Re: [PATCH 24/29] plugins: add an API to read registers

[Akihiko Odaki <akihiko.odaki@daynix.com>]

On 2023/11/04 4:59, Alex Bennée wrote:
> We can only request a list of registers once the vCPU has been
> initialised so the user needs to use either call the find function on
> vCPU initialisation or during the translation phase. We don't expose
> the reg number to the plugin instead hiding it behind an opaque
> handle. This allows for a bit of future proofing should the internals
> need to be changed while also being hashed against the CPUClass so we
> can handle different register sets per-vCPU in hetrogenous situations.
> 
> Having an internal state within the plugins also allows us to expand
> the interface in future (for example providing callbacks on register
> change if the translator can track changes).
> 
> Resolves: https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu/-/issues/1706
> Cc: Akihiko Odaki <akihiko.odaki@daynix.com>
> Based-on: <20231025093128.33116-18-akihiko.odaki@daynix.com>
> Signed-off-by: Alex Bennée <alex.bennee@linaro.org>
> 
> ---
> vAJB:
> 
> The main difference to Akikio's version is hiding the gdb register
> detail from the plugin for the reasons described above.
> ---
>   include/qemu/qemu-plugin.h   |  52 +++++++++++++++++-
>   plugins/api.c                | 102 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>   plugins/qemu-plugins.symbols |   2 +
>   3 files changed, 154 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/include/qemu/qemu-plugin.h b/include/qemu/qemu-plugin.h
> index 50a9957279..e5c16df5ca 100644
> --- a/include/qemu/qemu-plugin.h
> +++ b/include/qemu/qemu-plugin.h
> @@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
>   #ifndef QEMU_QEMU_PLUGIN_H
>   #define QEMU_QEMU_PLUGIN_H
>   
> +#include <glib.h>
>   #include <inttypes.h>
>   #include <stdbool.h>
>   #include <stddef.h>
> @@ -218,8 +219,8 @@ struct qemu_plugin_insn;
>    * @QEMU_PLUGIN_CB_R_REGS: callback reads the CPU's regs
>    * @QEMU_PLUGIN_CB_RW_REGS: callback reads and writes the CPU's regs
>    *
> - * Note: currently unused, plugins cannot read or change system
> - * register state.
> + * Note: currently QEMU_PLUGIN_CB_RW_REGS is unused, plugins cannot change
> + * system register state.
>    */
>   enum qemu_plugin_cb_flags {
>       QEMU_PLUGIN_CB_NO_REGS,
> @@ -664,4 +665,51 @@ uint64_t qemu_plugin_end_code(void);
>    */
>   uint64_t qemu_plugin_entry_code(void);
>   
> +/** struct qemu_plugin_register - Opaque handle for a translated instruction */
> +struct qemu_plugin_register;
> +
> +/**
> + * typedef qemu_plugin_reg_descriptor - register descriptions
> + *
> + * @name: register name
> + * @handle: opaque handle for retrieving value with qemu_plugin_read_register
> + * @feature: optional feature descriptor, can be NULL
> + */
> +typedef struct {
> +    char name[32];
> +    struct qemu_plugin_register *handle;
> +    const char *feature;
> +} qemu_plugin_reg_descriptor;
> +
> +/**
> + * qemu_plugin_find_registers() - return register list
> + * @vcpu_index: vcpu to query
> + * @reg_pattern: register name pattern
> + *
> + * Returns a GArray of qemu_plugin_reg_descriptor or NULL. Caller
> + * frees. As the register set of a given vCPU is only available once
> + * the vCPU is initialised if you want to monitor registers from the
> + * start you should call this from a qemu_plugin_register_vcpu_init_cb()
> + * callback.
> + */
> +GArray * qemu_plugin_find_registers(unsigned int vcpu_index, const char *reg_pattern);

A pattern may be convenient for humans but not for machine. My 
motivation to introduce the feature is to generate traces consumable by 
trace-based simulators. Such a plugin needs an exact match of registers.