perf tools: Add 'S' event/group modifier to read sample value

Adding 'S' event/group modifier to specify that the event value/s are
read by PERF_SAMPLE_READ sample type processing, instead of the period
value offered by lower layers.

There's additional behaviour change for 'S' modifier being specified on
event group:

Currently all the events within a group makes samples. If user now
specifies 'S' within group modifier, only the leader will trigger
samples. The rest of events in the group will have sampling disabled.

And same as for single events, values of all events within the group
(including leader) are read by PERF_SAMPLE_READ sample type processing.

Following example will create event group with cycles and cache-misses
events, setting the cycles as group leader and the only event to
actually sample. Both cycles and cache-misses event period values are
read by PERF_SAMPLE_READ sample type processing with PERF_FORMAT_GROUP
read format.

Example:

  $ perf record -e '{cycles,cache-misses}:S' ls
  ...
  $ perf report --group --show-total-period --stdio
  ...
  # Samples: 36  of event 'anon group { cycles, cache-misses }'
  # Event count (approx.): 12585593
  #
  #       Overhead          Period  Command      Shared Object                      Symbol
  # ..............  ..............  .......  .................  ..........................
  #
    19.92%   1.20%  2505936     31       ls  [kernel.kallsyms]  [k] mark_held_locks
    13.74%   0.47%  1729327     12       ls  [kernel.kallsyms]  [k] sched_clock_local
    13.64%  23.72%  1716147    612       ls  ld-2.14.90.so      [.] check_match.10805
    13.12%  23.22%  1650778    599       ls  libc-2.14.90.so    [.] _nl_intern_locale_data
    11.24%  29.19%  1414554    753       ls  [kernel.kallsyms]  [k] sched_clock_cpu
     8.50%   0.35%  1070150      9       ls  [kernel.kallsyms]  [k] check_chain_key
  ...

Signed-off-by: Jiri Olsa <jolsa@redhat.com>
Acked-by: Namhyung Kim <namhyung@kernel.org>
Cc: Corey Ashford <cjashfor@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
Cc: Frederic Weisbecker <fweisbec@gmail.com>
Cc: Namhyung Kim <namhyung@kernel.org>
Cc: Paul Mackerras <paulus@samba.org>
Cc: Peter Zijlstra <a.p.zijlstra@chello.nl>
Link: http://lkml.kernel.org/n/tip-iyoinu3axi11mymwnh2b7fxj@git.kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@redhat.com>

1 files changed, 1 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-list.txt b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-list.txt
index 826f3d6d1d28..eb03f063f0a2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-list.txt
+++ b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-list.txt
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ counted. The following modifiers exist:
  G - guest counting (in KVM guests)
  H - host counting (not in KVM guests)
  p - precise level
+ S - read sample value (PERF_SAMPLE_READ)
 
 The 'p' modifier can be used for specifying how precise the instruction
 address should be. The 'p' modifier can be specified multiple times: