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diff --git a/Documentation/trace/events.rst b/Documentation/trace/events.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..a5ea2cb0082b --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/trace/events.rst @@ -0,0 +1,523 @@ +============= +Event Tracing +============= + +:Author: Theodore Ts'o +:Updated: Li Zefan and Tom Zanussi + +1. Introduction +=============== + +Tracepoints (see Documentation/trace/tracepoints.txt) can be used +without creating custom kernel modules to register probe functions +using the event tracing infrastructure. + +Not all tracepoints can be traced using the event tracing system; +the kernel developer must provide code snippets which define how the +tracing information is saved into the tracing buffer, and how the +tracing information should be printed. + +2. Using Event Tracing +====================== + +2.1 Via the 'set_event' interface +--------------------------------- + +The events which are available for tracing can be found in the file +/sys/kernel/debug/tracing/available_events. + +To enable a particular event, such as 'sched_wakeup', simply echo it +to /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/set_event. For example:: + + # echo sched_wakeup >> /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/set_event + +.. Note:: '>>' is necessary, otherwise it will firstly disable all the events. + +To disable an event, echo the event name to the set_event file prefixed +with an exclamation point:: + + # echo '!sched_wakeup' >> /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/set_event + +To disable all events, echo an empty line to the set_event file:: + + # echo > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/set_event + +To enable all events, echo ``*:*`` or ``*:`` to the set_event file:: + + # echo *:* > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/set_event + +The events are organized into subsystems, such as ext4, irq, sched, +etc., and a full event name looks like this: <subsystem>:<event>. The +subsystem name is optional, but it is displayed in the available_events +file. All of the events in a subsystem can be specified via the syntax +``<subsystem>:*``; for example, to enable all irq events, you can use the +command:: + + # echo 'irq:*' > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/set_event + +2.2 Via the 'enable' toggle +--------------------------- + +The events available are also listed in /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/ hierarchy +of directories. + +To enable event 'sched_wakeup':: + + # echo 1 > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched/sched_wakeup/enable + +To disable it:: + + # echo 0 > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched/sched_wakeup/enable + +To enable all events in sched subsystem:: + + # echo 1 > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched/enable + +To enable all events:: + + # echo 1 > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/enable + +When reading one of these enable files, there are four results: + + - 0 - all events this file affects are disabled + - 1 - all events this file affects are enabled + - X - there is a mixture of events enabled and disabled + - ? - this file does not affect any event + +2.3 Boot option +--------------- + +In order to facilitate early boot debugging, use boot option:: + + trace_event=[event-list] + +event-list is a comma separated list of events. See section 2.1 for event +format. + +3. Defining an event-enabled tracepoint +======================================= + +See The example provided in samples/trace_events + +4. Event formats +================ + +Each trace event has a 'format' file associated with it that contains +a description of each field in a logged event. This information can +be used to parse the binary trace stream, and is also the place to +find the field names that can be used in event filters (see section 5). + +It also displays the format string that will be used to print the +event in text mode, along with the event name and ID used for +profiling. + +Every event has a set of ``common`` fields associated with it; these are +the fields prefixed with ``common_``. The other fields vary between +events and correspond to the fields defined in the TRACE_EVENT +definition for that event. + +Each field in the format has the form:: + + field:field-type field-name; offset:N; size:N; + +where offset is the offset of the field in the trace record and size +is the size of the data item, in bytes. + +For example, here's the information displayed for the 'sched_wakeup' +event:: + + # cat /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched/sched_wakeup/format + + name: sched_wakeup + ID: 60 + format: + field:unsigned short common_type; offset:0; size:2; + field:unsigned char common_flags; offset:2; size:1; + field:unsigned char common_preempt_count; offset:3; size:1; + field:int common_pid; offset:4; size:4; + field:int common_tgid; offset:8; size:4; + + field:char comm[TASK_COMM_LEN]; offset:12; size:16; + field:pid_t pid; offset:28; size:4; + field:int prio; offset:32; size:4; + field:int success; offset:36; size:4; + field:int cpu; offset:40; size:4; + + print fmt: "task %s:%d [%d] success=%d [%03d]", REC->comm, REC->pid, + REC->prio, REC->success, REC->cpu + +This event contains 10 fields, the first 5 common and the remaining 5 +event-specific. All the fields for this event are numeric, except for +'comm' which is a string, a distinction important for event filtering. + +5. Event filtering +================== + +Trace events can be filtered in the kernel by associating boolean +'filter expressions' with them. As soon as an event is logged into +the trace buffer, its fields are checked against the filter expression +associated with that event type. An event with field values that +'match' the filter will appear in the trace output, and an event whose +values don't match will be discarded. An event with no filter +associated with it matches everything, and is the default when no +filter has been set for an event. + +5.1 Expression syntax +--------------------- + +A filter expression consists of one or more 'predicates' that can be +combined using the logical operators '&&' and '||'. A predicate is +simply a clause that compares the value of a field contained within a +logged event with a constant value and returns either 0 or 1 depending +on whether the field value matched (1) or didn't match (0):: + + field-name relational-operator value + +Parentheses can be used to provide arbitrary logical groupings and +double-quotes can be used to prevent the shell from interpreting +operators as shell metacharacters. + +The field-names available for use in filters can be found in the +'format' files for trace events (see section 4). + +The relational-operators depend on the type of the field being tested: + +The operators available for numeric fields are: + +==, !