Demonstrations of profile, the Linux eBPF/bcc version.


This is a CPU profiler. It works by taking samples of stack traces at timed
intervals, and frequency counting them in kernel context for efficiency.

Example output:

# ./profile
Sampling at 49 Hertz of all threads by user + kernel stack... Hit Ctrl-C to end.
^C
    ffffffff81189249 filemap_map_pages
    ffffffff811bd3f5 handle_mm_fault
    ffffffff81065990 __do_page_fault
    ffffffff81065caf do_page_fault
    ffffffff817ce228 page_fault
    00007fed989afcc0 [unknown]
    -                cp (9036)
        1

    00007f31d76c3251 [unknown]
    47a2c1e752bf47f7 [unknown]
    -                sign-file (8877)
        1

    ffffffff813d0af8 __clear_user
    ffffffff813d5277 iov_iter_zero
    ffffffff814ec5f2 read_iter_zero
    ffffffff8120be9d __vfs_read
    ffffffff8120c385 vfs_read
    ffffffff8120d786 sys_read
    ffffffff817cc076 entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath
    00007fc5652ad9b0 read
    -                dd (25036)
        4

    0000000000400542 func_a
    0000000000400598 main
    00007f12a133e830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (13549)
        5

[...]

    ffffffff8105eb66 native_safe_halt
    ffffffff8103659e default_idle
    ffffffff81036d1f arch_cpu_idle
    ffffffff810bba5a default_idle_call
    ffffffff810bbd07 cpu_startup_entry
    ffffffff817bf4a7 rest_init
    ffffffff81d65f58 start_kernel
    ffffffff81d652db x86_64_start_reservations
    ffffffff81d65418 x86_64_start_kernel
    -                swapper/0 (0)
        72

    ffffffff8105eb66 native_safe_halt
    ffffffff8103659e default_idle
    ffffffff81036d1f arch_cpu_idle
    ffffffff810bba5a default_idle_call
    ffffffff810bbd07 cpu_startup_entry
    ffffffff8104df55 start_secondary
    -                swapper/1 (0)
        75

The output was long; I truncated some lines ("[...]").

This default output prints stack traces as two columns (raw addresses, and
then translated symbol names), followed by a line to describe the process (a
dash, the process name, and a PID in parenthesis), and then an integer count
of how many times this stack trace was sampled.

The output above shows the most frequent stack was from the "swapper/1"
process (PID 0), running the native_safe_halt() function, which was called
by default_idle(), which was called by arch_cpu_idle(), and so on. This is
the idle thread. Stacks can be read top-down, to follow ancestry: child,
parent, grandparent, etc.

The func_ab process is running the func_a() function, called by main(),
called by __libc_start_main(), and called by "[unknown]" with what looks
like a bogus address (1st column). That's evidence of a broken stack trace.
It's common for user-level software that hasn't been compiled with frame
pointers (in this case, libc).

The dd process has called read(), and then enters the kernel via
entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath(), calling sys_read(), and so on. Yes, I'm now
reading it bottom up. That way follows the code flow.


The dd process is actually "dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/null": it's a simple
workload to analyze that just moves bytes from /dev/zero to /dev/null.
Profiling just that process:

# ./profile -p 25036
Sampling at 49 Hertz of PID 25036 by user + kernel stack... Hit Ctrl-C to end.
^C
    0000000000402748 [unknown]
    00007fc56561422c [unknown]
    -                dd (25036)
        1

    00007fc5652ada0e __write
    -                dd (25036)
        1

    00007fc5652ad9b0 read
    -                dd (25036)
        1

[...]

    00000000004047b2 [unknown]
    00007fc56561422c [unknown]
    -                dd (25036)
        2

    ffffffff817cc060 entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath
    00007fc5652ada10 __write
    00007fc56561422c [unknown]
    -                dd (25036)
        3

    ffffffff817cc060 entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath
    00007fc5652ad9b0 read
    -                dd (25036)
        3

    ffffffff813d0af8 __clear_user
    ffffffff813d5277 iov_iter_zero
    ffffffff814ec5f2 read_iter_zero
    ffffffff8120be9d __vfs_read
    ffffffff8120c385 vfs_read
    ffffffff8120d786 sys_read
    ffffffff817cc076 entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath
    00007fc5652ad9b0 read
    00007fc56561422c [unknown]
    -                dd (25036)
        3

    ffffffff813d0af8 __clear_user
    ffffffff813d5277 iov_iter_zero
    ffffffff814ec5f2 read_iter_zero
    ffffffff8120be9d __vfs_read
    ffffffff8120c385 vfs_read
    ffffffff8120d786 sys_read
    ffffffff817cc076 entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath
    00007fc5652ad9b0 read
    -                dd (25036)
        7

Again, I've truncated some lines. Now we're just analyzing the dd process.
The filtering is performed in kernel context, for efficiency.

