xref: /illumos-gate/usr/src/data/perfmon/readme.txt (revision 7e3dbbac)

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This package contains performance monitoring event lists for Intel processors, as well as a mapping file
to help match event lists to processor Family/Model/Stepping codes.
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The event lists are available in 2 formats:
	Tab delimited (.tsv)
	Json (.json)

Event lists are created per microarchitecture, and each has a version. Versions are listed in the event list
name as well as the header for each file. For some microarchitectures, up to three different event lists will
be available. These event lists correspond to the types of events that can be collected:

core - Contains events counted from within a logical processor core.
offcore - Contains matrix events counted from the core, but measuring responses that come from offcore.

The event list filename indicates which type of list it contains, and follows this format:
<microarchitecture-codename>_<core/offcore>_<version>

New version releases will be announced in the mail list perfmon-announce@lists.01.org

Different microarchitectures provide different performance monitoring capabilities, so field names and categories
of events may vary.

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Event List Field Defitions:
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Below is a list of the fields/headers in the event files and a description of how SW tools should
interpret these values. A particular event list from this package may not contain all the fields described
below. For more detailed information of the Performance monitoring unit please refer to chapters 18 and 19
of Intel� 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer's Manual Volume 3B: System Programming Guide, Part 2.

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/architectures-software-developer-manuals.html


----EventCode----
This field maps to the Event Select field in the IA32_PERFEVTSELx[7:0]MSRs. The set of values for this field
is defined architecturally. Each value corresponds to an event logic unit and should be used with a unit
mask value to obtain an architectural performance event.

----UMask----
This field maps to the Unit Mask filed in the IA32_PERFEVTSELx[15:8] MSRs. It further qualifies the event logic
unit selected in the event select field to detect a specific micro-architectural condition.

----EventName----
It is a string of characters to identify the programming of an event.

----BriefDescription----
This field contains a description of what is being counted by a particular event.

----PublicDescription----
In some cases, this field will contain a more detailed description of what is counted by an event.

----Counter----
This field lists the fixed (PERF_FIXED_CTRX) or programmable (IA32_PMCX) counters that can be used to count the event.

----CounterHTOff----
This field lists the counters where this event can be sampled when Intel� Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel� HT Technology) is
disabled. When Intel� HT Technology is disabled, some processor cores gain access to the programmable counters of the second
thread, making a total of eight programmable counters available. The additional counters will be numbered 4,5,6,7. Fixed counter
behavior remains unaffected.

----PEBScounters----
This field is only relevant to PEBS events. It lists the counters where the event can be sampled when it is programmed as a PEBS event.

----SampleAfterValue----
Sample After Value (SAV) is the value that can be pre-loaded into the counter registers to set the point at which they will overflow.
To make the counter overflow after N occurrences of the event, it should be loaded with (0xFF..FF � N) or �(N-1). On overflow a
hardware interrupt is generated through the Local APIC and additional architectural state can be collected in the interrupt handler.
This is useful in event-based sampling. This field gives a recommended default overflow value, which may be adjusted based on
workload or tool preference.

----MSRIndex----
Additional MSRs may be required for programming certain events. This field gives the address of such MSRS.
Potential values are:
0x3F6: MSR_PEBS_LD_LAT - used to configure the Load Latency Perforamnce Monitoring Facility
0x1A6/0x1A7: MSR_OFFCORE_RSP_X - used to configure the offcore response events

----MSRValue----
When an MSRIndex is used (indicated by the MSRIndex column), this field will contain the value that needs to be loaded into the
register whose address is given in MSRIndex column. For example, in the case of the load latency events, MSRValue defines the
latency threshold value to write into the MSR defined in MSRIndex (0x3F6).

----CollectPEBSRecord----
Applies to processors that support both precise and non-precise events in Processor Event Based Sampling, such as Goldmont.
0: The event cannot be programmed to collect a PEBS record.
1: The event may be programmed to collect a PEBS record, but caution is advised.
For instance, PEBS collection of this event may consume limited PEBS resources whereas interrupt-based sampling may be sufficient for the usage model.
2: The event may programmed to collect a PEBS record, and due to the nature of the event, PEBS collection may be preferred.  For instance,
PEBS collection of Goldmont�s HW_INTERUPTS.RECIEVED event is recommended because the hardware interrupt being counted may lead to the masking of
interrupts which would interfere with interrupt-based sampling.


	----TakenAlone----
This field is set for an event which can only be sampled or counted by itself, meaning that when this event is being collected,
the remaining programmable counters are not available to count any other events.

----CounterMask----
This field maps to the Counter Mask (CMASK) field in IA32_PERFEVTSELx[31:24] MSR.

----Invert----
This field corresponds to the Invert Counter Mask (INV) field in IA32_PERFEVTSELx[23] MSR.

----AnyThread----
This field corresponds to the Any Thread (ANY) bit of IA32_PERFEVTSELx[21] MSR.

----EdgeDetect----
This field corresponds to the Edge Detect (E) bit of IA32_PERFEVTSELx[18] MSR.

----PEBS----
A '0' in this field means that the event cannot collect a PEBS record with a Precise IP.  A '1' in this field means that the event is a
precise event and can be programmed in one of two ways � as a regular event or as a PEBS event. And a '2' in this field means
that the event can only be programmed as a PEBS event.

----PRECISE_STORE----
A '1' in this field means the event uses the Precise Store feature and Bit 3 and bit 63 in IA32_PEBS_ENABLE MSR must be set
to enable IA32_PMC3 as a PEBS counter and enable the precise store facility respectively. Processors based on SandyBridge and
IvyBridge micro-architecture offer a precise store capability that provides a means to profile store memory references in
the system.

----DATA_LA----
A '1' in this field means that when the event is configured as a PEBS event, the Data Linear Address facility is supported.
The Data Linear Address facility is a new feature added to Haswell as a replacement or extension of the precise store facility
in SNB.

----L1_HIT_INDICATION----
A '1' in this field means that when the event is configured as a PEBS event, the DCU hit field of the PEBS record is set to 1
when the store hits in the L1 cache and 0 when it misses.

----Errata----
This field lists the known bugs that apply to the events. For the latest, up to date errata refer to

Haswell:
http://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/specification-updates/4th-gen-core-family-mobile-specification-update.pdf

IvyBridge:
https://www-ssl.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/specification-updates/3rd-gen-core-desktop-specification-update.pdf

SandyBridge:
https://www-ssl.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/specification-updates/2nd-gen-core-family-mobile-specification-update.pdf

----offcore----
This field is specific to the json format. There is only 1 file for core and offcore events in this format. This field is set to 1 for offcore events
and 0 for core events.

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For additional information:
---------------------
Intel Platform Monitoring Homepage
http://software.intel.com/en-us/platform-monitoring/

http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/performance-monitoring-on-intel-xeon-processor-e5-family

http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/monitoring-integrated-memory-controller-requests-in-the-2nd-3rd-and-4th-generation-intel

http://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/specification-updates/4th-gen-core-family-desktop-specification-update.pdf

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For questions:
---------------------
email perfmon-discuss@lists.01.org

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Notices:
---------------------
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