814f80e6f88bcce8d867bb350..859df74e62efc4b1e80da13ae8e053356f68ae54 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-test.txt
+++ b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-test.txt
@@ -57,7 +57,8 @@ OPTIONS
--workload=::
Run a built-in workload, to list them use '--list-workloads', current
ones include: noploop, thloop, leafloop, sqrtloop, brstack, datasym,
- context_switch_loop, deterministic, named_threads and landlock.
+ context_switch_loop, deterministic, named_threads, landlock and
+ callchain.
Used with the shell script regression tests.
@@ -69,7 +70,8 @@ OPTIONS
'named_threads' accepts the number of threads and the number of loops to
do in each thread.
- The datasym, landlock and deterministic workloads don't accept any.
+ The datasym, landlock, deterministic and callchain workloads don't accept
+ any.
--list-workloads::
List the available workloads to use with -w/--workload.
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/builtin-test.c b/tools/perf/tests/builtin-test.c
index 7e75f590f225e3284980829707ca8d916c98cada..1d1f38127e05429a27f31beda814f2b5f5a75089 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/builtin-test.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/builtin-test.c
@@ -168,6 +168,7 @@ static struct test_workload *workloads[] = {
&workload__jitdump,
&workload__context_switch_loop,
&workload__deterministic,
+ &workload__callchain,
#ifdef HAVE_RUST_SUPPORT
&workload__code_with_type,
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/shell/coresight/callchain.sh b/tools/perf/tests/shell/coresight/callchain.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..13cca7dc11184002e3ddc058c0d0ffa1c458c483
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/shell/coresight/callchain.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# CoreSight synthesized callchain (exclusive)
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+glb_err=1
+
+if ! tmpdir=$(mktemp -d /tmp/perf-cs-callchain-test.XXXXXX); then
+ echo "mktemp failed"
+ exit 1
+fi
+
+cleanup_files()
+{
+ rm -rf "$tmpdir"
+}
+
+trap cleanup_files EXIT
+trap 'cleanup_files; exit $glb_err' TERM INT
+
+skip_if_system_is_not_ready()
+{
+ perf list | grep -Pzq 'cs_etm//' || {
+ echo "[Skip] cs_etm event is not available" >&2
+ return 2
+ }
+
+ # Requires root for trace in kernel
+ [ "$(id -u)" = 0 ] || {
+ echo "[Skip] No root permission" >&2
+ return 2
+ }
+
+ return 0
+}
+
+record_trace()
+{
+ local data=$1
+ local script=$2
+
+ local cf="$tmpdir/ctl"
+ local af="$tmpdir/ack"
+
+ mkfifo "$cf" "$af"
+
+ perf record -o "$data" -e cs_etm// --per-thread -D -1 --control fifo:"$cf","$af" -- \
+ perf test --record-ctl fifo:"$cf","$af" -w callchain >/dev/null 2>&1 &&
+
+ # It is safe to use 'i3i' with a three-instruction interval, since the
+ # workload is compiled with -O0.
+ perf script --itrace=g16i3il64 -i "$data" > "$script"
+}
+
+callchain_regex_1()
+{
+ printf '%s' \
+'perf[[:space:]]+[0-9]+[[:space:]]+\[[0-9]+\][[:space:]]+([0-9.]+:[[:space:]]+)?[0-9]+ instructions:[[:space:]]*\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ callchain_foo\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*/perf\)\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ callchain\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*/perf\)\n'\
+'([[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ .*\n)*'
+}
+
+callchain_regex_2()
+{
+ printf '%s' \
+'perf[[:space:]]+[0-9]+[[:space:]]+\[[0-9]+\][[:space:]]+([0-9.]+:[[:space:]]+)?[0-9]+ instructions:[[:space:]]*\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ callchain_do_syscall\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*/perf\)\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ callchain_foo\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*/perf\)\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ callchain\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*/perf\)\n'\
+'([[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ .*\n)*'
+}
+
+callchain_regex_3()
+{
+ printf '%s' \
+'perf[[:space:]]+[0-9]+[[:space:]]+\[[0-9]+\][[:space:]]+([0-9.]+:[[:space:]]+)?[0-9]+ instructions:[[:space:]]*\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ syscall(@plt)?\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*\)\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ callchain_do_syscall\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*/perf\)\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ callchain_foo\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*/perf\)\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ callchain\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*/perf\)\n'\
+'([[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ .*\n)*'
+}
+
+callchain_regex_4()
+{
