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[PATCH] perf tools: Dump callchain context marker names

James Clark posted 1 patch 1 month, 1 week ago 
tools/perf/util/session.c | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++++--
1 file changed, 23 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
[PATCH] perf tools: Dump callchain context marker names
Posted by James Clark 1 month, 1 week ago 
These are hard to interpret in the raw output because they are printed
as hex but are defined in perf_event.h as decimal. Make it much easier
to read the raw callchains by just printing their names.

For example:

  $ perf report -D

  1798195372321 0x4638 [0xb0]: PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE(IP, 0x4002): 44922/44922: 0x7c8046dd3400 period: 120218 addr: 0
  ... FP chain: nr:12
  .....  0: fffffffffffffe00 (PERF_CONTEXT_USER)
  .....  1: 00007c8046dd3400
  .....  2: 00007c8046db86d3

Signed-off-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
---
 tools/perf/util/session.c | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++++--
 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
index 4236503c8f6c..e812f8954075 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
@@ -841,6 +841,26 @@ static void callchain__lbr_callstack_printf(struct perf_sample *sample)
 	}
 }
 
+static const char *callchain_context_str(u64 ip)
+{
+	switch (ip) {
+	case PERF_CONTEXT_HV:
+		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_HV)";
+	case PERF_CONTEXT_KERNEL:
+		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_KERNEL)";
+	case PERF_CONTEXT_USER:
+		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_USER)";
+	case PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST:
+		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST)";
+	case PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_KERNEL:
+		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_KERNEL)";
+	case PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_USER:
+		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_USER)";
+	default:
+		return "";
+	}
+}
+
 static void callchain__printf(struct evsel *evsel,
 			      struct perf_sample *sample)
 {
@@ -853,8 +873,9 @@ static void callchain__printf(struct evsel *evsel,
 	printf("... FP chain: nr:%" PRIu64 "\n", callchain->nr);
 
 	for (i = 0; i < callchain->nr; i++)
-		printf("..... %2d: %016" PRIx64 "\n",
-		       i, callchain->ips[i]);
+		printf("..... %2d: %016" PRIx64 "%s\n",
+		       i, callchain->ips[i],
+		       callchain_context_str(callchain->ips[i]));
 
 	if (sample->deferred_callchain)
 		printf("...... (deferred)\n");

---
base-commit: cbd41c6d4c26c161a2b0e70ad411d3885ff13507
change-id: 20260102-james-perf-dump-callchain-markers-64d175b108c8

Best regards,
-- 
James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
Re: [PATCH] perf tools: Dump callchain context marker names
Posted by Namhyung Kim 1 month ago 
Hi James,

Happy new year!

On Fri, Jan 02, 2026 at 12:15:43PM +0000, James Clark wrote:
> These are hard to interpret in the raw output because they are printed
> as hex but are defined in perf_event.h as decimal. Make it much easier
> to read the raw callchains by just printing their names.
> 
> For example:
> 
>   $ perf report -D
> 
>   1798195372321 0x4638 [0xb0]: PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE(IP, 0x4002): 44922/44922: 0x7c8046dd3400 period: 120218 addr: 0
>   ... FP chain: nr:12
>   .....  0: fffffffffffffe00 (PERF_CONTEXT_USER)
>   .....  1: 00007c8046dd3400
>   .....  2: 00007c8046db86d3
> 
> Signed-off-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
> ---
>  tools/perf/util/session.c | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++++--
>  1 file changed, 23 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
> index 4236503c8f6c..e812f8954075 100644
> --- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
> +++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
> @@ -841,6 +841,26 @@ static void callchain__lbr_callstack_printf(struct perf_sample *sample)
>  	}
>  }
>  
> +static const char *callchain_context_str(u64 ip)
> +{
> +	switch (ip) {
> +	case PERF_CONTEXT_HV:
> +		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_HV)";
> +	case PERF_CONTEXT_KERNEL:
> +		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_KERNEL)";
> +	case PERF_CONTEXT_USER:
> +		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_USER)";

We now have PERF_CONTEXT_USER_DEFERRED too.

