[PATCH v4 6/6] Add Propeller configuration for kernel build.

Rong Xu posted 6 patches 1 month, 1 week ago
There is a newer version of this series
[PATCH v4 6/6] Add Propeller configuration for kernel build.
Posted by Rong Xu 1 month, 1 week ago
Add the build support for using Clang's Propeller optimizer. Like
AutoFDO, Propeller uses hardware sampling to gather information
about the frequency of execution of different code paths within a
binary. This information is then used to guide the compiler's
optimization decisions, resulting in a more efficient binary.

The support requires a Clang compiler LLVM 19 or later, and the
create_llvm_prof tool
(https://github.com/google/autofdo/releases/tag/v0.30.1). This
submission is limited to x86 platforms that support PMU features
like LBR on Intel machines and AMD Zen3 BRS.

For Arm, we plan to send patches for SPE-based Propeller when
AutoFDO for Arm is ready.

Here is an example workflow for building an AutoFDO+Propeller
optimized kernel:

1) Build the kernel on the HOST machine, with AutoFDO and Propeller
   build config
      CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
      CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
   then
      $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<autofdo_profile>

“<autofdo_profile>” is the profile collected when doing a non-Propeller
AutoFDO build. This step builds a kernel that has the same optimization
level as AutoFDO, plus a metadata section that records basic block
information. This kernel image runs as fast as an AutoFDO optimized
kernel.

2) Install the kernel on test/production machines.

3) Run the load tests. The '-c' option in perf specifies the sample
   event period. We suggest using a suitable prime number,
   like 500009, for this purpose.
   For Intel platforms:
      $ perf record -e BR_INST_RETIRED.NEAR_TAKEN:k -a -N -b -c <count> \
        -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
   For AMD platforms:
      The supported system are: Zen3 with BRS, or Zen4 with amd_lbr_v2
      # To see if Zen3 support LBR:
      $ cat proc/cpuinfo | grep " brs"
      # To see if Zen4 support LBR:
      $ cat proc/cpuinfo | grep amd_lbr_v2
      # If the result is yes, then collect the profile using:
      $ perf record --pfm-events RETIRED_TAKEN_BRANCH_INSTRUCTIONS:k -a \
        -N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>

4) (Optional) Download the raw perf file to the HOST machine.

5) Generate Propeller profile:
   $ create_llvm_prof --binary=<vmlinux> --profile=<perf_file> \
     --format=propeller --propeller_output_module_name \
     --out=<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt \
     --propeller_symorder=<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt

   “create_llvm_prof” is the profile conversion tool, and a prebuilt
   binary for linux can be found on
   https://github.com/google/autofdo/releases/tag/v0.30.1 (can also build
   from source).

   "<propeller_profile_prefix>" can be something like
   "/home/user/dir/any_string".

   This command generates a pair of Propeller profiles:
   "<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt" and
   "<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt".

6) Rebuild the kernel using the AutoFDO and Propeller profile files.
      CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
      CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
   and
      $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<autofdo_profile> \
        CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX=<propeller_profile_prefix>

Co-developed-by: Han Shen <shenhan@google.com>
Signed-off-by: Han Shen <shenhan@google.com>
Signed-off-by: Rong Xu <xur@google.com>
Suggested-by: Sriraman Tallam <tmsriram@google.com>
Suggested-by: Krzysztof Pszeniczny <kpszeniczny@google.com>
Suggested-by: Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@google.com>
Suggested-by: Stephane Eranian <eranian@google.com>
---
 Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst     |   1 +
 Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst | 161 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 MAINTAINERS                           |   7 ++
 Makefile                              |   1 +
 arch/Kconfig                          |  22 ++++
 arch/x86/Kconfig                      |   1 +
 arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S         |   4 +
 include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h     |  10 +-
 scripts/Makefile.lib                  |  10 ++
 scripts/Makefile.propeller            |  28 +++++
 tools/objtool/check.c                 |   1 +
 11 files changed, 241 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst
 create mode 100644 scripts/Makefile.propeller

diff --git a/Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst b/Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst
index 6945644f7008..3c0ac08b2709 100644
--- a/Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst
+++ b/Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ Documentation/dev-tools/testing-overview.rst
    checkuapi
    gpio-sloppy-logic-analyzer
    autofdo
+   propeller
 
