Re: [PATCH] perf tools: Remove evsel__handle_error_quirks()

From: Namhyung Kim
Date: Thu Apr 10 2025 - 12:40:30 EST


Hello,

On Wed, Apr 09, 2025 at 08:26:07PM -0700, Chun-Tse Shao wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 9, 2025 at 6:02 PM Namhyung Kim <namhyung@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > The evsel__handle_error_quirks() is to fixup invalid event attributes on
> > some architecture based on the error code. Currently it's only used for
> > AMD to disable precise_ip not to use IBS which has more restrictions.
> >
> > But the commit c33aea446bf555ab changed call evsel__precise_ip_fallback
> > for any errors so there's no difference with the above function. To
> > make matter worse, it caused a problem with branch stack on Zen3.
> >
> > The IBS doesn't support branch stack so it should use a regular core
> > PMU event. The default event is set precise_max and it starts with 3.
> > And evsel__precise_ip_fallback() tries with it and reduces the level one
> > by one. At last it tries with 0 but it also failed on Zen3 since the
> > branch stack is not supported for the cycles event.
> >
> > At this point, evsel__precise_ip_fallback() restores the original
> > precise_ip value (3) in the hope that it can succeed with other modifier
> > (like exclude_kernel). Then evsel__handle_error_quirks() see it has
> > precise_ip != 0 and make it retry with 0. This created an infinite
> > loop.
> >
> > Before:
> >
> > $ perf record -b -vv |& grep removing
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > removing precise_ip on AMD
> > ...
> >
> > After:
> >
> > $ perf record -b true
> > Error:
> > Failure to open event 'cycles:P' on PMU 'cpu' which will be removed.
> > Invalid event (cycles:P) in per-thread mode, enable system wide with '-a'.
> > Error:
> > Failure to open any events for recording.
> >
> > Fixes: c33aea446bf555ab ("perf tools: Fix precise_ip fallback logic")
> > Cc: Ravi Bangoria <ravi.bangoria@xxxxxxx>
> > Signed-off-by: Namhyung Kim <namhyung@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Tested-by: Chun-Tse Shao <ctshao@xxxxxxxxxx>

Thanks for the test.

Arnaldo, I think we can have this in the perf-tools tree.

Thanks,
Namhyung


> > ---
> > tools/perf/util/evsel.c | 22 ----------------------
> > 1 file changed, 22 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
> > index 1974395492d7da5e..3c030da2e477c707 100644
> > --- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
> > +++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
> > @@ -2566,25 +2566,6 @@ static bool evsel__detect_missing_features(struct evsel *evsel, struct perf_cpu
> > return false;
> > }
> >
> > -static bool evsel__handle_error_quirks(struct evsel *evsel, int error)
> > -{
> > - /*
> > - * AMD core PMU tries to forward events with precise_ip to IBS PMU
> > - * implicitly. But IBS PMU has more restrictions so it can fail with
> > - * supported event attributes. Let's forward it back to the core PMU
> > - * by clearing precise_ip only if it's from precise_max (:P).
> > - */
> > - if ((error == -EINVAL || error == -ENOENT) && x86__is_amd_cpu() &&
> > - evsel->core.attr.precise_ip && evsel->precise_max) {
> > - evsel->core.attr.precise_ip = 0;
> > - pr_debug2_peo("removing precise_ip on AMD\n");
> > - display_attr(&evsel->core.attr);
> > - return true;
> > - }
> > -
> > - return false;
> > -}
> > -
> > static int evsel__open_cpu(struct evsel *evsel, struct perf_cpu_map *cpus,
> > struct perf_thread_map *threads,
> > int start_cpu_map_idx, int end_cpu_map_idx)
> > @@ -2730,9 +2711,6 @@ static int evsel__open_cpu(struct evsel *evsel, struct perf_cpu_map *cpus,
> > if (evsel__precise_ip_fallback(evsel))
> > goto retry_open;
> >
> > - if (evsel__handle_error_quirks(evsel, err))
> > - goto retry_open;
> > -
> > out_close:
> > if (err)
> > threads->err_thread = thread;
> > --
> > 2.49.0.504.g3bcea36a83-goog
> >