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diff --git a/Documentation/dev-tools/gcov.rst b/Documentation/dev-tools/gcov.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000..19eedfe --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/dev-tools/gcov.rst @@ -0,0 +1,256 @@ +Using gcov with the Linux kernel +================================ + +gcov profiling kernel support enables the use of GCC's coverage testing +tool gcov_ with the Linux kernel. Coverage data of a running kernel +is exported in gcov-compatible format via the "gcov" debugfs directory. +To get coverage data for a specific file, change to the kernel build +directory and use gcov with the ``-o`` option as follows (requires root):: + + # cd /tmp/linux-out + # gcov -o /sys/kernel/debug/gcov/tmp/linux-out/kernel spinlock.c + +This will create source code files annotated with execution counts +in the current directory. In addition, graphical gcov front-ends such +as lcov_ can be used to automate the process of collecting data +for the entire kernel and provide coverage overviews in HTML format. + +Possible uses: + +* debugging (has this line been reached at all?) +* test improvement (how do I change my test to cover these lines?) +* minimizing kernel configurations (do I need this option if the + associated code is never run?) + +.. _gcov: http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Gcov.html +.. _lcov: http://ltp.sourceforge.net/coverage/lcov.php + + +Preparation +----------- + +Configure the kernel with:: + + CONFIG_DEBUG_FS=y + CONFIG_GCOV_KERNEL=y + +select the gcc's gcov format, default is autodetect based on gcc version:: + + CONFIG_GCOV_FORMAT_AUTODETECT=y + +and to get coverage data for the entire kernel:: + + CONFIG_GCOV_PROFILE_ALL=y + +Note that kernels compiled with profiling flags will be significantly +larger and run slower. Also CONFIG_GCOV_PROFILE_ALL may not be supported +on all architectures. + +Profiling data will only become accessible once debugfs has been +mounted:: + + mount -t debugfs none /sys/kernel/debug + + +Customization +------------- + +To enable profiling for specific files or directories, add a line +similar to the following to the respective kernel Makefile: + +- For a single file (e.g. main.o):: + + GCOV_PROFILE_main.o := y + +- For all files in one directory:: + + GCOV_PROFILE := y + +To exclude files from being profiled even when CONFIG_GCOV_PROFILE_ALL +is specified, use:: + + GCOV_PROFILE_main.o := n + +and:: + + GCOV_PROFILE := n + +Only files which are linked to the main kernel image or are compiled as +kernel modules are supported by this mechanism. + + +Files +----- + +The gcov kernel support creates the following files in debugfs: + +``/sys/kernel/debug/gcov`` + Parent directory for all gcov-related files. + +``/sys/kernel/debug/gcov/reset`` + Global reset file: resets all coverage data to zero when + written to. + +``/sys/kernel/debug/gcov/path/to/compile/dir/file.gcda`` + The actual gcov data file as understood by the gcov + tool. Resets file coverage data to zero when written to. + +``/sys/kernel/debug/gcov/path/to/compile/dir/file.gcno`` + Symbolic link to a static data file required by the gcov + tool. This file is generated by gcc when compiling with + option ``-ftest-coverage``. + + +Modules +------- + +Kernel modules may contain cleanup code which is only run during +module unload time. The gcov mechanism provides a means to collect +coverage data for such code by keeping a copy of the data associated +with the unloaded module. This data remains available through debugfs. +Once the module is loaded again, the associated coverage counters are +initialized with the data from its previous instantiation. + +This behavior can be deactivated by specifying the gcov_persist kernel +parameter:: + + gcov_persist=0 + +At run-time, a user can also choose to discard data for an unloaded +module by writing to its