 
 .. only::  subproject and html
diff --git a/Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst b/Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a217354e0f95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+=====================================
+Using Propeller with the Linux kernel
+=====================================
+
+This enables Propeller build support for the kernel when using Clang
+compiler. Propeller is a profile-guided optimization (PGO) method used
+to optimize binary executables. Like AutoFDO, it utilizes hardware
+sampling to gather information about the frequency of execution of
+different code paths within a binary. Unlike AutoFDO, this information
+is then used right before linking phase to optimize (among others)
+block layout within and across functions.
+
+A few important notes about adopting Propeller optimization:
+
+#. Although it can be used as a standalone optimization step, it is
+   strongly recommended to apply Propeller on top of AutoFDO,
+   AutoFDO+ThinLTO or Instrument FDO. The rest of this document
+   assumes this paradigm.
+
+#. Propeller uses another round of profiling on top of
+   AutoFDO/AutoFDO+ThinLTO/iFDO. The whole build process involves
+   "build-afdo - train-afdo - build-propeller - train-propeller -
+   build-optimized".
+
+#. Propeller requires LLVM 19 release or later for Clang/Clang++
+   and the linker(ld.lld).
+
+#. In addition to LLVM toolchain, Propeller requires a profiling
+   conversion tool: https://github.com/google/autofdo with a release
+   after v0.30.1: https://github.com/google/autofdo/releases/tag/v0.30.1.
+
+The Propeller optimization process involves the following steps:
+
+#. Initial building: Build the AutoFDO or AutoFDO+ThinLTO binary as
+   you would normally do, but with a set of compile-time / link-time
+   flags, so that a special metadata section is created within the
+   kernel binary. The special section is only intend to be used by the
+   profiling tool, it is not part of the runtime image, nor does it
+   change kernel run time text sections.
+
+#. Profiling: The above kernel is then run with a representative
+   workload to gather execution frequency data. This data is collected
+   using hardware sampling, via perf. Propeller is most effective on
+   platforms supporting advanced PMU features like LBR on Intel
+   machines. This step is the same as profiling the kernel for AutoFDO
+   (the exact perf parameters can be different).
+
+#. Propeller profile generation: Perf output file is converted to a
+   pair of Propeller profiles via an offline tool.
+
+#. Optimized build: Build the AutoFDO or AutoFDO+ThinLTO optimized
+   binary as you would normally do, but with a compile-time /
+   link-time flag to pick up the Propeller compile time and link time
+   profiles. This build step uses 3 profiles - the AutoFDO profile,
+   the Propeller compile-time profile and the Propeller link-time
+   profile.
+
+#. Deployment: The optimized kernel binary is deployed and used
+   in production environments, providing improved performance
+   and reduced latency.
+
+Preparation
+===========
+
+Configure the kernel with::
+
+   CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
+   CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
+
+Customization
+=============
+
+You can enable or disable Propeller build for individual file and
+directories by adding a line similar to the following to the
+respective kernel Makefile:
+
+- For enabling a single file (e.g. foo.o)::
+
+   PROPELLER_PROFILE_foo.o := y
+
+- For enabling all files in one directory::
+
+   PROPELLER_PROFILE := y
+
+- For disabling one file::
+
+   PROPELLER_PROFILE_foo.o := n
+
+- For disabling all files in one directory::
+
+   PROPELLER__PROFILE := n
+
+
+Workflow
+========
+
+Here is an example workflow for building an AutoFDO+Propeller kernel:
+
+1) Assuming an AutoFDO profile is already collected following
+   instructions in the AutoFDO document, build the kernel on the HOST
+   machine, with AutoFDO and Propeller build configs ::
+
+      CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
+      CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
+
+   and ::
+
+      $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<autofdo-profile-name>
+
+2) Install the kernel on the TEST machine.
+
+3) Run the load tests. The '-c' option in perf specifies the sample
+   event period. We suggest using a suitable prime number, like 500009,
+   for this purpose.
+
+   - For Intel platforms::
+
+      $ perf record -e BR_INST_RETIRED.NEAR_TAKEN:k -a -N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
+
+   - For AMD platforms::
+
+      $ perf record --pfm-event RETIRED_TAKEN_BRANCH_INSTRUCTIONS:k -a -N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
+
+   Note you can repeat the above steps to collect multiple <perf_file>s.
+
+4) (Optional) Download the raw perf file(s) to the HOST machine.
+
+5) Use the create_llvm_prof tool (https://github.com/google/autofdo) to
+   generate Propeller profile. ::
+
+      $ create_llvm_prof --binary=<vmlinux> --profile=<perf_file>
+                         --format=propeller --propeller_output_module_name
+                         --out=<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt
+                         --propeller_symorder=<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt
+
+   "<propeller_profile_prefix>" can be something like "/home/user/dir/any_string".
+
+   This command generates a pair of Propeller profiles:
+   "<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt" and
+   "<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt".
+
+   If there are more than 1 perf_file collected in the previous step,
+   you can create a temp list file "<perf_file_list>" with each line
+   containing one perf file name and run::
+
+      $ create_llvm_prof --binary=<vmlinux> --profile=@<perf_file_list>
+                         --format=propeller --propeller_output_module_name
+                         --out=<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt
+                         --propeller_symorder=<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt
+
+6) Rebuild the kernel using the AutoFDO and Propeller
+   profiles. ::
+
+      CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
+      CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
+
+   and ::
+
+      $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<profile_file> CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX=<propeller_profile_prefix>
diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
index 1b8db863031f..f4cc6dd6c4d8 100644
--- a/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/MAINTAINERS
@@ -18560,6 +18560,13 @@ S:	Maintained
 F:	include/linux/psi*
 F:	kernel/sched/psi.c
 
+PROPELLER BUILD
+M:	Rong Xu <xur@google.com>
+M:	Han Shen <shenhan@google.com>
+S:	Supported
+F:	Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst
+F:	scripts/Makefile.propeller
+
 PRINTK
 M:	Petr Mladek <pmladek@suse.com>
 R:	Steven Rostedt <rostedt@goodmis.org>
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index bbb6ec68f5dc..2d2f688c21c6 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1019,6 +1019,7 @@ include-$(CONFIG_UBSAN)		+= scripts/Makefile.ubsan
 include-$(CONFIG_KCOV)		+= scripts/Makefile.kcov
 include-$(CONFIG_RANDSTRUCT)	+= scripts/Makefile.randstruct
 include-$(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)	+= scripts/Makefile.autofdo
+include-$(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)	+= scripts/Makefile.propeller
 include-$(CONFIG_GCC_PLUGINS)	+= scripts/Makefile.gcc-plugins
 
 include $(addprefix $(srctree)/, $(include-y))
diff --git a/arch/Kconfig b/arch/Kconfig
index 5e9604960cbb..fdeb5f173a10 100644
--- a/arch/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/Kconfig
@@ -831,6 +831,28 @@ config AUTOFDO_CLANG
 
 	  If unsure, say N.
 
+config ARCH_SUPPORTS_PROPELLER_CLANG
+	bool
+
+config PROPELLER_CLANG
+	bool "Enable Clang's Propeller build"
+	depends on ARCH_SUPPORTS_PROPELLER_CLANG
+	depends on AUTOFDO_CLANG
+	depends on CC_IS_CLANG && CLANG_VERSION >= 190000
+	help
+	  This option enables Clang’s Propeller build which
+	  is on top of AutoFDO build. When the Propeller profiles
+	  is specified in variable CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX
+	  during the build process, Clang uses the profiles to
+	  optimize the kernel.
+
+	  If no profile is specified, Proepller options are
+	  still passed to Clang to facilitate the collection
+	  of perf data for creating the Propeller profiles in
+	  subsequent builds.
+
+	  If unsure, say N.
+
 config ARCH_SUPPORTS_CFI_CLANG
 	bool
 	help
diff --git a/arch/x86/Kconfig b/arch/x86/Kconfig
index 503a0268155a..da47164bfddc 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/x86/Kconfig
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ config X86
 	select ARCH_SUPPORTS_LTO_CLANG_THIN
 	select ARCH_SUPPORTS_RT
 	select ARCH_SUPPORTS_AUTOFDO_CLANG
+	select ARCH_SUPPORTS_PROPELLER_CLANG    if X86_64
 	select ARCH_USE_BUILTIN_BSWAP
 	select ARCH_USE_CMPXCHG_LOCKREF		if X86_CMPXCHG64
 	select ARCH_USE_MEMTEST
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S b/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
index 6726be89b7a6..7ecc21c569be 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
@@ -442,6 +442,10 @@ SECTIONS
 
 	STABS_DEBUG
 	DWARF_DEBUG
+#ifdef CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG
+	.llvm_bb_addr_map : { *(.llvm_bb_addr_map) }
+#endif
+
 	ELF_DETAILS
 