+ printf '%s' \
+'perf[[:space:]]+[0-9]+[[:space:]]+\[[0-9]+\][[:space:]]+([0-9.]+:[[:space:]]+)?[0-9]+ instructions:[[:space:]]*\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ .*\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(\[kernel\.kallsyms\]\)\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ syscall(@plt)?\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*\)\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ callchain_do_syscall\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*/perf\)\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ callchain_foo\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*/perf\)\n'\
+'[[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ callchain\+0x[[:xdigit:]]+ \(.*/perf\)\n'\
+'([[:space:]]+[[:xdigit:]]+ .*\n)*'
+}
+
+find_after_line()
+{
+ local regex="$1"
+ local file="$2"
+ local start="$3"
+ local offset
+ local line
+
+ # Search in byte offset
+ offset=$(
+ tail -n +"$start" "$file" |
+ grep -Pzob -m1 "$regex" |
+ tr '\0' '\n' |
+ sed -n 's/^\([0-9][0-9]*\):.*/\1/p;q'
+ )
+
+ if [ -z "$offset" ]; then
+ echo "Failed to match regex after line $start" >&2
+ echo "Regex:" >&2
+ printf '%s\n' "$regex" >&2
+ echo "Context from line $start:" >&2
+ sed -n "${start},$((start + 100))p" "$file" >&2
+ return 1
+ fi
+
+ # Convert from offset to line
+ line=$(
+ tail -n +"$start" "$file" |
+ head -c "$offset" |
+ wc -l
+ )
+
+ echo "$((start + line))"
+}
+
+check_callchain_flow()
+{
+ local file="$1"
+ local l1 l2 l3 l4 l5 l6 l7
+
+ # Callchain push
+ l1=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_1)" "$file" 1) || return 1
+ l2=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_2)" "$file" "$((l1 + 1))") || return 1
+ l3=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_3)" "$file" "$((l2 + 1))") || return 1
+ l4=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_4)" "$file" "$((l3 + 1))") || return 1
+
+ # Callchain pop
+ l5=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_3)" "$file" "$((l4 + 1))") || return 1
+ l6=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_2)" "$file" "$((l5 + 1))") || return 1
+ l7=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_1)" "$file" "$((l6 + 1))") || return 1
+
+ echo "Callchain flow matched:"
+ echo " l1=$l1 l2=$l2 l3=$l3 l4=$l4 l5=$l5 l6=$l6 l7=$l7"
+
+ return 0
+}
+
+run_test()
+{
+ local data=$tmpdir/perf.data
+ local script=$tmpdir/perf.script
+
+ if ! record_trace "$data" "$script"; then
+ echo "perf record/script failed"
+ return
+ fi
+
+ check_callchain_flow "$script" || return
+
+ glb_err=0
+}
+
+skip_if_system_is_not_ready || exit 2
+
+run_test
+
+exit $glb_err
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/tests.h b/tools/perf/tests/tests.h
index 7cedf05be544ad79a99e86d30dfa4f7b01ca0837..cee9e6b62dcc838c864bbe76efe3b638ed75b134 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/tests.h
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/tests.h
@@ -248,6 +248,7 @@ DECLARE_WORKLOAD(inlineloop);
DECLARE_WORKLOAD(jitdump);
DECLARE_WORKLOAD(context_switch_loop);
DECLARE_WORKLOAD(deterministic);
+DECLARE_WORKLOAD(callchain);
#ifdef HAVE_RUST_SUPPORT
DECLARE_WORKLOAD(code_with_type);
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/workloads/Build b/tools/perf/tests/workloads/Build
index 7bb4b9829ba245740c8967e6bf3235614cdd55a3..048e371eb63e316453b6b46ebd0a02794c3d25d7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/workloads/Build
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/workloads/Build
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ perf-test-y += inlineloop.o
perf-test-y += jitdump.o
perf-test-y += context_switch_loop.o
perf-test-y += deterministic.o
+perf-test-y += callchain.o
ifeq ($(CONFIG_RUST_SUPPORT),y)
perf-test-y += code_with_type.o
@@ -27,3 +28,4 @@ CFLAGS_traploop.o = -g -O0 -fno-inline -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE
CFLAGS_inlineloop.o = -g -O2
CFLAGS_deterministic.o = -g -O0 -fno-inline -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE
CFLAGS_named_threads.o = -g -O0 -fno-inline -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE
+CFLAGS_callchain.o = -g -O0 -fno-inline -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/workloads/callchain.c b/tools/perf/tests/workloads/callchain.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3951423d8115e9efb49af8ba2586001fc6f02761
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/workloads/callchain.c
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+#include <linux/compiler.h>
+#include <sys/syscall.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include "../tests.h"
+
+/*
+ * Mark as noinline to establish the call chain, and avoid the static
+ * annotation to prevent LTO from renaming the functions.