Thanks,
Namhyung


> +	case PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST:
> +		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST)";
> +	case PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_KERNEL:
> +		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_KERNEL)";
> +	case PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_USER:
> +		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_USER)";
> +	default:
> +		return "";
> +	}
> +}
> +
>  static void callchain__printf(struct evsel *evsel,
>  			      struct perf_sample *sample)
>  {
> @@ -853,8 +873,9 @@ static void callchain__printf(struct evsel *evsel,
>  	printf("... FP chain: nr:%" PRIu64 "\n", callchain->nr);
>  
>  	for (i = 0; i < callchain->nr; i++)
> -		printf("..... %2d: %016" PRIx64 "\n",
> -		       i, callchain->ips[i]);
> +		printf("..... %2d: %016" PRIx64 "%s\n",
> +		       i, callchain->ips[i],
> +		       callchain_context_str(callchain->ips[i]));
>  
>  	if (sample->deferred_callchain)
>  		printf("...... (deferred)\n");
> 
> ---
> base-commit: cbd41c6d4c26c161a2b0e70ad411d3885ff13507
> change-id: 20260102-james-perf-dump-callchain-markers-64d175b108c8
> 
> Best regards,
> -- 
> James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
>
Re: [PATCH] perf tools: Dump callchain context marker names
Posted by Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo 3 weeks, 4 days ago 
On Fri, Jan 02, 2026 at 02:40:05PM -0800, Namhyung Kim wrote:
> Hi James,
> 
> Happy new year!
> 
> On Fri, Jan 02, 2026 at 12:15:43PM +0000, James Clark wrote:
> > These are hard to interpret in the raw output because they are printed
> > as hex but are defined in perf_event.h as decimal. Make it much easier
> > to read the raw callchains by just printing their names.
> > 
> > For example:
> > 
> >   $ perf report -D
> > 
> >   1798195372321 0x4638 [0xb0]: PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE(IP, 0x4002): 44922/44922: 0x7c8046dd3400 period: 120218 addr: 0
> >   ... FP chain: nr:12
> >   .....  0: fffffffffffffe00 (PERF_CONTEXT_USER)
> >   .....  1: 00007c8046dd3400
> >   .....  2: 00007c8046db86d3
> > 
> > Signed-off-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
> > ---
> >  tools/perf/util/session.c | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++++--
> >  1 file changed, 23 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> > 
> > diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
> > index 4236503c8f6c..e812f8954075 100644
> > --- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
> > +++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
> > @@ -841,6 +841,26 @@ static void callchain__lbr_callstack_printf(struct perf_sample *sample)
> >  	}
> >  }
> >  
> > +static const char *callchain_context_str(u64 ip)
> > +{
> > +	switch (ip) {
> > +	case PERF_CONTEXT_HV:
> > +		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_HV)";
> > +	case PERF_CONTEXT_KERNEL:
> > +		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_KERNEL)";
> > +	case PERF_CONTEXT_USER:
> > +		return " (PERF_CONTEXT_USER)";
> 
> We now have PERF_CONTEXT_USER_DEFERRED too.

I ammended the patch with:

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
index e812f89540755f31..65fa9bdff1b8cdf2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
@@ -856,6 +856,8 @@ static const char *callchain_context_str(u64 ip)
                return " (PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_KERNEL)";
        case PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_USER:
                return " (PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_USER)";
+       case PERF_CONTEXT_USER_DEFERRED:
+               return " (PERF_CONTEXT_USER_DEFERRED)";
        default:
                return "";
        }
⬢ [acme@toolbx perf-tools-next]$

And added a note about being Namhyung who made the suggestion, thanks.