 	DISCARDS
diff --git a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
index 20e46c0917db..5986dd4cfb14 100644
--- a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
+++ b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
@@ -95,14 +95,14 @@
  * With LTO_CLANG, the linker also splits sections by default, so we need
  * these macros to combine the sections during the final link.
  *
- * With LTO_CLANG, the linker also splits sections by default, so we need
- * these macros to combine the sections during the final link.
+ * CONFIG_AUTOFD_CLANG and CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG will also split text sections
+ * and cluster them in the linking time.
  *
  * RODATA_MAIN is not used because existing code already defines .rodata.x
  * sections to be brought in with rodata.
  */
 #if defined(CONFIG_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION) || defined(CONFIG_LTO_CLANG) || \
-defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
+defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG) || defined(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)
 #define TEXT_MAIN .text .text.[0-9a-zA-Z_]*
 #else
 #define TEXT_MAIN .text
@@ -556,7 +556,7 @@ defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
 		__cpuidle_text_end = .;					\
 		__noinstr_text_end = .;
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG
+#if defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG) || defined(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)
 #define TEXT_HOT							\
 		__hot_text_start = .;					\
 		*(.text.hot .text.hot.*)				\
@@ -584,7 +584,7 @@ defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
  * first when in these builds.
  */
 #if defined(CONFIG_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION) || defined(CONFIG_LTO_CLANG) || \
-defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
+defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG) || defined(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)
 #define TEXT_TEXT							\
 		ALIGN_FUNCTION();					\
 		*(.text.asan.* .text.tsan.*)				\
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.lib b/scripts/Makefile.lib
index e85d6ac31bd9..60354c476956 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.lib
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.lib
@@ -201,6 +201,16 @@ _c_flags += $(if $(patsubst n%,, \
 	$(CFLAGS_AUTOFDO_CLANG))
 endif
 
+#
+# Enable Clang's Propeller build flags for a file or directory depending on
+# variables AUTOFDO_PROPELLER_obj.o and PROPELLER_PROFILE.
+#
+ifeq ($(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG),y)
+_c_flags += $(if $(patsubst n%,, \
+	$(AUTOFDO_PROFILE_$(target-stem).o)$(AUTOFDO_PROFILE)$(PROPELLER_PROFILE))$(is-kernel-object), \
+	$(CFLAGS_PROPELLER_CLANG))
+endif
+
 # $(src) for including checkin headers from generated source files
 # $(obj) for including generated headers from checkin source files
 ifeq ($(KBUILD_EXTMOD),)
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.propeller b/scripts/Makefile.propeller
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..344190717e47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.propeller
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+# Enable available and selected Clang Propeller features.
+ifdef CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX
+  CFLAGS_PROPELLER_CLANG := -fbasic-block-sections=list=$(CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX)_cc_profile.txt -ffunction-sections
+  KBUILD_LDFLAGS += --symbol-ordering-file=$(CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX)_ld_profile.txt --no-warn-symbol-ordering
+else
+  CFLAGS_PROPELLER_CLANG := -fbasic-block-sections=labels
+endif
+
+# Propeller requires debug information to embed module names in the profiles.
+# If CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO is not enabled, set -gmlt option. Skip this for AutoFDO,
+# as the option should already be set.
+ifndef CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO
+  ifndef CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG
+    CFLAGS_PROPELLER_CLANG += -gmlt
+  endif
+endif
+
+ifdef CONFIG_LTO_CLANG_THIN
+  ifdef CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX
+    KBUILD_LDFLAGS += --lto-basic-block-sections=$(CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX)_cc_profile.txt
+  else
+    KBUILD_LDFLAGS += --lto-basic-block-sections=labels
+  endif
+endif
+
+export CFLAGS_PROPELLER_CLANG
diff --git a/tools/objtool/check.c b/tools/objtool/check.c
index 4c5229991e1e..05a0fb4a3d1a 100644
--- a/tools/objtool/check.c
+++ b/tools/objtool/check.c
@@ -4558,6 +4558,7 @@ static int validate_ibt(struct objtool_file *file)
 		    !strcmp(sec->name, "__mcount_loc")			||
 		    !strcmp(sec->name, ".kcfi_traps")			||
 		    !strcmp(sec->name, ".llvm.call-graph-profile")	||
+		    !strcmp(sec->name, ".llvm_bb_addr_map")		||
 		    strstr(sec->name, "__patchable_function_entries"))
 			continue;
 
-- 
2.47.0.rc1.288.g06298d1525-goog
Re: [PATCH v4 6/6] Add Propeller configuration for kernel build.
Posted by Masahiro Yamada 1 month, 1 week ago
Please remove the period at the end of the commit subject.



On Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 6:34 AM Rong Xu <xur@google.com> wrote:
>
> Add the build support for using Clang's Propeller optimizer. Like
> AutoFDO, Propeller uses hardware sampling to gather information
> about the frequency of execution of different code paths within a
> binary. This information is then used to guide the compiler's
> optimization decisions, resulting in a more efficient binary.
>
> The support requires a Clang compiler LLVM 19 or later, and the
> create_llvm_prof tool
> (https://github.com/google/autofdo/releases/tag/v0.30.1). This
> submission is limited to x86 platforms that support PMU features


"This submission" -> "This commit"



> like LBR on Intel machines and AMD Zen3 BRS.
>
> For Arm, we plan to send patches for SPE-based Propeller when
> AutoFDO for Arm is ready.


"we plan to send ..." is not a good description once it is committed.

This sentence should be moved to the cover letter, or reworked.






>
> Here is an example workflow for building an AutoFDO+Propeller
> optimized kernel:
>
> 1) Build the kernel on the HOST machine, with AutoFDO and Propeller


Why is the "HOST" capitalized?



>    build config
>       CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
>       CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
>    then
>       $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<autofdo_profile>
>
> “<autofdo_profile>” is the profile collected when doing a non-Propeller
> AutoFDO build. This step builds a kernel that has the same optimization
> level as AutoFDO, plus a metadata section that records basic block
> information. This kernel image runs as fast as an AutoFDO optimized
> kernel.
>
> 2) Install the kernel on test/production machines.
>
> 3) Run the load tests. The '-c' option in perf specifies the sample
>    event period. We suggest using a suitable prime number,
>    like 500009, for this purpose.
>    For Intel platforms:
>       $ perf record -e BR_INST_RETIRED.NEAR_TAKEN:k -a -N -b -c <count> \
>         -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
>    For AMD platforms:
>       The supported system are: Zen3 with BRS, or Zen4 with amd_lbr_v2
>       # To see if Zen3 support LBR:
>       $ cat proc/cpuinfo | grep " brs"
>       # To see if Zen4 support LBR:
>       $ cat proc/cpuinfo | grep amd_lbr_v2
>       # If the result is yes, then collect the profile using:
>       $ perf record --pfm-events RETIRED_TAKEN_BRANCH_INSTRUCTIONS:k -a \
>         -N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
>
> 4) (Optional) Download the raw perf file to the HOST machine.


Same question as above.


