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diff --git a/Documentation/trace/events.txt b/Documentation/trace/events.txt index 37732a220d33..c94435df2037 100644 --- a/Documentation/trace/events.txt +++ b/Documentation/trace/events.txt @@ -287,3 +287,210 @@ their old filters): prev_pid == 0 # cat sched_wakeup/filter common_pid == 0 + +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 occured: + + # 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. |