1ACPICA Trace Facility
2
3Copyright (C) 2015, Intel Corporation
4Author: Lv Zheng <lv.zheng@intel.com>
5
6
7Abstract:
8
9This document describes the functions and the interfaces of the method
10tracing facility.
11
121. Functionalities and usage examples:
13
14   ACPICA provides method tracing capability. And two functions are
15   currently implemented using this capability.
16
17   A. Log reducer
18   ACPICA subsystem provides debugging outputs when CONFIG_ACPI_DEBUG is
19   enabled. The debugging messages which are deployed via
20   ACPI_DEBUG_PRINT() macro can be reduced at 2 levels - per-component
21   level (known as debug layer, configured via
22   /sys/module/acpi/parameters/debug_layer) and per-type level (known as
23   debug level, configured via /sys/module/acpi/parameters/debug_level).
24
25   But when the particular layer/level is applied to the control method
26   evaluations, the quantity of the debugging outputs may still be too
27   large to be put into the kernel log buffer. The idea thus is worked out
28   to only enable the particular debug layer/level (normally more detailed)
29   logs when the control method evaluation is started, and disable the
30   detailed logging when the control method evaluation is stopped.
31
32   The following command examples illustrate the usage of the "log reducer"
33   functionality:
34   a. Filter out the debug layer/level matched logs when control methods
35      are being evaluated:
36      # cd /sys/module/acpi/parameters
37      # echo "0xXXXXXXXX" > trace_debug_layer
38      # echo "0xYYYYYYYY" > trace_debug_level
39      # echo "enable" > trace_state
40   b. Filter out the debug layer/level matched logs when the specified
41      control method is being evaluated:
42      # cd /sys/module/acpi/parameters
43      # echo "0xXXXXXXXX" > trace_debug_layer
44      # echo "0xYYYYYYYY" > trace_debug_level
45      # echo "\PPPP.AAAA.TTTT.HHHH" > trace_method_name
46      # echo "method" > /sys/module/acpi/parameters/trace_state
47   c. Filter out the debug layer/level matched logs when the specified
48      control method is being evaluated for the first time:
49      # cd /sys/module/acpi/parameters
50      # echo "0xXXXXXXXX" > trace_debug_layer
51      # echo "0xYYYYYYYY" > trace_debug_level
52      # echo "\PPPP.AAAA.TTTT.HHHH" > trace_method_name
53      # echo "method-once" > /sys/module/acpi/parameters/trace_state
54   Where:
55      0xXXXXXXXX/0xYYYYYYYY: Refer to Documentation/acpi/debug.txt for
56			     possible debug layer/level masking values.
57      \PPPP.AAAA.TTTT.HHHH: Full path of a control method that can be found
58			    in the ACPI namespace. It needn't be an entry
59			    of a control method evaluation.
60
61   B. AML tracer
62
63   There are special log entries added by the method tracing facility at
64   the "trace points" the AML interpreter starts/stops to execute a control
65   method, or an AML opcode. Note that the format of the log entries are
66   subject to change:
67     [    0.186427]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Method Begin [0xf58394d8:\_SB.PCI0.LPCB.ECOK] execution.
68     [    0.186630]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode Begin [0xf5905c88:If] execution.
69     [    0.186820]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode Begin [0xf5905cc0:LEqual] execution.
70     [    0.187010]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode Begin [0xf5905a20:-NamePath-] execution.
71     [    0.187214]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode End [0xf5905a20:-NamePath-] execution.
72     [    0.187407]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode Begin [0xf5905f60:One] execution.
73     [    0.187594]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode End [0xf5905f60:One] execution.
74     [    0.187789]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode End [0xf5905cc0:LEqual] execution.
75     [    0.187980]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode Begin [0xf5905cc0:Return] execution.
76     [    0.188146]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode Begin [0xf5905f60:One] execution.
77     [    0.188334]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode End [0xf5905f60:One] execution.
78     [    0.188524]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode End [0xf5905cc0:Return] execution.
79     [    0.188712]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Opcode End [0xf5905c88:If] execution.
80     [    0.188903]   exdebug-0398 ex_trace_point        : Method End [0xf58394d8:\_SB.PCI0.LPCB.ECOK] execution.
81
82   Developers can utilize these special log entries to track the AML
83   interpretion, thus can aid issue debugging and performance tuning. Note
84   that, as the "AML tracer" logs are implemented via ACPI_DEBUG_PRINT()
85   macro, CONFIG_ACPI_DEBUG is also required to be enabled for enabling
86   "AML tracer" logs.