>
> 5) Generate Propeller profile:
>    $ create_llvm_prof --binary=<vmlinux> --profile=<perf_file> \
>      --format=propeller --propeller_output_module_name \
>      --out=<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt \
>      --propeller_symorder=<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt
>
>    “create_llvm_prof” is the profile conversion tool, and a prebuilt
>    binary for linux can be found on
>    https://github.com/google/autofdo/releases/tag/v0.30.1 (can also build
>    from source).
>
>    "<propeller_profile_prefix>" can be something like
>    "/home/user/dir/any_string".
>
>    This command generates a pair of Propeller profiles:
>    "<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt" and
>    "<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt".
>
> 6) Rebuild the kernel using the AutoFDO and Propeller profile files.
>       CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
>       CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
>    and
>       $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<autofdo_profile> \
>         CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX=<propeller_profile_prefix>
>
> Co-developed-by: Han Shen <shenhan@google.com>
> Signed-off-by: Han Shen <shenhan@google.com>
> Signed-off-by: Rong Xu <xur@google.com>
> Suggested-by: Sriraman Tallam <tmsriram@google.com>
> Suggested-by: Krzysztof Pszeniczny <kpszeniczny@google.com>
> Suggested-by: Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@google.com>
> Suggested-by: Stephane Eranian <eranian@google.com>



>
>  .. only::  subproject and html
> diff --git a/Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst b/Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..a217354e0f95
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst
> @@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
> +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
> +
> +=====================================
> +Using Propeller with the Linux kernel
> +=====================================
> +
> +This enables Propeller build support for the kernel when using Clang
> +compiler. Propeller is a profile-guided optimization (PGO) method used
> +to optimize binary executables. Like AutoFDO, it utilizes hardware
> +sampling to gather information about the frequency of execution of
> +different code paths within a binary. Unlike AutoFDO, this information
> +is then used right before linking phase to optimize (among others)
> +block layout within and across functions.
> +
> +A few important notes about adopting Propeller optimization:
> +
> +#. Although it can be used as a standalone optimization step, it is
> +   strongly recommended to apply Propeller on top of AutoFDO,
> +   AutoFDO+ThinLTO or Instrument FDO. The rest of this document
> +   assumes this paradigm.

This is a hard requirement instead of a recommendation
because PROPERLLER_CLANG has "depends on AUTOFDO_CLANG".




> +
> +#. Propeller uses another round of profiling on top of
> +   AutoFDO/AutoFDO+ThinLTO/iFDO. The whole build process involves
> +   "build-afdo - train-afdo - build-propeller - train-propeller -
> +   build-optimized".
> +
> +#. Propeller requires LLVM 19 release or later for Clang/Clang++
> +   and the linker(ld.lld).
> +
> +#. In addition to LLVM toolchain, Propeller requires a profiling
> +   conversion tool: https://github.com/google/autofdo with a release
> +   after v0.30.1: https://github.com/google/autofdo/releases/tag/v0.30.1.
> +
> +The Propeller optimization process involves the following steps:
> +
> +#. Initial building: Build the AutoFDO or AutoFDO+ThinLTO binary as
> +   you would normally do, but with a set of compile-time / link-time
> +   flags, so that a special metadata section is created within the
> +   kernel binary. The special section is only intend to be used by the
> +   profiling tool, it is not part of the runtime image, nor does it
> +   change kernel run time text sections.
> +
> +#. Profiling: The above kernel is then run with a representative
> +   workload to gather execution frequency data. This data is collected
> +   using hardware sampling, via perf. Propeller is most effective on
> +   platforms supporting advanced PMU features like LBR on Intel
> +   machines. This step is the same as profiling the kernel for AutoFDO
> +   (the exact perf parameters can be different).
> +
> +#. Propeller profile generation: Perf output file is converted to a
> +   pair of Propeller profiles via an offline tool.
> +
> +#. Optimized build: Build the AutoFDO or AutoFDO+ThinLTO optimized
> +   binary as you would normally do, but with a compile-time /
> +   link-time flag to pick up the Propeller compile time and link time
> +   profiles. This build step uses 3 profiles - the AutoFDO profile,
> +   the Propeller compile-time profile and the Propeller link-time
> +   profile.
> +
> +#. Deployment: The optimized kernel binary is deployed and used
> +   in production environments, providing improved performance
> +   and reduced latency.
> +
> +Preparation
> +===========
> +
> +Configure the kernel with::
> +
> +   CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y


This is automatically met due to "depends on AUTOFDO_CLANG".



> +   CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
> +
> +Customization
> +=============
> +
> +You can enable or disable Propeller build for individual file and
> +directories by adding a line similar to the following to the
> +respective kernel Makefile:

The same comment as in 1/6.



> +- For enabling a single file (e.g. foo.o)::
> +
> +   PROPELLER_PROFILE_foo.o := y
> +
> +- For enabling all files in one directory::
> +
> +   PROPELLER_PROFILE := y
> +
> +- For disabling one file::
> +
> +   PROPELLER_PROFILE_foo.o := n
> +
> +- For disabling all files in one directory::
> +
> +   PROPELLER__PROFILE := n
> +
> +
> +Workflow
> +========
> +
> +Here is an example workflow for building an AutoFDO+Propeller kernel:
> +
> +1) Assuming an AutoFDO profile is already collected following
> +   instructions in the AutoFDO document, build the kernel on the HOST
> +   machine, with AutoFDO and Propeller build configs ::
> +
> +      CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
> +      CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
> +
> +   and ::
> +
> +      $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<autofdo-profile-name>
> +
> +2) Install the kernel on the TEST machine.


I am repeatedly encountered with capitalized "HOST" and "TEST".

Does this term have a special meaning instead of a test machine in general?







> +
> +3) Run the load tests. The '-c' option in perf specifies the sample
> +   event period. We suggest using a suitable prime number, like 500009,
> +   for this purpose.
> +
> +   - For Intel platforms::
> +
> +      $ perf record -e BR_INST_RETIRED.NEAR_TAKEN:k -a -N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
> +
> +   - For AMD platforms::
> +
> +      $ perf record --pfm-event RETIRED_TAKEN_BRANCH_INSTRUCTIONS:k -a -N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
> +
> +   Note you can repeat the above steps to collect multiple <perf_file>s.
> +
> +4) (Optional) Download the raw perf file(s) to the HOST machine.
> +
> +5) Use the create_llvm_prof tool (https://github.com/google/autofdo) to
> +   generate Propeller profile. ::
> +
> +      $ create_llvm_prof --binary=<vmlinux> --profile=<perf_file>
> +                         --format=propeller --propeller_output_module_name
> +                         --out=<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt
> +                         --propeller_symorder=<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt
> +
> +   "<propeller_profile_prefix>" can be something like "/home/user/dir/any_string".
> +
> +   This command generates a pair of Propeller profiles:
> +   "<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt" and
> +   "<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt".
> +
> +   If there are more than 1 perf_file collected in the previous step,
> +   you can create a temp list file "<perf_file_list>" with each line
> +   containing one perf file name and run::
> +
> +      $ create_llvm_prof --binary=<vmlinux> --profile=@<perf_file_list>
> +                         --format=propeller --propeller_output_module_name
> +                         --out=<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt
> +                         --propeller_symorder=<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt
> +
> +6) Rebuild the kernel using the AutoFDO and Propeller
> +   profiles. ::


"." and "::" are an odd combination.