data file or the global reset file. + + +Separated build and test machines +--------------------------------- + +The gcov kernel profiling infrastructure is designed to work out-of-the +box for setups where kernels are built and run on the same machine. In +cases where the kernel runs on a separate machine, special preparations +must be made, depending on where the gcov tool is used: + +a) gcov is run on the TEST machine + + The gcov tool version on the test machine must be compatible with the + gcc version used for kernel build. Also the following files need to be + copied from build to test machine: + + from the source tree: + - all C source files + headers + + from the build tree: + - all C source files + headers + - all .gcda and .gcno files + - all links to directories + + It is important to note that these files need to be placed into the + exact same file system location on the test machine as on the build + machine. If any of the path components is symbolic link, the actual + directory needs to be used instead (due to make's CURDIR handling). + +b) gcov is run on the BUILD machine + + The following files need to be copied after each test case from test + to build machine: + + from the gcov directory in sysfs: + - all .gcda files + - all links to .gcno files + + These files can be copied to any location on the build machine. gcov + must then be called with the -o option pointing to that directory. + + Example directory setup on the build machine:: + + /tmp/linux: kernel source tree + /tmp/out: kernel build directory as specified by make O= + /tmp/coverage: location of the files copied from the test machine + + [user@build] cd /tmp/out + [user@build] gcov -o /tmp/coverage/tmp/out/init main.c + + +Troubleshooting +--------------- + +Problem + Compilation aborts during linker step. + +Cause + Profiling flags are specified for source files which are not + linked to the main kernel or which are linked by a custom + linker procedure. + +Solution + Exclude affected source files from profiling by specifying + ``GCOV_PROFILE := n`` or ``GCOV_PROFILE_basename.o := n`` in the + corresponding Makefile. + +Problem + Files copied from sysfs appear empty or incomplete. + +Cause + Due to the way seq_file works, some tools such as cp or tar + may not correctly copy files from sysfs. + +Solution + Use ``cat``' to read ``.gcda`` files and ``cp -d`` to copy links. + Alternatively use the mechanism shown in Appendix B. + + +Appendix A: gather_on_build.sh +------------------------------ + +Sample script to gather coverage meta files on the build machine +(see 6a):: + + #!/bin/bash + + KSRC=$1 + KOBJ=$2 + DEST=$3 + + if [ -z "$KSRC" ] || [ -z "$KOBJ" ] || [ -z "$DEST" ]; then + echo "Usage: $0 <ksrc directory> <kobj directory> <output.tar.gz>" >&2 + exit 1 + fi + + KSRC=$(cd $KSRC; printf "all:\n\t@echo \${CURDIR}\n" | make -f -) + KOBJ=$(cd $KOBJ; printf "all:\n\t@echo \${CURDIR}\n" | make -f -) + + find $KSRC $KOBJ \( -name '*.gcno' -o -name '*.[ch]' -o -type l \) -a \ + -perm /u+r,g+r | tar cfz $DEST -P -T - + + if [ $? -eq 0 ] ; then + echo "$DEST successfully created, copy to test system and unpack with:" + echo " tar xfz $DEST -P" + else + echo "Could not create file $DEST" + fi + + +Appendix B: gather_on_test.sh +----------------------------- + +Sample script to gather coverage data files on the test machine +(see 6b):: + + #!/bin/bash -e + + DEST=$1 + GCDA=/sys/kernel/debug/gcov + + if [ -z "$DEST" ] ; then + echo "Usage: $0 <output.tar.gz>" >&2 + exit 1 + fi + + TEMPDIR=$(mktemp -d) + echo Collecting data.. + find $GCDA -type d -exec mkdir -p $TEMPDIR/\{\} \; + find $GCDA -name '*.gcda' -exec sh -c 'cat < $0 > '$TEMPDIR'/$0' {} \; + find $GCDA -name '*.gcno' -exec sh -c 'cp -d $0 '$TEMPDIR'/$0' {} \; + tar czf $DEST -C $TEMPDIR sys + rm -rf $TEMPDIR + + echo "$DEST successfully created, copy to build system and unpack with:" + echo " tar xfz $DEST" |