87
88   The following command examples illustrate the usage of the "AML tracer"
89   functionality:
90   a. Filter out the method start/stop "AML tracer" logs when control
91      methods are being evaluated:
92      # cd /sys/module/acpi/parameters
93      # echo "0x80" > trace_debug_layer
94      # echo "0x10" > trace_debug_level
95      # echo "enable" > trace_state
96   b. Filter out the method start/stop "AML tracer" when the specified
97      control method is being evaluated:
98      # cd /sys/module/acpi/parameters
99      # echo "0x80" > trace_debug_layer
100      # echo "0x10" > trace_debug_level
101      # echo "\PPPP.AAAA.TTTT.HHHH" > trace_method_name
102      # echo "method" > trace_state
103   c. Filter out the method start/stop "AML tracer" logs when the specified
104      control method is being evaluated for the first time:
105      # cd /sys/module/acpi/parameters
106      # echo "0x80" > trace_debug_layer
107      # echo "0x10" > trace_debug_level
108      # echo "\PPPP.AAAA.TTTT.HHHH" > trace_method_name
109      # echo "method-once" > trace_state
110   d. Filter out the method/opcode start/stop "AML tracer" when the
111      specified control method is being evaluated:
112      # cd /sys/module/acpi/parameters
113      # echo "0x80" > trace_debug_layer
114      # echo "0x10" > trace_debug_level
115      # echo "\PPPP.AAAA.TTTT.HHHH" > trace_method_name
116      # echo "opcode" > trace_state
117   e. Filter out the method/opcode start/stop "AML tracer" when the
118      specified control method is being evaluated for the first time:
119      # cd /sys/module/acpi/parameters
120      # echo "0x80" > trace_debug_layer
121      # echo "0x10" > trace_debug_level
122      # echo "\PPPP.AAAA.TTTT.HHHH" > trace_method_name
123      # echo "opcode-opcode" > trace_state
124
125  Note that all above method tracing facility related module parameters can
126  be used as the boot parameters, for example:
127      acpi.trace_debug_layer=0x80 acpi.trace_debug_level=0x10 \
128      acpi.trace_method_name=\_SB.LID0._LID acpi.trace_state=opcode-once
129
1302. Interface descriptions:
131
132   All method tracing functions can be configured via ACPI module
133   parameters that are accessible at /sys/module/acpi/parameters/:
134
135   trace_method_name
136	The full path of the AML method that the user wants to trace.
137	Note that the full path shouldn't contain the trailing "_"s in its
138	name segments but may contain "\" to form an absolute path.
139
140   trace_debug_layer
141	The temporary debug_layer used when the tracing feature is enabled.
142	Using ACPI_EXECUTER (0x80) by default, which is the debug_layer
143	used to match all "AML tracer" logs.
144
145   trace_debug_level
146	The temporary debug_level used when the tracing feature is enabled.
147	Using ACPI_LV_TRACE_POINT (0x10) by default, which is the
148	debug_level used to match all "AML tracer" logs.
149
150   trace_state
151	The status of the tracing feature.
152	Users can enable/disable this debug tracing feature by executing
153	the following command:
154	    # echo string > /sys/module/acpi/parameters/trace_state
155	Where "string" should be one of the followings:
156	"disable"
157	    Disable the method tracing feature.
158	"enable"
159	    Enable the method tracing feature.
160	    ACPICA debugging messages matching
161	    "trace_debug_layer/trace_debug_level" during any method
162	    execution will be logged.
163	"method"
164	    Enable the method tracing feature.
165	    ACPICA debugging messages matching
166	    "trace_debug_layer/trace_debug_level" during method execution
167	    of "trace_method_name" will be logged.
168	"method-once"
169	    Enable the method tracing feature.
170	    ACPICA debugging messages matching
171	    "trace_debug_layer/trace_debug_level" during method execution
172	    of "trace_method_name" will be logged only once.
173	"opcode"
174	    Enable the method tracing feature.
175	    ACPICA debugging messages matching
176	    "trace_debug_layer/trace_debug_level" during method/opcode
177	    execution of "trace_method_name" will be logged.
178	"opcode-once"
179	    Enable the method tracing feature.
180	    ACPICA debugging messages matching
181	    "trace_debug_layer/trace_debug_level" during method/opcode
182	    execution of "trace_method_name" will be logged only once.
183	Note that, the difference between the "enable" and other feature
184        enabling options are:
185	1. When "enable" is specified, since
186	   "trace_debug_layer/trace_debug_level" shall apply to all control
187	   method evaluations, after configuring "trace_state" to "enable",
188	   "trace_method_name" will be reset to NULL.
189	2. When "method/opcode" is specified, if
190	   "trace_method_name" is NULL when "trace_state" is configured to
191	   these options, the "trace_debug_layer/trace_debug_level" will
192	   apply to all control method evaluations.
193