Re: [PATCH v2 8/8] drivers/perf: Add Apple icestorm/firestorm CPU PMU driver

From: Marc Zyngier
Date: Fri Dec 03 2021 - 11:22:56 EST


On Fri, 03 Dec 2021 12:04:35 +0000,
Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> On Fri, Dec 03, 2021 at 11:22:53AM +0000, Marc Zyngier wrote:
> > On Thu, 02 Dec 2021 16:14:01 +0000, Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > On Thu, Dec 02, 2021 at 03:39:46PM +0000, Marc Zyngier wrote:
> > > > On Wed, 01 Dec 2021 16:58:10 +0000, Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > > > On Wed, Dec 01, 2021 at 01:49:09PM +0000, Marc Zyngier wrote:
> > > > > > + state = read_sysreg_s(SYS_IMP_APL_PMCR0_EL1);
> > > > > > + overflow = read_sysreg_s(SYS_IMP_APL_PMSR_EL1);
> > > > >
> > > > > I assume the overflow behaviour is free-running rather than stopping?
> > > >
> > > > Configurable, apparently. At the moment, I set it to stop on overflow.
> > > > Happy to change the behaviour though.
> > >
> > > The architected PMU continues counting upon overflow (which prevents
> > > losing counts around the overlflow occurring), so I'd prefer that.
> > >
> > > Is that behaviour per-counter, or for the PMU as a whole?
> >
> > It is global. This will probably require some additional rework to
> > clear bit 47 in overflowing counters, which we can't do atomically.
>
> Ah; I see.
>
> To calrify my comment above, the reason for wanting the counter to keep
> counting is to count during the window between the IRQ being asserted and the
> PMU IRQ handler being invoked, and it's fine for there to be a blackout period
> *within* the PMU IRQ handler.
>
> So for example it would be fine to have:
>
> irq_handler()
> {
> if (!any_counter_overflowed())
> return IRQ_NONE;
>
> stop_all_counters();
>
> for_each_counter(c) {
> handle_counter(c);
> }
>
> start_all_counters();
>
> return IRQ_HANDLED;
>
> }
>
> ... and I think with that the regular per-counter period
> reprogramming would do the right thing?

Yup. It looks like this works just fine.

Thanks,

M.

--
Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.