Re: [RFC PATCH v1 00/25] unwind_user: Implement .eh_frame handling

[Jens Remus <jremus@linux.ibm.com>]

Hello Steven!

On 8/18/2026 7:21 PM, Steven Rostedt wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:49:29 +0200
> Jens Remus <jremus@linux.ibm.com> wrote:
> 
>> This series adds support for parsing DWARF Call Frame Information (CFI)
>> from the .eh_frame_hdr and .eh_frame sections of user space ELF files.
> 
> Very nice! I don't have time this week to look at it, but I just
> applied the series and tried it out with:

Thanks!

> 
>   perf record --call-graph fp,defer trace-cmd report ~/trace.dat
> 
> And did a: perf -D script
> 
> And found this:
> 
> 264990534603 0x19370 [0x78]: PERF_RECORD_CALLCHAIN_DEFERRED(IP, 0x2): 1165/1165: 0x105700000005
> ... FP chain: nr:10
> .....  0: 00007f5feafd362a
> .....  1: 00007f5feb249781
> .....  2: 00007f5feb2498de
> .....  3: 000055935526fbdc
> .....  4: 00005593552649e6
> .....  5: 000055935523c2d0
> .....  6: 000055935523d24c
> .....  7: 0000559355227bfe
> .....  8: 00007f5feaef9f75
> .....  9: 00007ffdaf879d38
>  ... thread: trace-cmd:1165
>  ...... dso: /proc/kcore
> trace-cmd    1165   264.990473:     395990 cpu/cycles/P: 
>         ffffffff8477d8d3 check_preemption_disabled+0x13 ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff819aa495 rcu_is_watching+0x15 ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff816dbcff unwind_next_frame+0x45f ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff81642e91 arch_stack_walk+0xa1 ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff81a2e633 stack_trace_save+0x93 ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff82251210 kasan_save_stack+0x30 ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff822541b0 kasan_record_aux_stack+0xb0 ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff819c1e2a __call_rcu_common+0xca ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff821be05f kmem_cache_free+0x2ef ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff8233e4a7 vfs_fstatat+0x57 ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff8233e573 __do_sys_newfstatat+0x83 ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff84772a8e do_syscall_64+0x7e ([kernel.kallsyms])
>         ffffffff8100012f entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76 ([kernel.kallsyms])
>             7f5feafd362a __GI___fstatat64+0xa (/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6)
>             7f5feb249781 tep_load_plugins_hook+0xd1 (/usr/local/lib64/libtraceevent.so.1.9.0)
>             7f5feb2498de tep_load_plugins+0x35 (/usr/local/lib64/libtraceevent.so.1.9.0)
>             55935526fbdc tcmd_load_plugins+0x85 (/usr/local/bin/trace-cmd)
>             5593552649e6 tracecmd_alloc_fd+0x2da (/usr/local/bin/trace-cmd)
>             55935523c2d0 read_trace_header+0x62 (/usr/local/bin/trace-cmd)
>             55935523d24c trace_report+0x869 (/usr/local/bin/trace-cmd)
>             559355227bfe main+0x90 (/usr/local/bin/trace-cmd)
>             7f5feaef9f75 __libc_start_call_main+0x75 (/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6)
>             7ffdaf879d38 [unknown] ([unknown])
> 
> I injected trace_printk() into the code to make sure it was using the
> eh_frame unwinding:
> 
> diff --git a/kernel/unwind/user.c b/kernel/unwind/user.c
> index 85fc82252af1..585f022bcabe 100644
> --- a/kernel/unwind/user.c
> +++ b/kernel/unwind/user.c
> @@ -200,6 +200,7 @@ static int unwind_user_next(struct unwind_user_state *state)
>  		case UNWIND_USER_TYPE_EH_FRAME:
>  			switch (unwind_user_next_eh_frame(state)) {
>  			case 0:
> +				trace_printk("USE EH_FRAME\n");
>  				return 0;
>  			case -ENOENT:
>  				continue;	/* Try next method. */
> @@ -208,8 +209,9 @@ static int unwind_user_next(struct unwind_user_state *state)
>  			}
>  			break;
>  		case UNWIND_USER_TYPE_FP:
> -			if (!unwind_user_next_fp(state))
> -				return 0;
> +			if (!unwind_user_next_fp(state)) {
> +				trace_printk("USE FRAME POINTER\n");
> +				return 0; }
>  			continue;
>  		default:
>  			WARN_ONCE(1, "Undefined unwind bit %d", bit);
> 
> And have this:
> 
> # trace-cmd show
> [..]
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.482498: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.482501: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.482504: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.482507: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.482821: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.482825: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.482828: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.482831: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.482834: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.483004: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.483007: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.483010: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.483013: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.483016: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.483230: unwind_user: USE FRAME POINTER
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.483234: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.483238: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.483240: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
>        trace-cmd-1136    [001] .....   239.483243: unwind_user: USE EH_FRAME
> [..]

Thanks for giving it a spin!

> Note, the compile had one warning (with all patches applied):
> 
>   vmlinux.o: warning: objtool: eh_frame_find+0x270c: call to eh_frame_do_expression.isra.0() with UACCESS enabled

I need to resolve those objtool warnings after my vacation.  Any idea
how to get around the arch eh_frame_do_expression() callback issue?
Is there a mean to temporarily give up the UACCESS if it is within a
scoped guard region?

> I'll try to get time when I get back from my travels next week to look
> at each of the patches.
> 
> I also do not think this makes sframe obsolete. I believe there's holes
> with eh_frame and some may not like the complexity of it. But this
> gives us an honest look at what options are available to us.
> 
> Thanks for doing this!

It was fun and I learned quite a bit about .eh_frame, .eh_frame_hdr,
and GNU_EH_FRAME doing so.

Regards,
Jens
-- 
Jens Remus
Linux on Z Development (D3303)
jremus@de.ibm.com / jremus@linux.ibm.com

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