From: Zhang, Yanmin on
Here is the version 2.

ChangeLog since V1: Mostly changes based on Avi's suggestions.
1) Use a id to identify the perf_event between host and guest;
2) Changes lots of codes to deal with malicious guest os;
3) Add a perf_event number limitation per gust os instance;
4) Support guest os on the top of another guest os scenario. But
I didn't test it yet as there is no environment. The design is to
add 2 pointers in struct perf_event. One is used by host and the
other is used by guest.
5) Fix the bug to support 'perf stat'. The key is sync count data
back to guest when guest tries to disable the perf_event at host
side.
6) Add a clear ABI of PV perf.

I don't implement live migration feature.

Avi,
Is live migration necessary on pv perf support?


Based on Ingo's idea, I implement a para virt interface for perf to support
statistics collection in guest os. That means we could run tool perf in guest
os directly.

Great thanks to Peter Zijlstra. He is really the architect and gave me architecture
design suggestions. I also want to thank Yangsheng and LinMing for their generous
help.

The design is:

1) Add a kvm_pmu whose callbacks mostly just calls hypercall to vmexit to host kernel;
2) Create a host perf_event per guest perf_event;
3) Host kernel syncs perf_event count/overflows data changes to guest perf_event
when processing perf_event overflows after NMI arrives. Host kernel inject NMI to guest
kernel if a guest event overflows.
4) Guest kernel goes through all enabled event on current cpu and output data when they
overflows.
5) No change in user space.

Below is an example.

#perf top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PerfTop: 7954 irqs/sec kernel:79.5% exact: 0.0% [1000Hz cycles], (all, 8 CPUs)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

samples pcnt function DSO
_______ _____ ________________________ _________________________________________________________

5315.00 4.9% copy_user_generic_string /lib/modules/2.6.35-rc1-tip-guestperf/build/vmlinux
3342.00 3.1% add_preempt_count /lib/modules/2.6.35-rc1-tip-guestperf/build/vmlinux
3338.00 3.1% sub_preempt_count /lib/modules/2.6.35-rc1-tip-guestperf/build/vmlinux
2454.00 2.3% pvclock_clocksource_read /lib/modules/2.6.35-rc1-tip-guestperf/build/vmlinux
2434.00 2.3% tcp_sendmsg /lib/modules/2.6.35-rc1-tip-guestperf/build/vmlinux
2090.00 1.9% child_run /bm/tmp/benchmarks/run_bmtbench/dbench/dbench-3.03/tbench
2081.00 1.9% debug_smp_processor_id /lib/modules/2.6.35-rc1-tip-guestperf/build/vmlinux
2003.00 1.9% __GI_strstr /lib64/libc-2.11.so
1999.00 1.9% __strchr_sse2 /lib64/libc-2.11.so
1983.00 1.8% tcp_ack /lib/modules/2.6.35-rc1-tip-guestperf/build/vmlinux
1800.00 1.7% tcp_transmit_skb /lib/modules/2.6.35-rc1-tip-guestperf/build/vmlinux
1727.00 1.6% schedule /lib/modules/2.6.35-rc1-tip-guestperf/build/vmlinux
1706.00 1.6% __libc_recv /lib64/libc-2.11.so
1702.00 1.6% __GI_memchr /lib64/libc-2.11.so
1580.00 1.5% tcp_recvmsg /lib/modules/2.6.35-rc1-tip-guestperf/build/vmlinux

The patch is against tip/master tree of June 20st.