This output has some "[unknown]" frames that probably have valid addresses,
but we're lacking the symbol translation. This is a common for all profilers
on Linux, and is usually fixable. See the DEBUGGING section of the profile(8)
man page.


Lets add delimiters between the user and kernel stacks, using -d:

# ./profile -p 25036 -d
^C
    ffffffff8120b385 __vfs_write
    ffffffff8120d826 sys_write
    ffffffff817cc076 entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath
    --
    00007fc5652ada10 __write
    -                dd (25036)
        1

    --
    00007fc565255ef3 [unknown]
    00007fc56561422c [unknown]
    -                dd (25036)
        1

    ffffffff813d4569 iov_iter_init
    ffffffff8120be8e __vfs_read
    ffffffff8120c385 vfs_read
    ffffffff8120d786 sys_read
    ffffffff817cc076 entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath
    --
    00007fc5652ad9b0 read
    -                dd (25036)
        1

[...]

    ffffffff813d0af8 __clear_user
    ffffffff813d5277 iov_iter_zero
    ffffffff814ec5f2 read_iter_zero
    ffffffff8120be9d __vfs_read
    ffffffff8120c385 vfs_read
    ffffffff8120d786 sys_read
    ffffffff817cc076 entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath
    --
    00007fc5652ad9b0 read
    -                dd (25036)
        9

In this mode, the delimiters are "--".


Here's another example, a func_ab program that runs two functions, func_a() and
func_b(). Profiling it for 5 seconds:

# ./profile -p `pgrep -n func_ab` 5
Sampling at 49 Hertz of PID 2930 by user + kernel stack for 5 secs.

    000000000040053e func_a
    0000000000400598 main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        2

    0000000000400566 func_b
    00000000004005ac main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        3

    000000000040053a func_a
    0000000000400598 main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        5

    0000000000400562 func_b
    00000000004005ac main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        12

    000000000040056a func_b
    00000000004005ac main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        19

    0000000000400542 func_a
    0000000000400598 main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        22

    0000000000400571 func_b
    00000000004005ac main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        64

    0000000000400549 func_a
    0000000000400598 main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        72

Note that the same stack (2nd column) seems to be repeated. Weren't we doing
frequency counting and only printing unique stacks? We are, but in terms of
the raw addresses, not the symbols. See the 1st column: those stacks are
all unique.


We can output in "folded format", which puts the stack trace on one line,
separating frames with semi-colons. Eg:

# ./profile -f -p `pgrep -n func_ab` 5
func_ab;[unknown];__libc_start_main;main;func_a 2
func_ab;[unknown];__libc_start_main;main;func_b 2
func_ab;[unknown];__libc_start_main;main;func_a 11
func_ab;[unknown];__libc_start_main;main;func_b 12
func_ab;[unknown];__libc_start_main;main;func_a 23
func_ab;[unknown];__libc_start_main;main;func_b 28
func_ab;[unknown];__libc_start_main;main;func_b 57
func_ab;[unknown];__libc_start_main;main;func_a 64

I find this pretty useful for writing to files and later grepping.


Folded format can also be used by flame graph stack visualizers, including
the original implementation:

	https://github.com/brendangregg/FlameGraph

I'd include delimiters, -d. For example:

# ./profile -df -p `pgrep -n func_ab` 5 > out.profile
# git clone https://github.com/brendangregg/FlameGraph
# ./FlameGraph/flamegraph.pl < out.profile > out.svg

(Yes, I could pipe profile directly into flamegraph.pl, however, I like to
keep the raw folded profiles around: can be useful for regenerating flamegraphs
with different options, and, for differential flame graphs.)


Some flamegraph.pl palettes recognize kernel annotations, which can be added
with -a. It simply adds a "_[k]" at the end of kernel function names.
For example:

