[PATCH 1/2] perf, tools: Add support for skipping itrace instructions

Andi Kleen
2016-02-27T00:32:20Z

From: Andi Kleen <ak@linux.intel.com>

When using perf script to look at PT traces it is often
useful to ignore the initialization code at the beginning.

On larger traces which may have many millions of instructions
in initialization code doing that in a pipeline can be very
slow, with perf script spending a lot of CPU time calling
printf and writing data.

This patch adds an extension to the --itrace argument
that skips 'n' events (instructions, branches or transactions)
at the beginning. This is much more efficient.

Cc: Adrian Hunter <adrian.hunter@intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Andi Kleen <ak@linux.intel.com>
---
tools/perf/Documentation/intel-pt.txt | 7 +++++++
tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c | 7 +++++++
tools/perf/util/auxtrace.h | 2 ++
tools/perf/util/intel-pt.c | 14 ++++++++++++--
4 files changed, 28 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/Documentation/intel-pt.txt b/tools/perf/Documentation/intel-pt.txt
index be764f9..c6c8318 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Documentation/intel-pt.txt
+++ b/tools/perf/Documentation/intel-pt.txt
@@ -672,6 +672,7 @@ The letters are:
d create a debug log
g synthesize a call chain (use with i or x)
l synthesize last branch entries (use with i or x)
+ s skip initial number of events

"Instructions" events look like they were recorded by "perf record -e
instructions".
@@ -730,6 +731,12 @@ from one sample to the next.

To disable trace decoding entirely, use the option --no-itrace.

+It is also possible to skip events generated (instructions, branches, transactions)
+at the beginning. This is useful to ignore initialization code.
+
+ --itrace=i0nss1000000
+
+skips the first million instructions.

dump option
-----------
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c b/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c
index 360fda0..a013c1f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c
@@ -939,6 +939,7 @@ void itrace_synth_opts__set_default(struct itrace_synth_opts *synth_opts)
synth_opts->period = PERF_ITRACE_DEFAULT_PERIOD;
synth_opts->callchain_sz = PERF_ITRACE_DEFAULT_CALLCHAIN_SZ;
synth_opts->last_branch_sz = PERF_ITRACE_DEFAULT_LAST_BRANCH_SZ;
+ synth_opts->initial_skip = 0;
}

/*
@@ -1063,6 +1064,12 @@ int itrace_parse_synth_opts(const struct option *opt, const char *str,
synth_opts->last_branch_sz = val;
}
break;
+ case 's':
+ synth_opts->initial_skip = strtoul(p, &endptr, 10);
+ if (p == endptr)
+ goto out_err;
+ p = endptr;
+ break;
case ' ':
case ',':
break;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.h b/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.h
index b86f90db..235d3c3 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.h
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ enum itrace_period_type {
* @last_branch_sz: branch context size
* @period: 'instructions' events period
* @period_type: 'instructions' events period type
+ * @initial_skip: skip N events at the beginning.
*/
struct itrace_synth_opts {
bool set;
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ struct itrace_synth_opts {
unsigned int last_branch_sz;
unsigned long long period;
enum itrace_period_type period_type;
+ unsigned long initial_skip;
};

/**
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/intel-pt.c b/tools/perf/util/intel-pt.c
index 05d8158..a0c5e7d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/intel-pt.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/intel-pt.c
@@ -100,6 +100,8 @@ struct intel_pt {
u64 cyc_bit;
u64 noretcomp_bit;
unsigned max_non_turbo_ratio;
+
+ unsigned long num_events;
};

enum switch_state {
@@ -972,6 +974,10 @@ static int intel_pt_synth_branch_sample(struct intel_pt_queue *ptq)
if (pt->branches_filter && !(pt->branches_filter & ptq->flags))
return 0;

+ if (pt->synth_opts.initial_skip &&
+ pt->num_events++ >= pt->synth_opts.initial_skip)
+ return 0;
+
event->sample.header.type = PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE;
event->sample.header.misc = PERF_RECORD_MISC_USER;
event->sample.header.size = sizeof(struct perf_event_header);
@@ -1196,14 +1202,18 @@ static int intel_pt_sample(struct intel_pt_queue *ptq)
ptq->have_sample = false;

if (pt->sample_instructions &&
- (state->type & INTEL_PT_INSTRUCTION)) {
+ (state->type & INTEL_PT_INSTRUCTION) &&
+ (!pt->synth_opts.initial_skip ||
+ pt->num_events++ >= pt->synth_opts.initial_skip)) {
err = intel_pt_synth_instruction_sample(ptq);
if (err)
return err;
}

if (pt->sample_transactions &&
- (state->type & INTEL_PT_TRANSACTION)) {
+ (state->type & INTEL_PT_TRANSACTION) &&
+ (!pt->synth_opts.initial_skip ||
+ pt->num_events++ >= pt->synth_opts.initial_skip)) {
err = intel_pt_synth_transaction_sample(ptq);
if (err)
return err;
--
2.5.0