Re: [PATCH v1 1/5] perf/core: Define the common branch type classification

[Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@kernel.org>]

Adding the perf kernel maintainers to the CC list.

Em Fri, Mar 31, 2017 at 11:18:38PM +0800, Jin Yao escreveu:
> It is often useful to know the branch types while analyzing branch
> data. For example, a call is very different from a conditional branch.
> 
> Currently we have to look it up in binary while the binary may later
> not be available and even the binary is available but user has to take
> some time. It is very useful for user to check it directly in perf
> report.
> 
> Perf already has support for disassembling the branch instruction
> to get the branch type. The branch type is defined in lbr.c.
> 
> To keep consistent on kernel and userspace and make the classification
> more common, the patch adds the common branch type classification
> in perf_event.h.
> 
> Since the disassembling of branch instruction needs some overhead,
> a new PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_TYPE_SAVE is introduced to indicate if it
> needs to disassemble the branch instruction and record the branch
> type.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Jin Yao <yao.jin@linux.intel.com>
> ---
>  include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h       | 24 +++++++++++++++++++++++-
>  tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h | 24 +++++++++++++++++++++++-
>  2 files changed, 46 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h b/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
> index d09a9cd..4d731fd 100644
> --- a/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
> +++ b/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
> @@ -174,6 +174,8 @@ enum perf_branch_sample_type_shift {
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_FLAGS_SHIFT	= 14, /* no flags */
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_CYCLES_SHIFT	= 15, /* no cycles */
>  
> +	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_TYPE_SAVE_SHIFT	= 16, /* save branch type */
> +
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_MAX_SHIFT		/* non-ABI */
>  };
>  
> @@ -198,9 +200,27 @@ enum perf_branch_sample_type {
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_FLAGS	= 1U << PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_FLAGS_SHIFT,
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_CYCLES	= 1U << PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_CYCLES_SHIFT,
>  
> +	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_TYPE_SAVE	=
> +		1U << PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_TYPE_SAVE_SHIFT,
> +
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_MAX		= 1U << PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_MAX_SHIFT,
>  };
>  
> +/*
> + * Common flow change classification
> + */
> +enum {
> +	PERF_BR_NONE		= 0,		/* unknown */
> +	PERF_BR_JCC_FWD		= 1 << 1,	/* conditional forward jump */
> +	PERF_BR_JCC_BWD		= 1 << 2,	/* conditional backward jump */
> +	PERF_BR_JMP		= 1 << 3,	/* jump */
> +	PERF_BR_IND_JMP		= 1 << 4,	/* indirect jump */
> +	PERF_BR_CALL		= 1 << 5,	/* call */
> +	PERF_BR_IND_CALL	= 1 << 6,	/* indirect call */
> +	PERF_BR_RET		= 1 << 7,	/* return */
> +	PERF_BR_FAR_BRANCH	= 1 << 8,	/* SYSCALL,SYSRET,IRQ,... */

Humm, wouldn't be better to have those in separate buckets? I.e.

  PERF_BR_SYSCALL
  PERF_BR_SYSRET,
  PERF_BR_IRQ

etc?

And why a bitmask? /me reads a bit more...  couldn't find a reason for
this:

+             type:9,     /* branch type */

Do you have a reason to use 9 bits? Why not just:

enum {
	PERF_BR_NONE		= 0,	/* unknown */
	PERF_BR_JCC_FWD		= 1,	/* conditional forward jump */
	PERF_BR_JCC_BWD		= 2,	/* conditional backward jump */
	PERF_BR_JMP		= 3,	/* jump */
	PERF_BR_IND_JMP		= 4,	/* indirect jump */
	PERF_BR_CALL		= 5,	/* call */
	PERF_BR_IND_CALL	= 6,	/* indirect call */
	PERF_BR_RET		= 7,	/* return */
	PERF_BR_FAR_BRANCH	= 8,	/* SYSCALL,SYSRET,IRQ,... */

And then use, say, 4 or 5 bits for that type field?

I must be missing something trivial ;-\

- Arnaldo

> +};
> +
>  #define PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_PLM_ALL \
>  	(PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_USER|\
>  	 PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_KERNEL|\
> @@ -999,6 +1019,7 @@ union perf_mem_data_src {
>   *     in_tx: running in a hardware transaction
>   *     abort: aborting a hardware transaction
>   *    cycles: cycles from last branch (or 0 if not supported)
> + *      type: branch type
>   */
>  struct perf_branch_entry {
>  	__u64	from;
> @@ -1008,7 +1029,8 @@ struct perf_branch_entry {
>  		in_tx:1,    /* in transaction */
>  		abort:1,    /* transaction abort */
>  		cycles:16,  /* cycle count to last branch */
> -		reserved:44;
> +		type:9,     /* branch type */
> +		reserved:35;
>  };
>  
>  #endif /* _UAPI_LINUX_PERF_EVENT_H */
> diff --git a/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h b/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
> index d09a9cd..4d731fd 100644
> --- a/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
> +++ b/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
> @@ -174,6 +174,8 @@ enum perf_branch_sample_type_shift {
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_FLAGS_SHIFT	= 14, /* no flags */
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_CYCLES_SHIFT	= 15, /* no cycles */
>  
> +	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_TYPE_SAVE_SHIFT	= 16, /* save branch type */
> +
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_MAX_SHIFT		/* non-ABI */
>  };
>  
> @@ -198,9 +200,27 @@ enum perf_branch_sample_type {
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_FLAGS	= 1U << PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_FLAGS_SHIFT,
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_CYCLES	= 1U << PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_NO_CYCLES_SHIFT,
>  
> +	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_TYPE_SAVE	=
> +		1U << PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_TYPE_SAVE_SHIFT,
> +
>  	PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_MAX		= 1U << PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_MAX_SHIFT,
>  };
>  
> +/*
> + * Common flow change classification
> + */
> +enum {
> +	PERF_BR_NONE		= 0,		/* unknown */
> +	PERF_BR_JCC_FWD		= 1 << 1,	/* conditional forward jump */
> +	PERF_BR_JCC_BWD		= 1 << 2,	/* conditional backward jump */
> +	PERF_BR_JMP		= 1 << 3,	/* jump */
> +	PERF_BR_IND_JMP		= 1 << 4,	/* indirect jump */
> +	PERF_BR_CALL		= 1 << 5,	/* call */
> +	PERF_BR_IND_CALL	= 1 << 6,	/* indirect call */
> +	PERF_BR_RET		= 1 << 7,	/* return */
> +	PERF_BR_FAR_BRANCH	= 1 << 8,	/* SYSCALL,SYSRET,IRQ,... */
> +};
> +
>  #define PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_PLM_ALL \
>  	(PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_USER|\
>  	 PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_KERNEL|\
> @@ -999,6 +1019,7 @@ union perf_mem_data_src {
>   *     in_tx: running in a hardware transaction
>   *     abort: aborting a hardware transaction
>   *    cycles: cycles from last branch (or 0 if not supported)
> + *      type: branch type
>   */
>  struct perf_branch_entry {
>  	__u64	from;
> @@ -1008,7 +1029,8 @@ struct perf_branch_entry {
>  		in_tx:1,    /* in transaction */
>  		abort:1,    /* transaction abort */
>  		cycles:16,  /* cycle count to last branch */
> -		reserved:44;
> +		type:9,     /* branch type */
> +		reserved:35;
>  };
>  
>  #endif /* _UAPI_LINUX_PERF_EVENT_H */
> -- 
> 2.7.4