# ./profile -adf -p `pgrep -n dd` 10
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];__fsnotify_parent_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];__fsnotify_parent_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];__fdget_pos_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];__fget_light_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];__fsnotify_parent_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];__fget_light_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__fsnotify_parent_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k];common_file_perm_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];__fsnotify_parent_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];fsnotify_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];__fdget_pos_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];__fget_light_[k] 1
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];__fsnotify_parent_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k];common_file_perm_[k] 1
dd;read 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];security_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];fsnotify_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];fsnotify_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];__fsnotify_parent_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];iov_iter_init_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];__fsnotify_parent_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];__vfs_write_[k];write_null_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];security_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k];common_file_perm_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];__fget_light_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];__vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];__fsnotify_parent_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;sys_write_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];__fsnotify_parent_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];common_file_perm_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];__fget_light_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;__write 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k];common_file_perm_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];__fget_light_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k];common_file_perm_[k] 1
dd;__write 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];__fget_light_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k] 1
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];__fget_light_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];__fdget_pos_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];_cond_resched_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];iov_iter_init_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];__fsnotify_parent_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];fsnotify_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];__fdget_pos_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];__vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k];common_file_perm_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];__fget_light_[k] 1
dd;[unknown] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];fsnotify_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k];common_file_perm_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];fsnotify_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];vfs_write_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k] 1
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k];common_file_perm_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];fsnotify_[k] 1
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k] 2
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];__fdget_pos_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 2
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];__fdget_pos_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k];common_file_perm_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 2
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 2
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 2
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 2
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 2
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];__fdget_pos_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 2
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];__fget_light_[k] 2
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];fsnotify_[k] 2
dd;__write;-;sys_write_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];fsnotify_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 2
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k] 2
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 2
dd;read;-;SyS_read_[k] 2
dd;[unknown] 2
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];__fget_light_[k] 2
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k] 2
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k];security_file_permission_[k];apparmor_file_permission_[k] 2
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];rw_verify_area_[k] 2
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 3
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];rw_verify_area_[k] 3
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 3
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 3
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 3
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 3
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 3
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 3
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 3
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 3
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k] 3
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 3
dd;[unknown] 4
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k] 4
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 4
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k] 4
dd;[unknown] 4
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 4
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k] 4
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 5
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];sys_write_[k];vfs_write_[k] 5
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 5
dd;[unknown];[unknown] 5
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k] 6
dd;read 15
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 19
dd;[unknown];__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k] 20
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k] 23
dd;read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k];SyS_read_[k];vfs_read_[k];__vfs_read_[k];read_iter_zero_[k];iov_iter_zero_[k];__clear_user_[k] 24
dd;__write;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k] 25
dd;__write 29
dd;[unknown];read;-;entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath_[k] 31

This can be made into a flamegraph. Eg:

# ./profile -adf -p `pgrep -n func_ab` 10 > out.profile
# git clone https://github.com/brendangregg/FlameGraph
# ./FlameGraph/flamegraph.pl --color=java < out.profile > out.svg

It will highlight the kernel frames in orange, and user-level in red (and Java
in green, and C++ in yellow). If you copy-n-paste the above output into a
out.profile file, you can try it out.


You can increase or decrease the sample frequency. Eg, sampling at 9 Hertz:

# ./profile -F 9
Sampling at 9 Hertz of all threads by user + kernel stack... Hit Ctrl-C to end.
^C
    000000000040056a func_b
    00000000004005ac main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        1

[...]

    ffffffff8105eb66 native_safe_halt
    ffffffff8103659e default_idle
    ffffffff81036d1f arch_cpu_idle
    ffffffff810bba5a default_idle_call
    ffffffff810bbd07 cpu_startup_entry
    ffffffff8104df55 start_secondary
    -                swapper/3 (0)
        8

    ffffffff8105eb66 native_safe_halt
    ffffffff8103659e default_idle
    ffffffff81036d1f arch_cpu_idle
    ffffffff810bba5a default_idle_call
    ffffffff810bbd07 cpu_startup_entry
    ffffffff817bf497 rest_init
    ffffffff81d65f58 start_kernel
    ffffffff81d652db x86_64_start_reservations
    ffffffff81d65418 x86_64_start_kernel
    -                swapper/0 (0)
        8


You can also restrict profiling to just kernel stacks (-K) or user stacks (-U).
For example, just user stacks:

# ./profile -U
Sampling at 49 Hertz of all threads by user stack... Hit Ctrl-C to end.
^C
    0000000000402ccc [unknown]
    00007f45a624422c [unknown]
    -                dd (2931)
        1

    0000000000404b80 [unknown]
    00007f45a624422c [unknown]
    -                dd (2931)
        1

    0000000000404d77 [unknown]
    00007f45a624422c [unknown]
    -                dd (2931)
        1

    00007f45a5e85e5e [unknown]
    00007f45a624422c [unknown]
    -                dd (2931)
        1

    0000000000402d12 [unknown]
    00007f45a624422c [unknown]
    -                dd (2931)
        1

    0000000000400562 func_b
    00000000004005ac main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        1

    0000000000404805 [unknown]
    -                dd (2931)
        1

    00000000004047de [unknown]
    -                dd (2931)
        1

    0000000000400542 func_a
    0000000000400598 main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        3

    00007f45a5edda10 __write
    00007f45a624422c [unknown]
    -                dd (2931)
        3