> +
> +      CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
> +      CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
> +
> +   and ::
> +
> +      $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<profile_file> CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX=<propeller_profile_prefix>



> diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
> index bbb6ec68f5dc..2d2f688c21c6 100644
> --- a/Makefile
> +++ b/Makefile
> @@ -1019,6 +1019,7 @@ include-$(CONFIG_UBSAN)           += scripts/Makefile.ubsan
>  include-$(CONFIG_KCOV)         += scripts/Makefile.kcov
>  include-$(CONFIG_RANDSTRUCT)   += scripts/Makefile.randstruct
>  include-$(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)        += scripts/Makefile.autofdo
> +include-$(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)      += scripts/Makefile.propeller
>  include-$(CONFIG_GCC_PLUGINS)  += scripts/Makefile.gcc-plugins
>
>  include $(addprefix $(srctree)/, $(include-y))
> diff --git a/arch/Kconfig b/arch/Kconfig
> index 5e9604960cbb..fdeb5f173a10 100644
> --- a/arch/Kconfig
> +++ b/arch/Kconfig
> @@ -831,6 +831,28 @@ config AUTOFDO_CLANG
>
>           If unsure, say N.
>
> +config ARCH_SUPPORTS_PROPELLER_CLANG
> +       bool
> +
> +config PROPELLER_CLANG
> +       bool "Enable Clang's Propeller build"
> +       depends on ARCH_SUPPORTS_PROPELLER_CLANG
> +       depends on AUTOFDO_CLANG
> +       depends on CC_IS_CLANG && CLANG_VERSION >= 190000


CC_IS_CLANG is redundant, but I am fine if you want to have it explicitly.



> +       help
> +         This option enables Clang’s Propeller build which
> +         is on top of AutoFDO build. When the Propeller profiles
> +         is specified in variable CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX
> +         during the build process, Clang uses the profiles to
> +         optimize the kernel.
> +
> +         If no profile is specified, Proepller options are


"Proepller" is a typo.




> +         still passed to Clang to facilitate the collection
> +         of perf data for creating the Propeller profiles in
> +         subsequent builds.
> +
> +         If unsure, say N.
> +
>  config ARCH_SUPPORTS_CFI_CLANG
>         bool
>         help
> diff --git a/arch/x86/Kconfig b/arch/x86/Kconfig
> index 503a0268155a..da47164bfddc 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/Kconfig
> +++ b/arch/x86/Kconfig
> @@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ config X86
>         select ARCH_SUPPORTS_LTO_CLANG_THIN
>         select ARCH_SUPPORTS_RT
>         select ARCH_SUPPORTS_AUTOFDO_CLANG
> +       select ARCH_SUPPORTS_PROPELLER_CLANG    if X86_64
>         select ARCH_USE_BUILTIN_BSWAP
>         select ARCH_USE_CMPXCHG_LOCKREF         if X86_CMPXCHG64
>         select ARCH_USE_MEMTEST
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S b/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
> index 6726be89b7a6..7ecc21c569be 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
> +++ b/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
> @@ -442,6 +442,10 @@ SECTIONS
>
>         STABS_DEBUG
>         DWARF_DEBUG
> +#ifdef CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG
> +       .llvm_bb_addr_map : { *(.llvm_bb_addr_map) }
> +#endif
> +
>         ELF_DETAILS
>
>         DISCARDS
> diff --git a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
> index 20e46c0917db..5986dd4cfb14 100644
> --- a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
> +++ b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
> @@ -95,14 +95,14 @@
>   * With LTO_CLANG, the linker also splits sections by default, so we need
>   * these macros to combine the sections during the final link.
>   *
> - * With LTO_CLANG, the linker also splits sections by default, so we need
> - * these macros to combine the sections during the final link.
> + * CONFIG_AUTOFD_CLANG and CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG will also split text sections
> + * and cluster them in the linking time.
>   *
>   * RODATA_MAIN is not used because existing code already defines .rodata.x
>   * sections to be brought in with rodata.
>   */
>  #if defined(CONFIG_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION) || defined(CONFIG_LTO_CLANG) || \
> -defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
> +defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG) || defined(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)


If you have "depends on PROPELLER_CLANG" in Kconfig,
you do not need to touch this line.

When CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG is enabled, CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG is already defined.




>  #define TEXT_MAIN .text .text.[0-9a-zA-Z_]*
>  #else
>  #define TEXT_MAIN .text
> @@ -556,7 +556,7 @@ defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
>                 __cpuidle_text_end = .;                                 \
>                 __noinstr_text_end = .;
>
> -#ifdef CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG
> +#if defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG) || defined(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)


Ditto.


>  #define TEXT_HOT                                                       \
>                 __hot_text_start = .;                                   \
>                 *(.text.hot .text.hot.*)                                \
> @@ -584,7 +584,7 @@ defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
>   * first when in these builds.
>   */
>  #if defined(CONFIG_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION) || defined(CONFIG_LTO_CLANG) || \
> -defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
> +defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG) || defined(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)


Ditto.
Make sense only when CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG and CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG
are independent of each other.



>  #define TEXT_TEXT                                                      \
>                 ALIGN_FUNCTION();                                       \
>                 *(.text.asan.* .text.tsan.*)                            \
> diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.lib b/scripts/Makefile.lib
> index e85d6ac31bd9..60354c476956 100644
> --- a/scripts/Makefile.lib
> +++ b/scripts/Makefile.lib
> @@ -201,6 +201,16 @@ _c_flags += $(if $(patsubst n%,, \
>         $(CFLAGS_AUTOFDO_CLANG))
>  endif
>
> +#
> +# Enable Clang's Propeller build flags for a file or directory depending on
> +# variables AUTOFDO_PROPELLER_obj.o and PROPELLER_PROFILE.

The same comment as in 1/6.



> +#
> +ifeq ($(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG),y)



ifdef CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG

would be simpler, as you used this style in scripts/Makefile.propeller






> +_c_flags += $(if $(patsubst n%,, \
> +       $(AUTOFDO_PROFILE_$(target-stem).o)$(AUTOFDO_PROFILE)$(PROPELLER_PROFILE))$(is-kernel-object), \
> +       $(CFLAGS_PROPELLER_CLANG))
> +endif
> +
>  # $(src) for including checkin headers from generated source files
>  # $(obj) for including generated headers from checkin source files
>  ifeq ($(KBUILD_EXTMOD),)
> diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.propeller b/scripts/Makefile.propeller
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..344190717e47
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/scripts/Makefile.propeller


> +# Propeller requires debug information to embed module names in the profiles.
> +# If CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO is not enabled, set -gmlt option. Skip this for AutoFDO,
> +# as the option should already be set.
> +ifndef CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO
> +  ifndef CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG
> +    CFLAGS_PROPELLER_CLANG += -gmlt
> +  endif
> +endif


This block is dead code due to "depends on AUTOFDO_CLANG".

"ifndef CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG" is never met here.







-- 
Best Regards
Masahiro Yamada
Re: [PATCH v4 6/6] Add Propeller configuration for kernel build.
Posted by Rong Xu 1 month ago
On Sun, Oct 20, 2024 at 10:49 AM Masahiro Yamada <masahiroy@kernel.org> wrote:
>
> Please remove the period at the end of the commit subject.

Will fix this.

>
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 6:34 AM Rong Xu <xur@google.com> wrote:
> >
> > Add the build support for using Clang's Propeller optimizer. Like
> > AutoFDO, Propeller uses hardware sampling to gather information
> > about the frequency of execution of different code paths within a
> > binary. This information is then used to guide the compiler's
> > optimization decisions, resulting in a more efficient binary.
> >
> > The support requires a Clang compiler LLVM 19 or later, and the
> > create_llvm_prof tool
> > (https://github.com/google/autofdo/releases/tag/v0.30.1). This
> > submission is limited to x86 platforms that support PMU features
>
>
> "This submission" -> "This commit"

Will fix this.

>
>
>
> > like LBR on Intel machines and AMD Zen3 BRS.
> >
> > For Arm, we plan to send patches for SPE-based Propeller when
> > AutoFDO for Arm is ready.
>
>
> "we plan to send ..." is not a good description once it is committed.
>
> This sentence should be moved to the cover letter, or reworked.

We will move this sentence to the cover letter.

>
>
>
>
>
>
> >
> > Here is an example workflow for building an AutoFDO+Propeller
> > optimized kernel:
> >
> > 1) Build the kernel on the HOST machine, with AutoFDO and Propeller
>
>
> Why is the "HOST" capitalized?

We will fix this.

>
>
>
> >    build config
> >       CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
> >       CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
> >    then
> >       $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<autofdo_profile>
> >
> > “<autofdo_profile>” is the profile collected when doing a non-Propeller
> > AutoFDO build. This step builds a kernel that has the same optimization
> > level as AutoFDO, plus a metadata section that records basic block
> > information. This kernel image runs as fast as an AutoFDO optimized
> > kernel.
> >
> > 2) Install the kernel on test/production machines.
> >
> > 3) Run the load tests. The '-c' option in perf specifies the sample
> >    event period. We suggest using a suitable prime number,
> >    like 500009, for this purpose.
> >    For Intel platforms:
> >       $ perf record -e BR_INST_RETIRED.NEAR_TAKEN:k -a -N -b -c <count> \
> >         -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
> >    For AMD platforms:
> >       The supported system are: Zen3 with BRS, or Zen4 with amd_lbr_v2
> >       # To see if Zen3 support LBR:
> >       $ cat proc/cpuinfo | grep " brs"
> >       # To see if Zen4 support LBR:
> >       $ cat proc/cpuinfo | grep amd_lbr_v2
> >       # If the result is yes, then collect the profile using:
> >       $ perf record --pfm-events RETIRED_TAKEN_BRANCH_INSTRUCTIONS:k -a \
> >         -N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
> >
> > 4) (Optional) Download the raw perf file to the HOST machine.
>
>
> Same question as above.

Will use "host".

>
>
> >
> > 5) Generate Propeller profile:
> >    $ create_llvm_prof --binary=<vmlinux> --profile=<perf_file> \
> >      --format=propeller --propeller_output_module_name \
> >      --out=<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt \
> >      --propeller_symorder=<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt
> >
> >    “create_llvm_prof” is the profile conversion tool, and a prebuilt
> >    binary for linux can be found on
> >    https://github.com/google/autofdo/releases/tag/v0.30.1 (can also build
> >    from source).
> >
> >    "<propeller_profile_prefix>" can be something like
> >    "/home/user/dir/any_string".
> >
> >    This command generates a pair of Propeller profiles:
> >    "<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt" and
> >    "<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt".
> >
> > 6) Rebuild the kernel using the AutoFDO and Propeller profile files.
> >       CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
> >       CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
> >    and
> >       $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<autofdo_profile> \
> >         CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX=<propeller_profile_prefix>
> >
> > Co-developed-by: Han Shen <shenhan@google.com>
> > Signed-off-by: Han Shen <shenhan@google.com>
> > Signed-off-by: Rong Xu <xur@google.com>
> > Suggested-by: Sriraman Tallam <tmsriram@google.com>
> > Suggested-by: Krzysztof Pszeniczny <kpszeniczny@google.com>
> > Suggested-by: Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@google.com>
> > Suggested-by: Stephane Eranian <eranian@google.com>
>
>
>
> >
> >  .. only::  subproject and html
> > diff --git a/Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst b/Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst
> > new file mode 100644
> > index 000000000000..a217354e0f95
> > --- /dev/null
> > +++ b/Documentation/dev-tools/propeller.rst
> > @@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
> > +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
> > +
> > +=====================================
> > +Using Propeller with the Linux kernel
> > +=====================================
> > +
> > +This enables Propeller build support for the kernel when using Clang
> > +compiler. Propeller is a profile-guided optimization (PGO) method used
> > +to optimize binary executables. Like AutoFDO, it utilizes hardware
> > +sampling to gather information about the frequency of execution of
> > +different code paths within a binary. Unlike AutoFDO, this information
> > +is then used right before linking phase to optimize (among others)
> > +block layout within and across functions.
> > +
> > +A few important notes about adopting Propeller optimization:
> > +
> > +#. Although it can be used as a standalone optimization step, it is
> > +   strongly recommended to apply Propeller on top of AutoFDO,
> > +   AutoFDO+ThinLTO or Instrument FDO. The rest of this document
> > +   assumes this paradigm.
>
> This is a hard requirement instead of a recommendation
> because PROPERLLER_CLANG has "depends on AUTOFDO_CLANG".

Actually PROPELLER_CLANG does not depend on AUTOFDO_CLANG.
We should apply Propeller on top of the vanilla build kernel.

I admit that we did not do a good job to separate these two in this patch.

>
>
>
>
> > +
> > +#. Propeller uses another round of profiling on top of
> > +   AutoFDO/AutoFDO+ThinLTO/iFDO. The whole build process involves
> > +   "build-afdo - train-afdo - build-propeller - train-propeller -
> > +   build-optimized".
> > +
> > +#. Propeller requires LLVM 19 release or later for Clang/Clang++
> > +   and the linker(ld.lld).
> > +
> > +#. In addition to LLVM toolchain, Propeller requires a profiling
> > +   conversion tool: https://github.com/google/autofdo with a release
> > +   after v0.30.1: https://github.com/google/autofdo/releases/tag/v0.30.1.
> > +
> > +The Propeller optimization process involves the following steps:
> > +
> > +#. Initial building: Build the AutoFDO or AutoFDO+ThinLTO binary as
> > +   you would normally do, but with a set of compile-time / link-time
> > +   flags, so that a special metadata section is created within the
> > +   kernel binary. The special section is only intend to be used by the
> > +   profiling tool, it is not part of the runtime image, nor does it
> > +   change kernel run time text sections.
> > +
> > +#. Profiling: The above kernel is then run with a representative
> > +   workload to gather execution frequency data. This data is collected
> > +   using hardware sampling, via perf. Propeller is most effective on
> > +   platforms supporting advanced PMU features like LBR on Intel
> > +   machines. This step is the same as profiling the kernel for AutoFDO
> > +   (the exact perf parameters can be different).
> > +
> > +#. Propeller profile generation: Perf output file is converted to a
> > +   pair of Propeller profiles via an offline tool.
> > +
> > +#. Optimized build: Build the AutoFDO or AutoFDO+ThinLTO optimized
> > +   binary as you would normally do, but with a compile-time /
> > +   link-time flag to pick up the Propeller compile time and link time
> > +   profiles. This build step uses 3 profiles - the AutoFDO profile,
> > +   the Propeller compile-time profile and the Propeller link-time
> > +   profile.
> > +
> > +#. Deployment: The optimized kernel binary is deployed and used
> > +   in production environments, providing improved performance
> > +   and reduced latency.
> > +
> > +Preparation
> > +===========
> > +
> > +Configure the kernel with::
> > +
> > +   CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
>
>
> This is automatically met due to "depends on AUTOFDO_CLANG".

Agreed. But we will remove the dependency from PROPELlER_CLANG to AUTOFDO_CLANG.
So we will keep the part.

>
>
>
> > +   CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
> > +
> > +Customization
> > +=============
> > +
> > +You can enable or disable Propeller build for individual file and
> > +directories by adding a line similar to the following to the
> > +respective kernel Makefile:
>
> The same comment as in 1/6.

We will fix this similar to the proposed change in 1/6 if you think
the change there is acceptable.

>
>
>
> > +- For enabling a single file (e.g. foo.o)::
> > +
> > +   PROPELLER_PROFILE_foo.o := y
> > +
> > +- For enabling all files in one directory::
> > +
> > +   PROPELLER_PROFILE := y
> > +
> > +- For disabling one file::
> > +
> > +   PROPELLER_PROFILE_foo.o := n
> > +
> > +- For disabling all files in one directory::
> > +
> > +   PROPELLER__PROFILE := n
> > +
> > +
> > +Workflow
> > +========
> > +
> > +Here is an example workflow for building an AutoFDO+Propeller kernel:
> > +
> > +1) Assuming an AutoFDO profile is already collected following
> > +   instructions in the AutoFDO document, build the kernel on the HOST
> > +   machine, with AutoFDO and Propeller build configs ::
> > +
> > +      CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
> > +      CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
> > +
> > +   and ::
> > +
> > +      $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<autofdo-profile-name>
> > +
> > +2) Install the kernel on the TEST machine.
>
>
> I am repeatedly encountered with capitalized "HOST" and "TEST".
>
> Does this term have a special meaning instead of a test machine in general?

No special meaning. This is not intentional. Will fix this.

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > +
> > +3) Run the load tests. The '-c' option in perf specifies the sample
> > +   event period. We suggest using a suitable prime number, like 500009,
> > +   for this purpose.
> > +
> > +   - For Intel platforms::
> > +
> > +      $ perf record -e BR_INST_RETIRED.NEAR_TAKEN:k -a -N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
> > +
> > +   - For AMD platforms::
> > +
> > +      $ perf record --pfm-event RETIRED_TAKEN_BRANCH_INSTRUCTIONS:k -a -N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
> > +
> > +   Note you can repeat the above steps to collect multiple <perf_file>s.
> > +
> > +4) (Optional) Download the raw perf file(s) to the HOST machine.
> > +
> > +5) Use the create_llvm_prof tool (https://github.com/google/autofdo) to
> > +   generate Propeller profile. ::
> > +
> > +      $ create_llvm_prof --binary=<vmlinux> --profile=<perf_file>
> > +                         --format=propeller --propeller_output_module_name
> > +                         --out=<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt
> > +                         --propeller_symorder=<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt
> > +
> > +   "<propeller_profile_prefix>" can be something like "/home/user/dir/any_string".
> > +
> > +   This command generates a pair of Propeller profiles:
> > +   "<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt" and
> > +   "<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt".
> > +
> > +   If there are more than 1 perf_file collected in the previous step,
> > +   you can create a temp list file "<perf_file_list>" with each line
> > +   containing one perf file name and run::
> > +
> > +      $ create_llvm_prof --binary=<vmlinux> --profile=@<perf_file_list>
> > +                         --format=propeller --propeller_output_module_name
> > +                         --out=<propeller_profile_prefix>_cc_profile.txt
> > +                         --propeller_symorder=<propeller_profile_prefix>_ld_profile.txt
> > +
> > +6) Rebuild the kernel using the AutoFDO and Propeller
> > +   profiles. ::
>
>
> "." and "::" are an odd combination.

"::" is an rst marker. I will make sure the rendered text looks good.

>
>
>
>
> > +
> > +      CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
> > +      CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG=y
> > +
> > +   and ::
> > +
> > +      $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<profile_file> CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX=<propeller_profile_prefix>
>
>
>
> > diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
> > index bbb6ec68f5dc..2d2f688c21c6 100644
> > --- a/Makefile
> > +++ b/Makefile
> > @@ -1019,6 +1019,7 @@ include-$(CONFIG_UBSAN)           += scripts/Makefile.ubsan
> >  include-$(CONFIG_KCOV)         += scripts/Makefile.kcov
> >  include-$(CONFIG_RANDSTRUCT)   += scripts/Makefile.randstruct
> >  include-$(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)        += scripts/Makefile.autofdo
> > +include-$(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)      += scripts/Makefile.propeller
> >  include-$(CONFIG_GCC_PLUGINS)  += scripts/Makefile.gcc-plugins
> >
> >  include $(addprefix $(srctree)/, $(include-y))
> > diff --git a/arch/Kconfig b/arch/Kconfig
> > index 5e9604960cbb..fdeb5f173a10 100644
> > --- a/arch/Kconfig
> > +++ b/arch/Kconfig
> > @@ -831,6 +831,28 @@ config AUTOFDO_CLANG
> >
> >           If unsure, say N.
> >
> > +config ARCH_SUPPORTS_PROPELLER_CLANG
> > +       bool
> > +
> > +config PROPELLER_CLANG
> > +       bool "Enable Clang's Propeller build"
> > +       depends on ARCH_SUPPORTS_PROPELLER_CLANG
> > +       depends on AUTOFDO_CLANG
> > +       depends on CC_IS_CLANG && CLANG_VERSION >= 190000
>
>
> CC_IS_CLANG is redundant, but I am fine if you want to have it explicitly.

Let's keep this just for clarity purposes.

