Re: [Intel-gfx] [PATCH v7 5/8] drm_print: add choice to use dynamic debug in drm-debug

[Tvrtko Ursulin <tvrtko.ursulin@linux.intel.com>]

On 03/09/2021 22:57, jim.cromie@gmail.com wrote:
> On Fri, Sep 3, 2021 at 5:15 AM Tvrtko Ursulin
> <tvrtko.ursulin@linux.intel.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> On 31/08/2021 21:21, Jim Cromie wrote:
>>> drm's debug system writes 10 distinct categories of messages to syslog
>>> using a small API[1]: drm_dbg*(10 names), DRM_DEV_DEBUG*(3 names),
>>> DRM_DEBUG*(8 names).  There are thousands of these callsites, each
>>> categorized in this systematized way.
>>>
>>> These callsites can be enabled at runtime by their category, each
>>> controlled by a bit in drm.debug (/sys/modules/drm/parameter/debug).
>>> In the current "basic" implementation, drm_debug_enabled() tests these
>>> bits in __drm_debug each time an API[1] call is executed; while cheap
>>> individually, the costs accumulate with uptime.
>>>
>>> This patch uses dynamic-debug with jump-label to patch enabled calls
>>> onto their respective NOOP slots, avoiding all runtime bit-checks of
>>> __drm_debug by drm_debug_enabled().
>>>
>>> Dynamic debug has no concept of category, but we can emulate one by
>>> replacing enum categories with a set of prefix-strings; "drm:core:",
>>> "drm:kms:" "drm:driver:" etc, and prepend them (at compile time) to
>>> the given formats.
>>>
>>> Then we can use:
>>>     `echo module drm format "^drm:core: " +p > control`
>>>
>>> to enable the whole category with one query.
>>
>> Probably stupid question - enabling stuff at boot time still works as
>> described in Documentation/admin-guide/dynamic-debug-howto.rst?
>>
> 
> yes.  its turned on in earlyinit, and cmdline args are a processed then,
> and when modules are added
> 
> 
>> Second question, which perhaps has been covered in the past so apologies
>> if redundant - what is the advantage of allowing this to be
>> configurable, versus perhaps always enabling it? Like what would be the
>> reasons someone wouldn't just want to have CONFIG_DYNAMIC_DEBUG compiled
>> in? Kernel binary size?
>>
> 
> Im unaware of anything on this topic, but I can opine :-)
> Its been configurable since I saw it and thought "jump-labels are cool!"
> 
> code is small
> [jimc@frodo local-i915m]$ size lib/dynamic_debug.o
>     text    data     bss     dec     hex filename
>    24016    8041      64   32121    7d79 lib/dynamic_debug.o
> 
> Its data tables are big, particularly the __dyndbg section
> builtins:
> dyndbg: 108 debug prints in module mptcp
> dyndbg:   2 debug prints in module i386
> dyndbg:   2 debug prints in module xen
> dyndbg:   2 debug prints in module fixup
> dyndbg:   7 debug prints in module irq
> dyndbg: 3039 prdebugs in 283 modules, 11 KiB in ddebug tables, 166 kiB
> in __dyndbg section
> 
> bash-5.1#
> bash-5.1# for m in i915 amdgpu ; do modprobe $m dyndbg=+_ ; done
> dyndbg: 384 debug prints in module drm
> dyndbg: 211 debug prints in module drm_kms_helper
> dyndbg:   2 debug prints in module ttm
> dyndbg:   8 debug prints in module video
> dyndbg: 1727 debug prints in module i915
> dyndbg: processed 1 queries, with 3852 matches, 0 errs
> dyndbg: 3852 debug prints in module amdgpu
> [drm] amdgpu kernel modesetting enabled.
> amdgpu: CRAT table disabled by module option
> amdgpu: Virtual CRAT table created for CPU
> amdgpu: Topology: Add CPU node
> bash-5.1#
> 
> At 56 bytes / callsite, it adds up.
> And teaching DRM to use it enlarges its use dramatically,
> not just in drm itself, but in many drivers
> 
> amdgpu has 3852 callsite, (vs 3039 in my kernel), so it has ~240kb.
> It has extra (large chunks generated by macros) to trim,
> but i915 has ~1700, and drm has ~380
> 
> I have WIP to reduce the table space, by splitting it into 2 separate ones;
> guts and decorations (module, function, file pointers).
> The decoration recs are redundant, 45% are copies of previous
> (function changes fastest)
> It needs much rework, but it should get 20% overall.
> decorations are 24/56 of footprint.

I'll try to extract the "executive summary" from this, you tell me if I 
got it right.

So using or not using dynamic debug for DRM debug ends up being about 
shifting the cost between kernel binary size (data section grows by each 
pr_debug call site) and runtime conditionals?

Since the table sizes you mention seem significant enough, I think that 
justifies existence of DRM_USE_DYNAMIC_DEBUG. It would probably be a 
good idea to put some commentary on that there. Ideally including some 
rough estimates both including space cost per call site and space cost 
for a typical distro kernel build?

Regards,

Tvrtko