Re: Fwd: [PATCH-V2] perf symbols: fix symbol offset breakage withseparated debug info

From: Dave Martin
Date: Wed Jun 13 2012 - 06:14:48 EST


On Mon, Jun 11, 2012 at 10:53:52AM -0300, Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo wrote:
> Adding Roland to the CC list, perhaps he can help us with these
> debuginfo details :-)
>
> Em Mon, Jun 11, 2012 at 04:47:34PM +0530, Prashanth Nageshappa escreveu:
> > Dave/Arnaldo,
> > Let me know if you have any comments on this patch so that I can address them.
>
> > -------- Original Message --------
> > Subject: [PATCH-V2] perf symbols: fix symbol offset breakage with separated debug info
> > Date: Wed, 02 May 2012 12:32:06 +0530
> > From: Prashanth Nageshappa <prashanth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > To: peterz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, mingo@xxxxxxx
> > CC: akpm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, torvalds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, ananth@xxxxxxxxxx, jkenisto@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, linux-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, linux-mm@xxxxxxxxx, oleg@xxxxxxxxxx, andi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx, hch@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx, acme@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, masami.hiramatsu.pt@xxxxxxxxxxx, tglx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, anton@xxxxxxxxxx, srikar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, dave.martin@xxxxxxxxxx, linux-perf-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >
> > From: Dave Martin <dave.martin@xxxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > perf resolves symbols to wrong offsets when debug info is separated
> > from the lib/executable.
> >
> > This patch is based on Dave Martin's initial work first published at
> > https://lkml.org/lkml/2010/11/22/137
> >
> > This patch loads the ELF section headers from a separate file if
> > necessary, to avoid getting confused by the different section file
> > offsets seen in debug images. Invalid section headers are detected by
> > checking for the presence of non-writable SHT_NOBITS sections, which
> > don't make sense under normal circumstances.
> >
> > In particular, this allows symbols in ET_EXEC images to get fixed up
> > correctly in the presence of separated debug images.
> >
> > v2 addresses review comments (to remove asserts) from Dave Martin.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Dave Martin <dave.martin@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Signed-off-by: Prashanth Nageshappa <prashanth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > ---
> >
> > tools/perf/util/symbol.c | 168 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
> > 1 files changed, 164 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/tools/perf/util/symbol.c b/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
> > index caaf75a..a6ad4b1 100644
> > --- a/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
> > +++ b/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
> > @@ -1158,8 +1158,105 @@ static size_t elf_addr_to_index(Elf *elf, GElf_Addr addr)
> > return -1;
> > }
> >
> > +/**
> > + * Read all section headers, copying them into a separate array so they survive
> > + * elf_end.
> > + *
> > + * @elf: the libelf instance to operate on.
> > + * @ehdr: the elf header: this must already have been read with gelf_getehdr().
> > + * @count: the number of headers read is assigned to *count on successful
> > + * return. count must not be NULL.
> > + *
> > + * Returns a pointer to the allocated headers, which should be deallocated with
> > + * free() when no longer needed.
> > + */
> > +static GElf_Shdr *elf_get_all_shdrs(Elf *elf, GElf_Ehdr const *ehdr,
> > + unsigned *count)
> > +{
> > + GElf_Shdr *shdrs;
> > + Elf_Scn *scn;
> > + unsigned max_index = 0;
> > + unsigned i;
> > +
> > + shdrs = malloc(ehdr->e_shnum * sizeof *shdrs);
>
> This could be zalloc so that...
>
> > + if (!shdrs)
> > + return NULL;
> > +
> > + for (i = 0; i < ehdr->e_shnum; i++)
