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    tracing: Cache comms only after an event occurred · 7ffbd48d
    Steven Rostedt authored
    
    
    Whenever an event is registered, the comm of tasks are saved at
    every task switch instead of saving them at every event. But if
    an event isn't executed much, the comm cache will be filled up
    by tasks that did not record the event and you lose out on the comms
    that did.
    
    Here's an example, if you enable the following events:
    
    echo 1 > /debug/tracing/events/kvm/kvm_cr/enable
    echo 1 > /debug/tracing/events/net/net_dev_xmit/enable
    
    Note, there's no kvm running on this machine so the first event will
    never be triggered, but because it is enabled, the storing of comms
    will continue. If we now disable the network event:
    
    echo 0 > /debug/tracing/events/net/net_dev_xmit/enable
    
    and look at the trace:
    
    cat /debug/tracing/trace
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s2   375.731616: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s1   375.731617: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s2   375.859356: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s1   375.859357: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s2   375.947351: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s1   375.947352: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s2   376.035383: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s1   376.035383: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s2   377.563806: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=226 rc=0
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s1   377.563807: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=226 rc=0
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s2   377.563834: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6be0 len=114 rc=0
                sshd-2672  [001] ..s1   377.563842: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6be0 len=114 rc=0
    
    We see that process 2672 which triggered the events has the comm "sshd".
    But if we run hackbench for a bit and look again:
    
    cat /debug/tracing/trace
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s2   375.731616: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s1   375.731617: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s2   375.859356: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s1   375.859357: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s2   375.947351: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s1   375.947352: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s2   376.035383: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s1   376.035383: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=242 rc=0
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s2   377.563806: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=226 rc=0
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s1   377.563807: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6de0 len=226 rc=0
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s2   377.563834: net_dev_xmit: dev=eth0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6be0 len=114 rc=0
               <...>-2672  [001] ..s1   377.563842: net_dev_xmit: dev=br0 skbaddr=ffff88005cbb6be0 len=114 rc=0
    
    The stored "sshd" comm has been flushed out and we get a useless "<...>".
    
    But by only storing comms after a trace event occurred, we can run
    hackbench all day and still get the same output.
    
    Cc: Peter Zijlstra <a.p.zijlstra@chello.nl>
    Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de>
    Signed-off-by: default avatarSteven Rostedt <rostedt@goodmis.org>
    7ffbd48d