[BUG] perf: No samples found when using kcore + coresight

Tue Mar 7 11:45:16 PST 2023

Hi James,

Thanks for the prompt response. Please see the inline replies.

On Tue, Mar 7, 2023 at 2:32 AM James Clark <james.clark at arm.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> On 06/03/2023 21:13, Yang Shi wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm seeking some help regarding perf record --kcore + coresight. When
> > I tracing with perf record --kcore -e cs_etm ... , perf report shows
> > "The perf.data/data data has no samples!".
> >
> > I tried other combinations:
> > 1. perf record --kcore (w/o using coresight): works
> > 2. perf record -e cs_etm ... : works
> > 3. Manually copy kcore with perf buildid-cache, then run perf record
> > -e cs_etm... : works
> >
> > So just "perf record --kcore -e cs_etm ..." doesn't work.
> >
> > I'm using v6.2 kernel and the perf is built from the same kernel
> > source with OpenCSD 1.4. Also attached the sample file generated by
> > perf.
> >
> > Any suggestion is appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Yang
>
> Hi Yang,
>
> I don't see any issue with this command and I still get samples:
>
>   perf record -e cs_etm// --kcore -- true

This command works for me. But the below command doesn't work:

perf record --kcore -e cs_etm/@tmc_etf63/k --per-thread -- taskset
--cpu-list 1 uname

>
> You might want to try running both record and report in verbose and
> stdio mode (-vvv --stdio) to see if you see any warnings.
>
> I can't think of any way --kcore would cause an issue because all it
> does is save kcore into the .debug cache rather than affecting the
> actual perf.data file.

Yes, this is what I thought. But digging into the code seems it may
add a new dummy event. Please see the below data header dump.

>
> Are you running perf report in the same place the recording was made? Or
> on another system?

Yes.

I did some further investigation. The below is the dump for both good
and bad data files.

Good (copy kcore manually):
# captured on    : Tue Mar  7 11:19:14 2023
# header version : 1
# data offset    : 1576
# data size      : 26736
# feat offset    : 28312
# hostname : fedora
# os release : 6.2.0-coresight+
# perf version : 6.2.g3424af22c4fc
# arch : aarch64
# nrcpus online : 128
# nrcpus avail : 128
# cpuid : 0x00000000c00fac30
# total memory : 2108862504 kB
# cmdline : /root/bin/perf record -e cs_etm/@tmc_etf63/k --kcore
--per-thread -- taskset --cpu-list 1 true
# event : name = cs_etm/@tmc_etf63/k, , id = { 2248 }, type = 9, size
= 128, { sample_period, sample_freq } = 1, sample_type =
IP|TID|IDENTIFIER, read_format = ID|LO
ST, disabled = 1, exclude_user = 1, exclude_hv = 1, enable_on_exec =
1, sample_id_all = 1, { bp_len, config2 } = 0x12792918
# event : name = dummy:u, , id = { 2249 }, type = 1, size = 128,
config = 0x9, { sample_period, sample_freq } = 1, sample_type =
IP|TID|IDENTIFIER, read_format = ID|
LOST, disabled = 1, exclude_kernel = 1, exclude_hv = 1, mmap = 1, comm
= 1, enable_on_exec = 1, task = 1, sample_id_all = 1, exclude_guest =
1, mmap2 = 1, comm_exec
= 1, context_switch = 1, bpf_event = 1
# event : name = dummy:u, , id = { 2250, 2251, 2252, 2253, 2254, 2255,
2256, 2257, 2258, 2259, 2260, 2261, 2262, 2263, 2264, 2265, 2266,
2267, 2268, 2269, 2270, 2271
, 2272, 2273, 2274, 2275, 2276, 2277, 2278, 2279, 2280, 2281, 2282,
2283, 2284, 2285, 2286, 2287, 2288, 2289, 2290, 2291, 2292, 2293,
2294, 2295, 2296, 2297, 2298, 2
299, 2300, 2301, 2302, 2303, 2304, 2305, 2306, 2307, 2308, 2309, 2310,
2311, 2312, 2313, 2314, 2315, 2316, 2317, 2318, 2319, 2320, 2321,
2322, 2323, 2324, 2325, 2326
, 2327, 2328, 2329, 2330, 2331, 2332, 2333, 2334, 2335, 2336, 2337,
2338, 2339, 2340, 2341, 2342, 2343, 2344, 2345, 2346, 2347, 2348,
2349, 2350, 2351, 2352, 2353, 2
354, 2355, 2356, 2357, 2358, 2359, 2360, 2361, 2362, 2363, 2364, 2365,
2366, 2367, 2368, 2369, 2370, 2371, 2372, 2373, 2374, 2375, 2376, 2377
}, type = 1, size = 128
, config = 0x9, { sample_period, sample_freq } = 1, sample_type =
IP|TID|TIME|IDENTIFIER, read_format = ID|LOST, exclude_kernel = 1,
exclude_hv = 1, sample_id_all =
1, exclude_guest = 1, ksymbol = 1, text_poke = 1
# CPU_TOPOLOGY info available, use -I to display
# NUMA_TOPOLOGY info available, use -I to display
# pmu mappings: armv8_pmuv3_0 = 8, software = 1, arm_cmn_0 = 10,
uprobe = 7, cs_etm = 9, breakpoint = 5, tracepoint = 2, arm_cmn_1 =
11, kprobe = 6
# contains AUX area data (e.g. instruction trace)
# CACHE info available, use -I to display
# time of first sample : 18446744073.709551
# time of last sample : 18446744073.709551
# sample duration :      0.000 ms
# MEM_TOPOLOGY info available, use -I to display
# armv8_pmuv3_0 pmu capabilities: slots=0x00000004,
bus_slots=0x00000000, bus_width=0x00000000
# missing features: (null) CPUDESC BRANCH_STACK GROUP_DESC STAT
CLOCKID DIR_FORMAT COMPRESSED CPU_PMU_CAPS CLOCK_DATA HYBRID_TOPOLOGY