> > + shdrs[i].sh_type = SHT_NULL;
>
> The loop above can be removed
>
>
> > + for (scn = NULL; (scn = elf_nextscn(elf, scn)); ) {
> > + size_t j;
> > +
> > + /*
> > + * Just assuming we get section 0, 1, ... in sequence may lead
> > + * to wrong section indices. Check the index explicitly:
> > + */
> > + j = elf_ndxscn(scn);
> > + if (j > max_index)
> > + max_index = j;
> > +
> > + if (!gelf_getshdr(scn, &shdrs[j]))
> > + goto error;
> > + }
> > +
> > + *count = max_index + 1;
> > + return shdrs;
> > +
> > +error:
> > + free(shdrs);
> > + return NULL;
> > +}
> > +
> > +/**
> > + * Check that the section headers @shdrs reflect accurately the file data
> > + * layout of the image that was loaded during perf record. This is generally
> > + * not true for separated debug images generated with e.g.,
> > + * objcopy --only-keep-debug.
> > + *
> > + * We identify invalid files by checking for non-empty sections which are
> > + * declared as having no file data (SHT_NOBITS) but are not writable.
> > + *
> > + * @shdrs: the full set of section headers, as loaded by elf_get_all_shdrs().
> > + * @count: the number of headers present in @shdrs.
> > + *
> > + * Returns 1 for valid headers, 0 otherwise.
> > + */
>
> Roland, could you take a look at these ELF/debuginfo aspects?
>
> > +static int elf_check_shdrs_valid(GElf_Shdr const *shdrs, unsigned count)
> > +{
> > + unsigned i;
> > +
> > + for (i = 0; i < count; i++) {
> > + if (shdrs[i].sh_type == SHT_NOBITS &&
> > + !(shdrs[i].sh_flags & SHF_WRITE) &&
> > + shdrs[i].sh_size != 0)
> > + return 0;
> > + }
> > +
> > + return 1;
> > +}
> > +
> > +/*
> > + * Notes:
> > + *
> > + * If saved_shdrs is non-NULL, the section headers will be read if found, and
> > + * will be used for address fixups. saved_shdrs_count must also be non-NULL in
> > + * this case. This may be needed for separated debug images, since the section
> > + * headers and symbols may need to come from separate images in that case.
> > + *
> > + * Note: irrespective of whether this function returns successfully,
> > + * *saved_shdrs may get initialised if saved_shdrs is non-NULL. It is the
> > + * caller's responsibility to free() it when non longer needed.
>
> I kept deferring looking at this patch because of the added complexity,
> couldn't we try to simplify it somehow?
>
> > + * If want_symtab == 1, this function will only load symbols from .symtab
> > + * sections. Otherwise (want_symtab == 0), .dynsym or .symtab symbols are
> > + * loaded. This feature is used by dso__load() to search for the best image
> > + * to load.
> > + */
> > +
> > static int dso__load_sym(struct dso *dso, struct map *map, const char *name,
> > int fd, symbol_filter_t filter, int kmodule,
> > + GElf_Shdr **saved_shdrs, unsigned *saved_shdrs_count,
> > int want_symtab)
> > {
> > struct kmap *kmap = dso->kernel ? map__kmap(map) : NULL;
> > @@ -1178,6 +1275,17 @@ static int dso__load_sym(struct dso *dso, struct map *map, const char *name,
> > int nr = 0;
> > size_t opdidx = 0;
> >
> > + if (saved_shdrs != NULL && saved_shdrs_count == NULL) {
> > + /*
> > + * If you trigger this check, you're calling this function
> > + * incorrectly. Refer to the notes above for details.
> > + */
> > + pr_debug("%s: warning: saved_shdrs_count == NULL: "
> > + "ignoring the saved section headers.\n",
> > + __func__);
> > + saved_shdrs = NULL;
> > + }
>
> Why check if one of the parameters is null? Perhaps we should have
> something like:
>
> struct saved_shdrs {
> GElf_Shdr **saved_shdrs;
> unsigned *saved_shdrs_count;
> }
>
> And pass just one parameter?
>
> > elf = elf_begin(fd, PERF_ELF_C_READ_MMAP, NULL);
> > if (elf == NULL) {
> > pr_debug("%s: cannot read %s ELF file.\n", __func__, name);
> > @@ -1200,6 +1308,36 @@ static int dso__load_sym(struct dso *dso, struct map *map, const char *name,
> > goto out_elf_end;
> > }
> >
> > + /*
> > + * Copy all section headers from the image if requested and if not
> > + * already loaded.
> > + */
> > + if (saved_shdrs != NULL && *saved_shdrs == NULL) {
> > + GElf_Shdr *shdrs;
> > + unsigned count;
> > +
> > + shdrs = elf_get_all_shdrs(elf, &ehdr, &count);
> > + if (shdrs == NULL)
> > + goto out_elf_end;
> > +
> > + /*
> > + * Only keep the headers if they reflect the actual run-time
> > + * image's file layout:
> > + */
> > + if (elf_check_shdrs_valid(shdrs, count)) {
> > + *saved_shdrs = shdrs;
> > + *saved_shdrs_count = count;
> > + } else
> > + free(shdrs);
> > + }
> > +
> > + /*
> > + * If no genuine ELF headers are available yet, give up: we can't
> > + * adjust symbols correctly in that case:
> > + */
> > + if (saved_shdrs != NULL && *saved_shdrs == NULL)
> > + goto out_elf_end;
>
> > sec = elf_section_by_name(elf, &ehdr, &shdr, ".symtab", NULL);
> > if (sec == NULL) {
> > if (want_symtab)
> > @@ -1344,12 +1482,25 @@ static int dso__load_sym(struct dso *dso, struct map *map, const char *name,
> > goto new_symbol;
> > }
> >
> > + /*
> > + * Currently, symbols for shared objects and PIE executables
> > + * (i.e., ET_DYN) do not seem to get adjusted. This might need
> > + * to change if file offset == virtual address is not actually
> > + * guaranteed for these images. ELF doesn't provide this
> > + * guarantee natively.
> > + */
> > if (curr_dso->adjust_symbols) {
> > pr_debug4("%s: adjusting symbol: st_value: %#" PRIx64 " "
> > "sh_addr: %#" PRIx64 " sh_offset: %#" PRIx64 "\n", __func__,
> > (u64)sym.st_value, (u64)shdr.sh_addr,
> > (u64)shdr.sh_offset);
> > - sym.st_value -= shdr.sh_addr - shdr.sh_offset;
> > + if (saved_shdrs && *saved_shdrs &&
> > + sym.st_shndx < *saved_shdrs_count)
> > + sym.st_value -=
> > + (*saved_shdrs)[sym.st_shndx].sh_addr -
> > + (*saved_shdrs)[sym.st_shndx].sh_offset;
> > + else
> > + sym.st_value -= shdr.sh_addr - shdr.sh_offset;
>
> All this couldn't be on a separate helper routine?
>
> > }
> > /*
> > * We need to figure out if the object was created from C++ sources
> > @@ -1590,6 +1741,8 @@ int dso__load(struct dso *dso, struct map *map, symbol_filter_t filter)
> > struct machine *machine;
> > const char *root_dir;
> > int want_symtab;
> > + GElf_Shdr *saved_shdrs = NULL;
> > + unsigned saved_shdrs_count;o
>
> Couldn't saved_shdrs be a member of struct dso so that we don't have to
> be passing parameters back and forth.
>
> These questions are more trying to simplify the patch, I haven't deeply
> looked at how to reimplement it to reduce complexity, hope you can try
> to do it.
>
> The symbols code already is complicated, I know there is intrinsic
> complexity here, but we really need to try to avoid making it even more
> complicaed.

Your suggestions sounds sensible, but they only really address surface
complexity -- you're right that this doesn't feel very sustainable.

We might want to do a bit more refactoring if we want to tidy this up.

For one thing, I assumed that the section headers for a debug-only image
may be bogus garbage and not useful for some aspects of symbol
processing. I'm no longer sure that this is the case: if not, then we
don't need to bother with saving the section headers because once we
have chosen a reference image for the symbols, we know that image is
good enough for all the symbol processing. My previous assumption
that we may need to juggle parts of two ELF images in order to do the
symbol processing does complicate things -- hopefully we don't need it.

It could also make sense to separate out the procedure of searching for
a suitable symbols image from the code which uses that image to populate
symbol tables and perform symbol adjustment.

We could follow a model where we iterate over a set of candidate images
and record information about the suitability of each. Once that's
finished, we can simply choose the best one and do the symbol operations
-- in this case there would be no need for the somewhat clunky two-pass
search we currently have.


It would also make sense if we could factor out the search for debug
images: it would arguably be a good idea to cache the debug images along
with the executing binaries, in which case the mechanism for searching
for those images really belongs outside the perf symbols code.

Cheers
---Dave
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