RINGBUF_TYPE_TIME_STAMP is defined but not used, and from what I can gather was reserved for something like an absolute timestamp feature for the ring buffer, if not a complete replacement of the current time_delta scheme. This code redefines RINGBUF_TYPE_TIME_STAMP to implement absolute time stamps. Another way to look at it is that it essentially forces extended time_deltas for all events. The motivation for doing this is to enable time_deltas that aren't dependent on previous events in the ring buffer, making it feasible to use the ring_buffer_event timetamps in a more random-access way, for purposes other than serial event printing. To set/reset this mode, use tracing_set_timestamp_abs() from the previous interface patch. Link: http://lkml.kernel.org/r/477b362dba1ce7fab9889a1a8e885a62c472f041.1516069914.git.tom.zanussi@linux.intel.com Signed-off-by: Tom Zanussi <tom.zanussi@linux.intel.com> Signed-off-by: Steven Rostedt (VMware) <rostedt@goodmis.org>