>
>
>
> > +       help
> > +         This option enables Clang’s Propeller build which
> > +         is on top of AutoFDO build. When the Propeller profiles
> > +         is specified in variable CLANG_PROPELLER_PROFILE_PREFIX
> > +         during the build process, Clang uses the profiles to
> > +         optimize the kernel.
> > +
> > +         If no profile is specified, Proepller options are
>
>
> "Proepller" is a typo.

Thanks! Will fix this.

>
>
>
>
> > +         still passed to Clang to facilitate the collection
> > +         of perf data for creating the Propeller profiles in
> > +         subsequent builds.
> > +
> > +         If unsure, say N.
> > +
> >  config ARCH_SUPPORTS_CFI_CLANG
> >         bool
> >         help
> > diff --git a/arch/x86/Kconfig b/arch/x86/Kconfig
> > index 503a0268155a..da47164bfddc 100644
> > --- a/arch/x86/Kconfig
> > +++ b/arch/x86/Kconfig
> > @@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ config X86
> >         select ARCH_SUPPORTS_LTO_CLANG_THIN
> >         select ARCH_SUPPORTS_RT
> >         select ARCH_SUPPORTS_AUTOFDO_CLANG
> > +       select ARCH_SUPPORTS_PROPELLER_CLANG    if X86_64
> >         select ARCH_USE_BUILTIN_BSWAP
> >         select ARCH_USE_CMPXCHG_LOCKREF         if X86_CMPXCHG64
> >         select ARCH_USE_MEMTEST
> > diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S b/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
> > index 6726be89b7a6..7ecc21c569be 100644
> > --- a/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
> > +++ b/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
> > @@ -442,6 +442,10 @@ SECTIONS
> >
> >         STABS_DEBUG
> >         DWARF_DEBUG
> > +#ifdef CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG
> > +       .llvm_bb_addr_map : { *(.llvm_bb_addr_map) }
> > +#endif
> > +
> >         ELF_DETAILS
> >
> >         DISCARDS
> > diff --git a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
> > index 20e46c0917db..5986dd4cfb14 100644
> > --- a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
> > +++ b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
> > @@ -95,14 +95,14 @@
> >   * With LTO_CLANG, the linker also splits sections by default, so we need
> >   * these macros to combine the sections during the final link.
> >   *
> > - * With LTO_CLANG, the linker also splits sections by default, so we need
> > - * these macros to combine the sections during the final link.
> > + * CONFIG_AUTOFD_CLANG and CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG will also split text sections
> > + * and cluster them in the linking time.
> >   *
> >   * RODATA_MAIN is not used because existing code already defines .rodata.x
> >   * sections to be brought in with rodata.
> >   */
> >  #if defined(CONFIG_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION) || defined(CONFIG_LTO_CLANG) || \
> > -defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
> > +defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG) || defined(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)
>
>
> If you have "depends on PROPELLER_CLANG" in Kconfig,
> you do not need to touch this line.
>
> When CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG is enabled, CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG is already defined.

We will remove the dependency from CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG to
CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG.
So I guess we will keep this part.

>
>
>
>
> >  #define TEXT_MAIN .text .text.[0-9a-zA-Z_]*
> >  #else
> >  #define TEXT_MAIN .text
> > @@ -556,7 +556,7 @@ defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
> >                 __cpuidle_text_end = .;                                 \
> >                 __noinstr_text_end = .;
> >
> > -#ifdef CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG
> > +#if defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG) || defined(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)
>
>
> Ditto.
>
>
> >  #define TEXT_HOT                                                       \
> >                 __hot_text_start = .;                                   \
> >                 *(.text.hot .text.hot.*)                                \
> > @@ -584,7 +584,7 @@ defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
> >   * first when in these builds.
> >   */
> >  #if defined(CONFIG_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION) || defined(CONFIG_LTO_CLANG) || \
> > -defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG)
> > +defined(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG) || defined(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG)
>
>
> Ditto.
> Make sense only when CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG and CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG
> are independent of each other.

We will make CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG and CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG
independent of each other.

>
>
>
> >  #define TEXT_TEXT                                                      \
> >                 ALIGN_FUNCTION();                                       \
> >                 *(.text.asan.* .text.tsan.*)                            \
> > diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.lib b/scripts/Makefile.lib
> > index e85d6ac31bd9..60354c476956 100644
> > --- a/scripts/Makefile.lib
> > +++ b/scripts/Makefile.lib
> > @@ -201,6 +201,16 @@ _c_flags += $(if $(patsubst n%,, \
> >         $(CFLAGS_AUTOFDO_CLANG))
> >  endif
> >
> > +#
> > +# Enable Clang's Propeller build flags for a file or directory depending on
> > +# variables AUTOFDO_PROPELLER_obj.o and PROPELLER_PROFILE.
>
> The same comment as in 1/6.

Will fix this.

>
>
>
> > +#
> > +ifeq ($(CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG),y)
>
>
>
> ifdef CONFIG_PROPELLER_CLANG
>
> would be simpler, as you used this style in scripts/Makefile.propeller

Will use the suggested code.

>
>
>
>
>
>
> > +_c_flags += $(if $(patsubst n%,, \
> > +       $(AUTOFDO_PROFILE_$(target-stem).o)$(AUTOFDO_PROFILE)$(PROPELLER_PROFILE))$(is-kernel-object), \
> > +       $(CFLAGS_PROPELLER_CLANG))
> > +endif
> > +
> >  # $(src) for including checkin headers from generated source files
> >  # $(obj) for including generated headers from checkin source files
> >  ifeq ($(KBUILD_EXTMOD),)
> > diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.propeller b/scripts/Makefile.propeller
> > new file mode 100644
> > index 000000000000..344190717e47
> > --- /dev/null
> > +++ b/scripts/Makefile.propeller
>
>
> > +# Propeller requires debug information to embed module names in the profiles.
> > +# If CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO is not enabled, set -gmlt option. Skip this for AutoFDO,
> > +# as the option should already be set.
> > +ifndef CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO
> > +  ifndef CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG
> > +    CFLAGS_PROPELLER_CLANG += -gmlt
> > +  endif
> > +endif
>
>
> This block is dead code due to "depends on AUTOFDO_CLANG".
>
> "ifndef CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG" is never met here.

Yes. I think we still need to when we remove the dependency to
CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG.

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Best Regards
> Masahiro Yamada
Re: [PATCH v4 6/6] Add Propeller configuration for kernel build.
Posted by Masahiro Yamada 1 month ago
On Tue, Oct 22, 2024 at 9:00 AM Rong Xu <xur@google.com> wrote:

> > > +===========
> > > +
> > > +Configure the kernel with::
> > > +
> > > +   CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
> >
> >
> > This is automatically met due to "depends on AUTOFDO_CLANG".
>
> Agreed. But we will remove the dependency from PROPELlER_CLANG to AUTOFDO_CLANG.
> So we will keep the part.


You can replace "depends on AUTOFDO_CLANG" with
"imply AUTOFDO_CLANG" if it is sensible.

Up to you.



--
Best Regards
Masahiro Yamada