From: Hemanth Malla <vmalla@microsoft.com>

pahole 1.16 doesn't seem to be to sufficient anymore for running bpf
selftests.

Signed-off-by: Hemanth Malla <vmalla@microsoft.com>
---
 Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst | 5 +----
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst b/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
index 0acb4c9b8d90..3a147b6c780e 100644
--- a/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
+++ b/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ under test should match the config file fragment in
 tools/testing/selftests/bpf as closely as possible.
 
 Finally to ensure support for latest BPF Type Format features -
-discussed in Documentation/bpf/btf.rst - pahole version 1.16
+discussed in Documentation/bpf/btf.rst - pahole version 1.28
 is required for kernels built with CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO_BTF=y.
 pahole is delivered in the dwarves package or can be built
 from source at
@@ -502,9 +502,6 @@ codes from
 
 https://fedorapeople.org/~acme/dwarves
 
-Some distros have pahole version 1.16 packaged already, e.g.
-Fedora, Gentoo.
-
 Q: Which BPF kernel selftests version should I run my kernel against?
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
 A: If you run a kernel ``xyz``, then always run the BPF kernel selftests
-- 
2.43.0

On 1/2/26 3:13 AM, Hemanth Malla wrote:
> From: Hemanth Malla <vmalla@microsoft.com>
> 
> pahole 1.16 doesn't seem to be to sufficient anymore for running bpf
> selftests.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Hemanth Malla <vmalla@microsoft.com>
> ---
>  Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst | 5 +----
>  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 4 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst b/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
> index 0acb4c9b8d90..3a147b6c780e 100644
> --- a/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
> @@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ under test should match the config file fragment in
>  tools/testing/selftests/bpf as closely as possible.
>  
>  Finally to ensure support for latest BPF Type Format features -
> -discussed in Documentation/bpf/btf.rst - pahole version 1.16
> +discussed in Documentation/bpf/btf.rst - pahole version 1.28

Hi Hemanth, thanks for the patch.

Acked-by: Ihor Solodrai <ihor.solodrai@linux.dev>

1.28 is needed for --distilled_base [1], which is only a requirement
for tests using modules. Many other tests are likely to work with
older versions, but the minimum for the kernel build is 1.22 now [2].

Not sure if it's worth it to add this nuance to the QA doc, although
in general we should recommend people running the selftests to use the
latest pahole release. Maybe add a comment?

[1] https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/Documentation/bpf/btf.rst?h=v6.18#n986
[2] https://lore.kernel.org/bpf/20251219181825.1289460-1-ihor.solodrai@linux.dev/

>  is required for kernels built with CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO_BTF=y.
>  pahole is delivered in the dwarves package or can be built
>  from source at
> @@ -502,9 +502,6 @@ codes from
>  
>  https://fedorapeople.org/~acme/dwarves
>  
> -Some distros have pahole version 1.16 packaged already, e.g.
> -Fedora, Gentoo.
> -
>  Q: Which BPF kernel selftests version should I run my kernel against?
>  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>  A: If you run a kernel ``xyz``, then always run the BPF kernel selftests

Hi Ihor,

> 1.28 is needed for --distilled_base [1], which is only a requirement
> for tests using modules. Many other tests are likely to work with
> older versions, but the minimum for the kernel build is 1.22 now [2].
> 
> Not sure if it's worth it to add this nuance to the QA doc, although
> in general we should recommend people running the selftests to use the
> latest pahole release. Maybe add a comment?

Thanks for the references. Makes sense to include these in the docs.
I'll send out a new patch.

Thanks,
Hemanth Malla

On Fri, Jan 02, 2026 at 07:33:50AM -0800, Ihor Solodrai wrote:
> On 1/2/26 3:13 AM, Hemanth Malla wrote:
> > diff --git a/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst b/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
> > index 0acb4c9b8d90..3a147b6c780e 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
> > +++ b/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
> > @@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ under test should match the config file fragment in
> >  tools/testing/selftests/bpf as closely as possible.
> >  
> >  Finally to ensure support for latest BPF Type Format features -
> > -discussed in Documentation/bpf/btf.rst - pahole version 1.16
> > +discussed in Documentation/bpf/btf.rst - pahole version 1.28
> 
> Hi Hemanth, thanks for the patch.
> 
> Acked-by: Ihor Solodrai <ihor.solodrai@linux.dev>
> 
> 1.28 is needed for --distilled_base [1], which is only a requirement
> for tests using modules. Many other tests are likely to work with
> older versions, but the minimum for the kernel build is 1.22 now [2].
> 
> Not sure if it's worth it to add this nuance to the QA doc, although
> in general we should recommend people running the selftests to use the
> latest pahole release. Maybe add a comment?

I guess minimum pahole version can be added to
Documentation/process/changes.rst.

Thanks.

-- 
An old man doll... just what I always wanted! - Clara

On Sat, Jan 3, 2026 at 1:11 AM Bagas Sanjaya <bagasdotme@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Fri, Jan 02, 2026 at 07:33:50AM -0800, Ihor Solodrai wrote:
> > On 1/2/26 3:13 AM, Hemanth Malla wrote:
> > > diff --git a/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst b/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
> > > index 0acb4c9b8d90..3a147b6c780e 100644
> > > --- a/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
> > > +++ b/Documentation/bpf/bpf_devel_QA.rst
> > > @@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ under test should match the config file fragment in
> > >  tools/testing/selftests/bpf as closely as possible.
> > >
> > >  Finally to ensure support for latest BPF Type Format features -
> > > -discussed in Documentation/bpf/btf.rst - pahole version 1.16
> > > +discussed in Documentation/bpf/btf.rst - pahole version 1.28
> >
> > Hi Hemanth, thanks for the patch.
> >
> > Acked-by: Ihor Solodrai <ihor.solodrai@linux.dev>
> >
> > 1.28 is needed for --distilled_base [1], which is only a requirement
> > for tests using modules. Many other tests are likely to work with
> > older versions, but the minimum for the kernel build is 1.22 now [2].
> >
> > Not sure if it's worth it to add this nuance to the QA doc, although
> > in general we should recommend people running the selftests to use the
> > latest pahole release. Maybe add a comment?
>
> I guess minimum pahole version can be added to
> Documentation/process/changes.rst.

pahole 1.22 is already specified in Documentation/process/changes.rst

>
> Thanks.
>
> --
> An old man doll... just what I always wanted! - Clara

On Mon, Jan 05, 2026 at 01:46:52PM -0800, Andrii Nakryiko wrote:
> On Sat, Jan 3, 2026 at 1:11 AM Bagas Sanjaya <bagasdotme@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > On Fri, Jan 02, 2026 at 07:33:50AM -0800, Ihor Solodrai wrote:
> > > Not sure if it's worth it to add this nuance to the QA doc, although
> > > in general we should recommend people running the selftests to use the
> > > latest pahole release. Maybe add a comment?
> >
> > I guess minimum pahole version can be added to
> > Documentation/process/changes.rst.
> 
> pahole 1.22 is already specified in Documentation/process/changes.rst

Oops, I didn't see that pointer.

Thanks.

-- 
An old man doll... just what I always wanted! - Clara