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diff --git a/Documentation/powerpc/pmu-ebb.txt b/Documentation/powerpc/pmu-ebb.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..73cd163 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/powerpc/pmu-ebb.txt @@ -0,0 +1,137 @@ +PMU Event Based Branches +======================== + +Event Based Branches (EBBs) are a feature which allows the hardware to +branch directly to a specified user space address when certain events occur. + +The full specification is available in Power ISA v2.07: + + https://www.power.org/documentation/power-isa-version-2-07/ + +One type of event for which EBBs can be configured is PMU exceptions. This +document describes the API for configuring the Power PMU to generate EBBs, +using the Linux perf_events API. + + +Terminology +----------- + +Throughout this document we will refer to an "EBB event" or "EBB events". This +just refers to a struct perf_event which has set the "EBB" flag in its +attr.config. All events which can be configured on the hardware PMU are +possible "EBB events". + + +Background +---------- + +When a PMU EBB occurs it is delivered to the currently running process. As such +EBBs can only sensibly be used by programs for self-monitoring. + +It is a feature of the perf_events API that events can be created on other +processes, subject to standard permission checks. This is also true of EBB +events, however unless the target process enables EBBs (via mtspr(BESCR)) no +EBBs will ever be delivered. + +This makes it possible for a process to enable EBBs for itself, but not +actually configure any events. At a later time another process can come along +and attach an EBB event to the process, which will then cause EBBs to be +delivered to the first process. It's not clear if this is actually useful. + + +When the PMU is configured for EBBs, all PMU interrupts are delivered to the +user process. This means once an EBB event is scheduled on the PMU, no non-EBB +events can be configured. This means that EBB events can not be run +concurrently with regular 'perf' commands, or any other perf events. + +It is however safe to run 'perf' commands on a process which is using EBBs. The +kernel will in general schedule the EBB event, and perf will be notified that +its events could not run. + +The exclusion between EBB events and regular events is implemented using the +existing "pinned" and "exclusive" attributes of perf_events. This means EBB +events will be given priority over other events, unless they are also pinned. +If an EBB event and a regular event are both pinned, then whichever is enabled +first will be scheduled and the other will be put in error state. See the +section below titled "Enabling an EBB event" for more information. + + +Creating an EBB event +--------------------- + +To request that an event is counted using EBB, the event code should have bit +63 set. + +EBB events must be created with a particular, and restrictive, set of +attributes - this is so that they interoperate correctly with the rest of the +perf_events subsystem. + +An EBB event must be created with the "pinned" and "exclusive" attributes set. +Note that if you are creating a group of EBB events, only the leader can have +these attributes set. + +An EBB event must NOT set any of the "inherit", "sample_period", "freq" or +"enable_on_exec" attributes. + +An EBB event must be attached to a task. This is specified to perf_event_open() +by passing a pid value, typically 0 indicating the current task. + +All events in a group must agree on whether they want EBB. That is all events +must request EBB, or none may request EBB. + +EBB events must specify the PMC they are to be counted on. This ensures +userspace is able to reliably determine which PMC the event is scheduled on. + + +Enabling an EBB event +--------------------- + +Once an EBB event has been successfully opened, it must be enabled with the +perf_events API. This can be achieved either via the ioctl() interface, or the +prctl() interface. + +However, due to the design of the perf_events API, enabling an event does not +guarantee that it has been scheduled on the PMU. To ensure that the EBB event +has been scheduled on the PMU, you must perform a read() on the event. If the +read() returns EOF, then the event has not been scheduled and EBBs are not +enabled. + +This behaviour occurs because the EBB event is pinned and exclusive. When the +EBB event is enabled it will force all other non-pinned events off the PMU. In +this case the enable will be successful. However if there is already an event +pinned on the PMU then the enable will not be successful. + + +Reading an EBB event +-------------------- + +It is possible to read() from an EBB event. However the results are +meaningless. Because interrupts are being delivered to the user process the +kernel is not able to count the event, and so will return a junk value. + + +Closing an EBB event +-------------------- + +When an EBB event is finished with, you can close it using close() as for any +regular event. If this is the last EBB event the PMU will be deconfigured and +no further PMU EBBs will be delivered. + + +EBB Handler +----------- + +The EBB handler is just regular userspace code, however it must be written in +the style of an interrupt handler. When the handler is entered all registers +are live (possibly) and so must be saved somehow before the handler can invoke +other code. + +It's up to the program how to handle this. For C programs a relatively simple +option is to create an interrupt frame on the stack and save registers there. + +Fork +---- + +EBB events are not inherited across fork. If the child process wishes to use +EBBs it should open a new event for itself. Similarly the EBB state in +BESCR/EBBHR/EBBRR is cleared across fork(). |
