WARNING: at kernel/trace/ring_buffer.c:2289 rb_advance_reader+0x2e/0xc5()

[Robert Richter <robert.richter@amd.com>]

Steven,

I have workloads for oprofile that trigger warnings like this:

------------[ cut here ]------------
WARNING: at /dev/shm/.source/linux/kernel/trace/ring_buffer.c:2289 rb_advance_reader+0x2e/0xc5()
Hardware name: Anaheim
Modules linked in:
Pid: 29, comm: events/2 Tainted: G        W  2.6.31-rc3-oprofile-x86_64-standard-00059-g5050dc2 #1
Call Trace:
[<ffffffff8106776f>] ? rb_advance_reader+0x2e/0xc5
[<ffffffff81039ffe>] warn_slowpath_common+0x77/0x8f
[<ffffffff8103a025>] warn_slowpath_null+0xf/0x11
[<ffffffff8106776f>] rb_advance_reader+0x2e/0xc5
[<ffffffff81068bda>] ring_buffer_consume+0xa0/0xd2
[<ffffffff81326933>] op_cpu_buffer_read_entry+0x21/0x9e
[<ffffffff810be3af>] ? __find_get_block+0x4b/0x165
[<ffffffff8132749b>] sync_buffer+0xa5/0x401
[<ffffffff810be3af>] ? __find_get_block+0x4b/0x165
[<ffffffff81326c1b>] ? wq_sync_buffer+0x0/0x78
[<ffffffff81326c76>] wq_sync_buffer+0x5b/0x78
[<ffffffff8104aa30>] worker_thread+0x113/0x1ac
[<ffffffff8104dd95>] ? autoremove_wake_function+0x0/0x38
[<ffffffff8104a91d>] ? worker_thread+0x0/0x1ac
[<ffffffff8104dc9a>] kthread+0x88/0x92
[<ffffffff8100bdba>] child_rip+0xa/0x20
[<ffffffff8104dc12>] ? kthread+0x0/0x92
[<ffffffff8100bdb0>] ? child_rip+0x0/0x20
---[ end trace f561c0a58fcc89bd ]---

I am wondering when this may happen. It seems the following code in
rb_get_reader_page() triggers this:

        /* check if we caught up to the tail */
        reader = NULL;
        if (cpu_buffer->commit_page == cpu_buffer->reader_page)
                goto out;

It is very hard to find out the conditions for equal commit and reader
pages.

Maybe you have any idea or could shortly explain the use of head,
tail, commit and reader page pointers? When an overrun happens?
(... or point me to some documentation.)

Thanks,

-Robert

-- 
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Operating System Research Center
email: robert.richter@amd.com