+ */
+noinline void callchain_do_syscall(void);
+noinline void callchain_foo(void);
+noinline int callchain(int argc, const char **argv);
+
+noinline void callchain_do_syscall(void)
+{
+ syscall(SYS_getpid);
+}
+
+noinline void callchain_foo(void)
+{
+ callchain_do_syscall();
+}
+
+noinline int callchain(int argc __maybe_unused,
+ const char **argv __maybe_unused)
+{
+ callchain_foo();
+
+ return 0;
+}
+
+DEFINE_WORKLOAD(callchain);
--
2.34.1
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread* Re: [PATCH v9 9/9] perf test: Add Arm CoreSight callchain test
2026-06-16 14:51 ` [PATCH v9 9/9] perf test: Add Arm CoreSight callchain test Leo Yan
@ 2026-06-16 15:08 ` sashiko-bot
0 siblings, 0 replies; 16+ messages in thread
From: sashiko-bot @ 2026-06-16 15:08 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Leo Yan; +Cc: linux-perf-users
Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 2 potential issue(s) to consider:
- [Medium] Rigid callchain regexes combined with instruction sampling artifacts will cause spurious test failures.
- [Medium] Checking for hardware event availability using `grep -Pzq` silently ties test coverage to PCRE support.
--
commit 533d8fca0c044c3396ca892c47d0539a4a5063b3
Author: Leo Yan <leo.yan@arm.com>
perf test: Add Arm CoreSight callchain test
Add a CoreSight shell test for synthesized callchains. The test uses the new
callchain workload to generate trace and decodes it with synthesis callchain.
> diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/shell/coresight/callchain.sh b/tools/perf/tests/shell/coresight/callchain.sh
> new file mode 100755
> index 0000000000000..13cca7dc11184
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/tools/perf/tests/shell/coresight/callchain.sh
> @@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
[ ... ]
> +skip_if_system_is_not_ready()
> +{
> + perf list | grep -Pzq 'cs_etm//' || {
[Severity: Medium]
Will this grep command fail on embedded systems where grep (like BusyBox)
might lack Perl-Compatible Regular Expression (-P) support?
If grep fails due to a lack of PCRE support, will this mistakenly report
"[Skip] cs_etm event is not available" and skip the test even when the
hardware is present? Should this use a standard POSIX grep -q instead, or
explicitly report a missing PCRE requirement?
> + echo "[Skip] cs_etm event is not available" >&2
> + return 2
> + }
[ ... ]
> +check_callchain_flow()
> +{
> + local file="$1"
> + local l1 l2 l3 l4 l5 l6 l7
> +
> + # Callchain push
> + l1=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_1)" "$file" 1) || return 1
> + l2=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_2)" "$file" "$((l1 + 1))") || return 1
> + l3=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_3)" "$file" "$((l2 + 1))") || return 1
> + l4=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_4)" "$file" "$((l3 + 1))") || return 1
> +
> + # Callchain pop
> + l5=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_3)" "$file" "$((l4 + 1))") || return 1
> + l6=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_2)" "$file" "$((l5 + 1))") || return 1
[Severity: Medium]
Since this test relies on a 3-instruction sampling interval
(--itrace=g16i3il64), is there a risk of completely missing the return
epilogue of callchain_do_syscall() if the compiler generates an epilogue
shorter than 3 instructions?
For example, on ARM32 or certain AArch64 builds, the epilogue could be just
two instructions like "pop {r11, lr}; bx lr". Since the workload executes
exactly once, is there a chance this will fail to capture an instruction
sample where callchain_do_syscall is the top frame on the return path,
causing a spurious test failure?
> + l7=$(find_after_line "$(callchain_regex_1)" "$file" "$((l6 + 1))") || return 1
--
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260616-b4-arm_cs_callchain_support_v1-v9-0-f8fad931c413@arm.com?part=9
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 16+ messages in thread