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

Peter Zijlstra
2017-04-06T06:59:02Z

On Tue, Apr 04, 2017 at 11:18:05AM -0300, Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo wrote:
> Adding the perf kernel maintainers to the CC list.

Thanks.

> 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.

I don't get it. Why is the kernel interface mucked with for a user-space
feature?

That's wrong.