Bad:
# captured on    : Tue Mar  7 11:19:14 2023
# header version : 1
# data offset    : 1576
# data size      : 26736
# feat offset    : 28312
# hostname : fedora
# os release : 6.2.0-coresight+
# perf version : 6.2.g3424af22c4fc
# arch : aarch64
# nrcpus online : 128
# nrcpus avail : 128
# cpuid : 0x00000000c00fac30
# total memory : 2108862504 kB
# cmdline : /root/bin/perf record -e cs_etm/@tmc_etf63/k --kcore
--per-thread -- taskset --cpu-list 1 true
# event : name = cs_etm/@tmc_etf63/k, , id = { 2248 }, type = 9, size
= 128, { sample_period, sample_freq } = 1, sample_type =
IP|TID|IDENTIFIER, read_format = ID|LO
ST, disabled = 1, exclude_user = 1, exclude_hv = 1, enable_on_exec =
1, sample_id_all = 1, { bp_len, config2 } = 0x12792918
# event : name = dummy:u, , id = { 2249 }, type = 1, size = 128,
config = 0x9, { sample_period, sample_freq } = 1, sample_type =
IP|TID|IDENTIFIER, read_format = ID|
LOST, disabled = 1, exclude_kernel = 1, exclude_hv = 1, mmap = 1, comm
= 1, enable_on_exec = 1, task = 1, sample_id_all = 1, exclude_guest =
1, mmap2 = 1, comm_exec
= 1, context_switch = 1, bpf_event = 1
# event : name = dummy:u, , id = { 2250, 2251, 2252, 2253, 2254, 2255,
2256, 2257, 2258, 2259, 2260, 2261, 2262, 2263, 2264, 2265, 2266,
2267, 2268, 2269, 2270, 2271
, 2272, 2273, 2274, 2275, 2276, 2277, 2278, 2279, 2280, 2281, 2282,
2283, 2284, 2285, 2286, 2287, 2288, 2289, 2290, 2291, 2292, 2293,
2294, 2295, 2296, 2297, 2298, 2
299, 2300, 2301, 2302, 2303, 2304, 2305, 2306, 2307, 2308, 2309, 2310,
2311, 2312, 2313, 2314, 2315, 2316, 2317, 2318, 2319, 2320, 2321,
2322, 2323, 2324, 2325, 2326
, 2327, 2328, 2329, 2330, 2331, 2332, 2333, 2334, 2335, 2336, 2337,
2338, 2339, 2340, 2341, 2342, 2343, 2344, 2345, 2346, 2347, 2348,
2349, 2350, 2351, 2352, 2353, 2
354, 2355, 2356, 2357, 2358, 2359, 2360, 2361, 2362, 2363, 2364, 2365,
2366, 2367, 2368, 2369, 2370, 2371, 2372, 2373, 2374, 2375, 2376, 2377
}, type = 1, size = 128
, config = 0x9, { sample_period, sample_freq } = 1, sample_type =
IP|TID|TIME|IDENTIFIER, read_format = ID|LOST, exclude_kernel = 1,
exclude_hv = 1, sample_id_all =
1, exclude_guest = 1, ksymbol = 1, text_poke = 1
# CPU_TOPOLOGY info available, use -I to display
# NUMA_TOPOLOGY info available, use -I to display
# pmu mappings: armv8_pmuv3_0 = 8, software = 1, arm_cmn_0 = 10,
uprobe = 7, cs_etm = 9, breakpoint = 5, tracepoint = 2, arm_cmn_1 =
11, kprobe = 6
# contains AUX area data (e.g. instruction trace)
# CACHE info available, use -I to display
# time of first sample : 18446744073.709551
# time of last sample : 18446744073.709551
# sample duration :      0.000 ms
# MEM_TOPOLOGY info available, use -I to display
# armv8_pmuv3_0 pmu capabilities: slots=0x00000004,
bus_slots=0x00000000, bus_width=0x00000000
# missing features: (null) CPUDESC BRANCH_STACK GROUP_DESC STAT
CLOCKID DIR_FORMAT COMPRESSED CPU_PMU_CAPS CLOCK_DATA HYBRID_TOPOLOGY

Dumping raw events could show the events from the bad data file. But
it has zero samples after event collapse.

The only difference is --kcore inserted a new text_poke dummy event.
It seems coresight also inserted a dummy event with my command but
your command didn't. So it seems like the two dummy events confused
event collapse.

The text_poke dummy event is added by commit
f42c0ce573df79d1b8bd169008c994dcdd43585a ("perf record: Always get
text_poke events with --kcore option"). If I reverted this commit,
then it works. But I'm not sure whether this is the right fix or real
root cause or not. Or coresight shouldn't insert its own dummy event?

>
> James