=, <, <=, >, >=, & + +And for string fields they are: + +==, !=, ~ + +The glob (~) accepts a wild card character (\*,?) and character classes +([). For example:: + + prev_comm ~ "*sh" + prev_comm ~ "sh*" + prev_comm ~ "*sh*" + prev_comm ~ "ba*sh" + +5.2 Setting filters +------------------- + +A filter for an individual event is set by writing a filter expression +to the 'filter' file for the given event. + +For example:: + + # cd /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched/sched_wakeup + # echo "common_preempt_count > 4" > filter + +A slightly more involved example:: + + # cd /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/signal/signal_generate + # echo "((sig >= 10 && sig < 15) || sig == 17) && comm != bash" > filter + +If there is an error in the expression, you'll get an 'Invalid +argument' error when setting it, and the erroneous string along with +an error message can be seen by looking at the filter e.g.:: + + # cd /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/signal/signal_generate + # echo "((sig >= 10 && sig < 15) || dsig == 17) && comm != bash" > filter + -bash: echo: write error: Invalid argument + # cat filter + ((sig >= 10 && sig < 15) || dsig == 17) && comm != bash + ^ + parse_error: Field not found + +Currently the caret ('^') for an error always appears at the beginning of +the filter string; the error message should still be useful though +even without more accurate position info. + +5.3 Clearing filters +-------------------- + +To clear the filter for an event, write a '0' to the event's filter +file. + +To clear the filters for all events in a subsystem, write a '0' to the +subsystem's filter file. + +5.3 Subsystem filters +--------------------- + +For convenience, filters for every event in a subsystem can be set or +cleared as a group by writing a filter expression into the filter file +at the root of the subsystem. Note however, that if a filter for any +event within the subsystem lacks a field specified in the subsystem +filter, or if the filter can't be applied for any other reason, the +filter for that event will retain its previous setting. This can +result in an unintended mixture of filters which could lead to +confusing (to the user who might think different filters are in +effect) trace output. Only filters that reference just the common +fields can be guaranteed to propagate successfully to all events. + +Here are a few subsystem filter examples that also illustrate the +above points: + +Clear the filters on all events in the sched subsystem:: + + # cd /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched + # echo 0 > filter + # cat sched_switch/filter + none + # cat sched_wakeup/filter + none + +Set a filter using only common fields for all events in the sched +subsystem (all events end up with the same filter):: + + # cd /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched + # echo common_pid == 0 > filter + # cat sched_switch/filter + common_pid == 0 + # cat sched_wakeup/filter + common_pid == 0 + +Attempt to set a filter using a non-common field for all events in the +sched subsystem (all events but those that have a prev_pid field retain +their old filters):: + + # cd /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/sched + # echo prev_pid == 0 > filter + # cat sched_switch/filter + prev_pid == 0 + # cat sched_wakeup/filter + common_pid == 0 + +5.4 PID filtering +----------------- + +The set_event_pid file in the same directory as the top events directory +exists, will filter all events from tracing any task that does not have the +PID listed in the set_event_pid file. +:: + + # cd /sys/kernel/debug/tracing + # echo $$ > set_event_pid + # echo 1 > events/enable + +Will only trace events for the current task. + +To add more PIDs without losing the PIDs already included, use '>>'. +:: + + # echo 123 244 1 >> set_event_pid + + +6. Event triggers +================= + +Trace events can be made to conditionally invoke trigger 'commands' +which can take various forms and are described in detail below; +examples would be enabling or disabling other trace events or invoking +a stack trace whenever the trace event is hit. Whenever a trace event +with attached triggers is invoked, the set of trigger commands +associated with that event is invoked. Any given trigger can +additionally have an event filter of the same form as described in +section 5 (Event filtering) associated with it - the command will only +be invoked if the event being invoked passes the associated filter. +If no filter is associated with the trigger, it always passes. + +Triggers are added to and removed from a particular event by writing +trigger expressions to the 'trigger' file for the given event. + +A given event can have any number of triggers associated with it, +subject to any restrictions that individual commands may have in that +regard. + +Event triggers are implemented on top of "soft" mode, which means that +whenever a trace event has one or more triggers associated with it, +the event is activated even if it isn't actually enabled, but is +disabled in a "soft" mode. That is, the tracepoint will be called, +but just will not be traced, unless of course it's actually enabled. +This scheme allows triggers to be invoked even for events that aren't +enabled, and also allows the current event filter implementation to be +used for conditionally invoking triggers. + +The syntax for event triggers is roughly based on the syntax for +set_ftrace_filter 'ftrace filter commands' (see the 'Filter commands' +section of Documentation/trace/ftrace.txt), but there are major +differences and the implementation isn't currently tied to it in any +way, so beware about making generalizations between the two. + +6.1 Expression