Signed-off-by: Zhang Yanmin <yanmin_zhang(a)linux.intel.com>

---

--- linux-2.6_tip0620/Documentation/kvm/paravirt-perf.txt 1970-01-01 08:00:00.000000000 +0800
+++ linux-2.6_tip0620perfkvm/Documentation/kvm/paravirt-perf.txt 2010-06-21 15:21:39.312999849 +0800
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+The x86 kvm paravirt perf event interface
+===================================
+
+This paravirt interface is responsible for supporting guest os perf event
+collections. If guest os supports this interface, users could run command
+perf in guest os directly.
+
+Design
+========
+
+Guest os calls a series of hypercalls to communicate with host kernel to
+create/enable/disable/close perf events. Host kernel notifies guest os
+by injecting an NMI to guest os when an event overflows. Guets os need
+go through all its active events to check if they overflow, and output
+performance statistics if they do.
+
+ABI
+=====
+
+1) Detect if host kernel supports paravirt perf interface:
+#define KVM_FEATURE_PV_PERF 4
+Host kernel defines above cpuid bit. Guest os calls cpuid to check if host
+os retuns this bit. If it does, it mean host kernel supports paravirt perf
+interface.
+
+2) Open a new event at host side:
+kvm_hypercall3(KVM_PERF_OP, KVM_PERF_OP_OPEN, param_addr_low32bit,
+param_addr_high32bit);
+
+#define KVM_PERF_OP 3
+/* Operations for KVM_PERF_OP */
+#define KVM_PERF_OP_OPEN 1
+#define KVM_PERF_OP_CLOSE 2
+#define KVM_PERF_OP_ENABLE 3
+#define KVM_PERF_OP_DISABLE 4
+#define KVM_PERF_OP_READ 5
+/*
+ * guest_perf_attr is used when guest calls hypercall to
+ * open a new perf_event at host side. Mostly, it's a copy of
+ * perf_event_attr and deletes something not used by host kernel.
+ */
+struct guest_perf_attr {
+ __u32 type;
+ __u64 config;
+ __u64 sample_period;
+ __u64 sample_type;
+ __u64 read_format;
+ __u64 flags;
+ __u32 bp_type;
+ __u64 bp_addr;
+ __u64 bp_len;
+};
+/*
+ * data communication area about perf_event between
+ * Host kernel and guest kernel
+ */
+struct guest_perf_event {
+ u64 count;
+ atomic_t overflows;
+};
+struct guest_perf_event_param {
+ __u64 attr_addr;
+ __u64 guest_event_addr;
+ /* In case there is an alignment issue, we put id as the last one */
+ int id;
+};
+
+param_addr_low32bit and param_addr_high32bit compose a u64 integer which means
+the physical address of parameter struct guest_perf_event_param.
+struct guest_perf_event_param consists of 3 members. attr_addr has the
+physical address of parameter struct guest_perf_attr. guest_event_addr has the
+physical address of a parameter whose type is struct guest_perf_eventi which
+has to be aligned with 4 bytes.
+guest os need allocate an exclusive id per event in this guest os instance, and save it to
+guest_perf_event_param->id. Later on, the id is the only method to notify host
+kernel about on what event guest os wants host kernel to operate.
+guest_perf_event->count saves the latest count of the event.
+guest_perf_event->overflows means how many times this event has overflowed
+since guest os processes it. Host kernel just inc guest_perf_event->overflows
+when the event overflows. Guest kernel should use a atomic_cmpxchg to reset
+guest_perf_event->overflows to 0 in case there is a race between its reset by
+guest os and host kernel data update.
+Host kernel saves count and overflow update information into guest_perf_event
+pointed by guest_perf_event_param->guest_event_addr.
+
+After host kernel creates the event, this event is at disabled mode.
+
+This hypercall3 return 0 when host kernel creates the event successfully. Or
+other value if it fails.
+
+3) Enable event at host side:
+kvm_hypercall2(KVM_PERF_OP, KVM_PERF_OP_ENABLE, id);
+
+Parameter id means the event id allocated by guest os. Guest os need call this
+hypercall to enable the event at host side. Then, host side will really start
+to collect statistics by this event.
+
+This hypercall3 return 0 if host kernel succeds. Or other value if it fails.
+
+
+4) Disable event at host side:
+kvm_hypercall2(KVM_PERF_OP, KVM_PERF_OP_DISABLE, id);
+
+Parameter id means the event id allocated by guest os. Guest os need call this
+hypercall to disable the event at host side. Then, host side will stop
+statistics collection initiated by the event.
+
+This hypercall3 return 0 if host kernel succeds. Or other value if it fails.
+
+
+5) Close event at host side:
+kvm_hypercall2(KVM_PERF_OP, KVM_PERF_OP_CLOSE, id);
+it will close and delete the event at host side.
+
+8) NMI notification from host kernel:
+When an event overflows at host side, host kernel injects an NMI to guest os.
+Guest os has to check all its active events in guest os NMI handler.
+
+
+Usage flow at guest side
+=============
+1) Guest os registers an NMI handler to prepare to process all active event
+overflows.
+2) Guest os calls hypercall3(..., KVM_PERF_OP_OPEN, ...) to create an event at
+host side.
+3) Guest os calls hypercall2 (..., KVM_PERF_OP_ENABLE, ...) to enable the
+event.
+4) Guest os calls hypercall2 (..., KVM_PERF_OP_DISABLE, ...) to disable the
+event.
+5) Guest os could repeat 3) and 4).
+6) Guest os calls hypercall2 (..., KVM_PERF_OP_CLOSE, ...) to close the event.
+
+


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