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-rw-r--r--tools/perf/Documentation/perf-probe.txt10
1 files changed, 9 insertions, 1 deletions
diff --git a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-probe.txt b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-probe.txt
index 736da44596e4..b303bcdd8ed1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-probe.txt
+++ b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-probe.txt
@@ -176,10 +176,18 @@ Each probe argument follows below syntax.
'NAME' specifies the name of this argument (optional). You can use the name of local variable, local data structure member (e.g. var->field, var.field2), local array with fixed index (e.g. array[1], var->array[0], var->pointer[2]), or kprobe-tracer argument format (e.g. $retval, %ax, etc). Note that the name of this argument will be set as the last member name if you specify a local data structure member (e.g. field2 for 'var->field1.field2'.)
'$vars' and '$params' special arguments are also available for NAME, '$vars' is expanded to the local variables (including function parameters) which can access at given probe point. '$params' is expanded to only the function parameters.
-'TYPE' casts the type of this argument (optional). If omitted, perf probe automatically set the type based on debuginfo. You can specify 'string' type only for the local variable or structure member which is an array of or a pointer to 'char' or 'unsigned char' type.
+'TYPE' casts the type of this argument (optional). If omitted, perf probe automatically set the type based on debuginfo. Currently, basic types (u8/u16/u32/u64/s8/s16/s32/s64), signedness casting (u/s), "string" and bitfield are supported. (see TYPES for detail)
On x86 systems %REG is always the short form of the register: for example %AX. %RAX or %EAX is not valid.
+TYPES
+-----
+Basic types (u8/u16/u32/u64/s8/s16/s32/s64) are integer types. Prefix 's' and 'u' means those types are signed and unsigned respectively. Traced arguments are shown in decimal (signed) or hex (unsigned). You can also use 's' or 'u' to specify only signedness and leave its size auto-detected by perf probe.
+String type is a special type, which fetches a "null-terminated" string from kernel space. This means it will fail and store NULL if the string container has been paged out. You can specify 'string' type only for the local variable or structure member which is an array of or a pointer to 'char' or 'unsigned char' type.
+Bitfield is another special type, which takes 3 parameters, bit-width, bit-offset, and container-size (usually 32). The syntax is;
+
+ b<bit-width>@<bit-offset>/<container-size>
+
LINE SYNTAX
-----------
Line range is described by following syntax.