syntax +--------------------- + +Triggers are added by echoing the command to the 'trigger' file:: + + # echo 'command[:count] [if filter]' > trigger + +Triggers are removed by echoing the same command but starting with '!' +to the 'trigger' file:: + + # echo '!command[:count] [if filter]' > trigger + +The [if filter] part isn't used in matching commands when removing, so +leaving that off in a '!' command will accomplish the same thing as +having it in. + +The filter syntax is the same as that described in the 'Event +filtering' section above. + +For ease of use, writing to the trigger file using '>' currently just +adds or removes a single trigger and there's no explicit '>>' support +('>' actually behaves like '>>') or truncation support to remove all +triggers (you have to use '!' for each one added.) + +6.2 Supported trigger commands +------------------------------ + +The following commands are supported: + +- enable_event/disable_event + + These commands can enable or disable another trace event whenever + the triggering event is hit. When these commands are registered, + the other trace event is activated, but disabled in a "soft" mode. + That is, the tracepoint will be called, but just will not be traced. + The event tracepoint stays in this mode as long as there's a trigger + in effect that can trigger it. + + For example, the following trigger causes kmalloc events to be + traced when a read system call is entered, and the :1 at the end + specifies that this enablement happens only once:: + + # echo 'enable_event:kmem:kmalloc:1' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/syscalls/sys_enter_read/trigger + + The following trigger causes kmalloc events to stop being traced + when a read system call exits. This disablement happens on every + read system call exit:: + + # echo 'disable_event:kmem:kmalloc' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/syscalls/sys_exit_read/trigger + + The format is:: + + enable_event:<system>:<event>[:count] + disable_event:<system>:<event>[:count] + + To remove the above commands:: + + # echo '!enable_event:kmem:kmalloc:1' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/syscalls/sys_enter_read/trigger + + # echo '!disable_event:kmem:kmalloc' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/syscalls/sys_exit_read/trigger + + Note that there can be any number of enable/disable_event triggers + per triggering event, but there can only be one trigger per + triggered event. e.g. sys_enter_read can have triggers enabling both + kmem:kmalloc and sched:sched_switch, but can't have two kmem:kmalloc + versions such as kmem:kmalloc and kmem:kmalloc:1 or 'kmem:kmalloc if + bytes_req == 256' and 'kmem:kmalloc if bytes_alloc == 256' (they + could be combined into a single filter on kmem:kmalloc though). + +- stacktrace + + This command dumps a stacktrace in the trace buffer whenever the + triggering event occurs. + + For example, the following trigger dumps a stacktrace every time the + kmalloc tracepoint is hit:: + + # echo 'stacktrace' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/kmem/kmalloc/trigger + + The following trigger dumps a stacktrace the first 5 times a kmalloc + request happens with a size >= 64K:: + + # echo 'stacktrace:5 if bytes_req >= 65536' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/kmem/kmalloc/trigger + + The format is:: + + stacktrace[:count] + + To remove the above commands:: + + # echo '!stacktrace' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/kmem/kmalloc/trigger + + # echo '!stacktrace:5 if bytes_req >= 65536' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/kmem/kmalloc/trigger + + The latter can also be removed more simply by the following (without + the filter):: + + # echo '!stacktrace:5' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/kmem/kmalloc/trigger + + Note that there can be only one stacktrace trigger per triggering + event. + +- snapshot + + This command causes a snapshot to be triggered whenever the + triggering event occurs. + + The following command creates a snapshot every time a block request + queue is unplugged with a depth > 1. If you were tracing a set of + events or functions at the time, the snapshot trace buffer would + capture those events when the trigger event occurred:: + + # echo 'snapshot if nr_rq > 1' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/block/block_unplug/trigger + + To only snapshot once:: + + # echo 'snapshot:1 if nr_rq > 1' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/block/block_unplug/trigger + + To remove the above commands:: + + # echo '!snapshot if nr_rq > 1' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/block/block_unplug/trigger + + # echo '!snapshot:1 if nr_rq > 1' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/block/block_unplug/trigger + + Note that there can be only one snapshot trigger per triggering + event. + +- traceon/traceoff + + These commands turn tracing on and off when the specified events are + hit. The parameter determines how many times the tracing system is + turned on and off. If unspecified, there is no limit. + + The following command turns tracing off the first time a block + request queue is unplugged with a depth > 1. If you were tracing a + set of events or functions at the time, you could then examine the + trace buffer to see the sequence of events that led up to the + trigger event:: + + # echo 'traceoff:1 if nr_rq > 1' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/block/block_unplug/trigger + + To always disable tracing when nr_rq > 1:: + + # echo 'traceoff if nr_rq > 1' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/block/block_unplug/trigger + + To remove the above commands:: + + # echo '!traceoff:1 if nr_rq > 1' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/block/block_unplug/trigger + + # echo '!traceoff if nr_rq > 1' > \ + /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/block/block_unplug/trigger + + Note that there can be only one traceon or traceoff trigger per + triggering event. + +- hist + + This command aggregates event hits into a hash table keyed on one or + more trace event format fields (or stacktrace) and a set of running + totals derived from one or more trace event format fields and/or + event counts (hitcount). + + See Documentation/trace/histogram.txt for details and examples. |