    000000000040053a func_a
    0000000000400598 main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        4

    000000000040056a func_b
    00000000004005ac main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        7

    -                swapper/6 (0)
        10

    0000000000400571 func_b
    00000000004005ac main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        10

    00007f45a5edda10 __write
    -                dd (2931)
        10

    0000000000400549 func_a
    0000000000400598 main
    00007f0458819830 __libc_start_main
    083e258d4c544155 [unknown]
    -                func_ab (2930)
        11

    00007f45a5edd9b0 read
    -                dd (2931)
        12

    00007f45a5edd9b0 read
    00007f45a624422c [unknown]
    -                dd (2931)
        14

    -                swapper/7 (0)
        46

    -                swapper/0 (0)
        46

    -                swapper/2 (0)
        46

    -                swapper/1 (0)
        46

    -                swapper/3 (0)
        46

    -                swapper/4 (0)
        46


If there are too many unique stack traces for the kernel to save, a warning
will be printed. Eg:

# ./profile
[...]
WARNING: 8 stack traces could not be displayed. Consider increasing --stack-storage-size.

Run ./profile -h to see the default.


There is a -S option to skip kernel frames. You probably don't need to mess
with this. Here's why it exists: consider the following kernel stack trace,
and IP:

    ffffffff81174e78 perf_swevent_hrtimer
    ffffffff810e6984 __hrtimer_run_queues
    ffffffff810e70f8 hrtimer_interrupt
    ffffffff81022c69 xen_timer_interrupt
    ffffffff810d2942 handle_irq_event_percpu
    ffffffff810d62da handle_percpu_irq
    ffffffff810d1f52 generic_handle_irq
    ffffffff814a5137 evtchn_2l_handle_events
    ffffffff814a2853 __xen_evtchn_do_upcall
    ffffffff814a4740 xen_evtchn_do_upcall
    ffffffff817cd50c xen_hvm_callback_vector
    ffffffff8103663e default_idle
    ffffffff81036dbf arch_cpu_idle
    ffffffff810bb8ea default_idle_call
    ffffffff810bbb97 cpu_startup_entry
    ffffffff8104df85 start_secondary

IP: ffffffff8105eb66 native_safe_halt

This is the idle thread. The first function is native_safe_halt(), and its
parent is default_idle(). But what you see there is really what we are
profiling. All that stuff above default_idle()? Interrupt framework stack.

So we have to exclude those interrupt frames. I do this by fetching the ret IP
from the kernel stack, and then scanning for it in user-level: in this case
it would be default_idle(). Ok.

If this doesn't work on your architecture (and your kernel stacks are a
single line, the IP), then you might consider setting a fixed skip count,
which avoids this ret IP logic. For the above stack, I'd set "-S 11", and
it would slice off those 11 interrupt frames nicely. It also does this in
kernel context for efficiency.

So how do you figure out what number to use? 11? 14? 5? Well.. Try "-S 1",
and then see how much higher you need to set it. Remember on the real
profile output that the IP line is printed on top of the sliced stack.


USAGE message:

# ./profile -h
usage: profile [-h] [-p PID] [-U | -K] [-F FREQUENCY] [-d] [-a] [-f]
                  [--stack-storage-size STACK_STORAGE_SIZE] [-S KERNEL_SKIP]
                  [duration]

Profile CPU stack traces at a timed interval

positional arguments:
  duration              duration of trace, in seconds

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -p PID, --pid PID     profile this PID only
  -U, --user-stacks-only
                        show stacks from user space only (no kernel space
                        stacks)
  -K, --kernel-stacks-only
                        show stacks from kernel space only (no user space
                        stacks)
  -F FREQUENCY, --frequency FREQUENCY
                        sample frequency, Hertz (default 49)
  -d, --delimited       insert delimiter between kernel/user stacks
  -a, --annotations     add _[k] annotations to kernel frames
  -f, --folded          output folded format, one line per stack (for flame
                        graphs)
  --stack-storage-size STACK_STORAGE_SIZE
                        the number of unique stack traces that can be stored
                        and displayed (default 2048)
  -S KERNEL_SKIP, --kernel-skip KERNEL_SKIP
                        skip this many kernel frames (default 3)

examples:
    ./profile             # profile stack traces at 49 Hertz until Ctrl-C
    ./profile -F 99       # profile stack traces at 99 Hertz
    ./profile 5           # profile at 49 Hertz for 5 seconds only
    ./profile -f 5        # output in folded format for flame graphs
    ./profile -p 185      # only profile threads for PID 185
    ./profile -U          # only show user space stacks (no kernel)
    ./profile -K          # only show kernel space stacks (no user)
    ./profile -S 11       # always skip 11 frames of kernel stack