- Arnaldo
Re: [PATCH] perf tools: Dump callchain context marker names
Posted by Ian Rogers 1 month, 1 week ago 
On Fri, Jan 2, 2026 at 4:16 AM James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org> wrote:
>
> These are hard to interpret in the raw output because they are printed
> as hex but are defined in perf_event.h as decimal. Make it much easier
> to read the raw callchains by just printing their names.
>
> For example:
>
>   $ perf report -D
>
>   1798195372321 0x4638 [0xb0]: PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE(IP, 0x4002): 44922/44922: 0x7c8046dd3400 period: 120218 addr: 0
>   ... FP chain: nr:12
>   .....  0: fffffffffffffe00 (PERF_CONTEXT_USER)
>   .....  1: 00007c8046dd3400
>   .....  2: 00007c8046db86d3
>
> Signed-off-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>

Reviewed-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>

Thanks,
Ian

> ---
>  tools/perf/util/session.c | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++++--
>  1 file changed, 23 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
> index 4236503c8f6c..e812f8954075 100644
> --- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
> +++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
> @@ -841,6 +841,26 @@ static void callchain__lbr_callstack_printf(struct perf_sample *sample)
>         }
>  }
>
> +static const char *callchain_context_str(u64 ip)
> +{
> +       switch (ip) {
> +       case PERF_CONTEXT_HV:
> +               return " (PERF_CONTEXT_HV)";
> +       case PERF_CONTEXT_KERNEL:
> +               return " (PERF_CONTEXT_KERNEL)";
> +       case PERF_CONTEXT_USER:
> +               return " (PERF_CONTEXT_USER)";
> +       case PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST:
> +               return " (PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST)";
> +       case PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_KERNEL:
> +               return " (PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_KERNEL)";
> +       case PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_USER:
> +               return " (PERF_CONTEXT_GUEST_USER)";
> +       default:
> +               return "";
> +       }
> +}
> +
>  static void callchain__printf(struct evsel *evsel,
>                               struct perf_sample *sample)
>  {
> @@ -853,8 +873,9 @@ static void callchain__printf(struct evsel *evsel,
>         printf("... FP chain: nr:%" PRIu64 "\n", callchain->nr);
>
>         for (i = 0; i < callchain->nr; i++)
> -               printf("..... %2d: %016" PRIx64 "\n",
> -                      i, callchain->ips[i]);
> +               printf("..... %2d: %016" PRIx64 "%s\n",
> +                      i, callchain->ips[i],
> +                      callchain_context_str(callchain->ips[i]));
>
>         if (sample->deferred_callchain)
>                 printf("...... (deferred)\n");
>
> ---
> base-commit: cbd41c6d4c26c161a2b0e70ad411d3885ff13507
> change-id: 20260102-james-perf-dump-callchain-markers-64d175b108c8
>
> Best regards,
> --
> James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
>
Re: [PATCH] perf tools: Dump callchain context marker names
Posted by Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo 3 weeks, 4 days ago 
On Fri, Jan 02, 2026 at 04:18:37AM -0800, Ian Rogers wrote:
> On Fri, Jan 2, 2026 at 4:16 AM James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org> wrote:
> >
> > These are hard to interpret in the raw output because they are printed
> > as hex but are defined in perf_event.h as decimal. Make it much easier
> > to read the raw callchains by just printing their names.
> >
> > For example:
> >
> >   $ perf report -D
> >
> >   1798195372321 0x4638 [0xb0]: PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE(IP, 0x4002): 44922/44922: 0x7c8046dd3400 period: 120218 addr: 0
> >   ... FP chain: nr:12
> >   .....  0: fffffffffffffe00 (PERF_CONTEXT_USER)
> >   .....  1: 00007c8046dd3400
> >   .....  2: 00007c8046db86d3
> >
> > Signed-off-by: James Clark <james.clark@linaro.org>
> 
> Reviewed-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>

Thanks, applied to perf-tools-next,

- Arnaldo

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