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kbuild: Add AutoFDO support for Clang build

Add the build support for using Clang's AutoFDO. Building the kernel
with AutoFDO does not reduce the optimization level from the
compiler. AutoFDO uses hardware sampling to gather information about
the frequency of execution of different code paths within a binary.
This information is then used to guide the compiler's optimization
decisions, resulting in a more efficient binary. Experiments
showed that the kernel can improve up to 10% in latency.

The support requires a Clang compiler after LLVM 17. This submission
is limited to x86 platforms that support PMU features like LBR on
Intel machines and AMD Zen3 BRS. Support for SPE on ARM 1,
and BRBE on ARM 1 is part of planned future work.

Here is an example workflow for AutoFDO kernel:

1) Build the kernel on the host machine with LLVM enabled, for example,
$ make menuconfig LLVM=1
Turn on AutoFDO build config:
CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y
With a configuration that has LLVM enabled, use the following
command:
scripts/config -e AUTOFDO_CLANG
After getting the config, build with
$ make LLVM=1

2) Install the kernel on the test machine.

3) Run the load tests. The '-c' option in perf specifies the sample
event period. We suggest using a suitable prime number,
like 500009, for this purpose.
For Intel platforms:
$ perf record -e BR_INST_RETIRED.NEAR_TAKEN:k -a -N -b -c <count> \
-o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>
For AMD platforms:
The supported system are: Zen3 with BRS, or Zen4 with amd_lbr_v2
For Zen3:
$ cat proc/cpuinfo | grep " brs"
For Zen4:
$ cat proc/cpuinfo | grep amd_lbr_v2
$ perf record --pfm-events RETIRED_TAKEN_BRANCH_INSTRUCTIONS:k -a \
-N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest>

4) (Optional) Download the raw perf file to the host machine.

5) To generate an AutoFDO profile, two offline tools are available:
create_llvm_prof and llvm_profgen. The create_llvm_prof tool is part
of the AutoFDO project and can be found on GitHub
(https://github.com/google/autofdo), version v0.30.1 or later. The
llvm_profgen tool is included in the LLVM compiler itself. It's
important to note that the version of llvm_profgen doesn't need to
match the version of Clang. It needs to be the LLVM 19 release or
later, or from the LLVM trunk.
$ llvm-profgen --kernel --binary=<vmlinux> --perfdata=<perf_file> \
-o <profile_file>
or
$ create_llvm_prof --binary=<vmlinux> --profile=<perf_file> \
--format=extbinary --out=<profile_file>

Note that multiple AutoFDO profile files can be merged into one via:
$ llvm-profdata merge -o <profile_file> <profile_1> ... <profile_n>

6) Rebuild the kernel using the AutoFDO profile file with the same config
as step 1, (Note CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG needs to be enabled):
$ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<profile_file>

Co-developed-by: Han Shen <shenhan@google.com>
Signed-off-by: Han Shen <shenhan@google.com>
Signed-off-by: Rong Xu <xur@google.com>
Suggested-by: Sriraman Tallam <tmsriram@google.com>
Suggested-by: Krzysztof Pszeniczny <kpszeniczny@google.com>
Suggested-by: Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@google.com>
Suggested-by: Stephane Eranian <eranian@google.com>
Tested-by: Yonghong Song <yonghong.song@linux.dev>
Tested-by: Yabin Cui <yabinc@google.com>
Tested-by: Nathan Chancellor <nathan@kernel.org>
Reviewed-by: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
Tested-by: Peter Jung <ptr1337@cachyos.org>
Signed-off-by: Masahiro Yamada <masahiroy@kernel.org>

authored by

Rong Xu and committed by
Masahiro Yamada
315ad878 397a479b

+231
+168
Documentation/dev-tools/autofdo.rst
··· 1 + .. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 2 + 3 + =================================== 4 + Using AutoFDO with the Linux kernel 5 + =================================== 6 + 7 + This enables AutoFDO build support for the kernel when using 8 + the Clang compiler. AutoFDO (Auto-Feedback-Directed Optimization) 9 + is a type of profile-guided optimization (PGO) used to enhance the 10 + performance of binary executables. It gathers information about the 11 + frequency of execution of various code paths within a binary using 12 + hardware sampling. This data is then used to guide the compiler's 13 + optimization decisions, resulting in a more efficient binary. AutoFDO 14 + is a powerful optimization technique, and data indicates that it can 15 + significantly improve kernel performance. It's especially beneficial 16 + for workloads affected by front-end stalls. 17 + 18 + For AutoFDO builds, unlike non-FDO builds, the user must supply a 19 + profile. Acquiring an AutoFDO profile can be done in several ways. 20 + AutoFDO profiles are created by converting hardware sampling using 21 + the "perf" tool. It is crucial that the workload used to create these 22 + perf files is representative; they must exhibit runtime 23 + characteristics similar to the workloads that are intended to be 24 + optimized. Failure to do so will result in the compiler optimizing 25 + for the wrong objective. 26 + 27 + The AutoFDO profile often encapsulates the program's behavior. If the 28 + performance-critical codes are architecture-independent, the profile 29 + can be applied across platforms to achieve performance gains. For 30 + instance, using the profile generated on Intel architecture to build 31 + a kernel for AMD architecture can also yield performance improvements. 32 + 33 + There are two methods for acquiring a representative profile: 34 + (1) Sample real workloads using a production environment. 35 + (2) Generate the profile using a representative load test. 36 + When enabling the AutoFDO build configuration without providing an 37 + AutoFDO profile, the compiler only modifies the dwarf information in 38 + the kernel without impacting runtime performance. It's advisable to 39 + use a kernel binary built with the same AutoFDO configuration to 40 + collect the perf profile. While it's possible to use a kernel built 41 + with different options, it may result in inferior performance. 42 + 43 + One can collect profiles using AutoFDO build for the previous kernel. 44 + AutoFDO employs relative line numbers to match the profiles, offering 45 + some tolerance for source changes. This mode is commonly used in a 46 + production environment for profile collection. 47 + 48 + In a profile collection based on a load test, the AutoFDO collection 49 + process consists of the following steps: 50 + 51 + #. Initial build: The kernel is built with AutoFDO options 52 + without a profile. 53 + 54 + #. Profiling: The above kernel is then run with a representative 55 + workload to gather execution frequency data. This data is 56 + collected using hardware sampling, via perf. AutoFDO is most 57 + effective on platforms supporting advanced PMU features like 58 + LBR on Intel machines. 59 + 60 + #. AutoFDO profile generation: Perf output file is converted to 61 + the AutoFDO profile via offline tools. 62 + 63 + The support requires a Clang compiler LLVM 17 or later. 64 + 65 + Preparation 66 + =========== 67 + 68 + Configure the kernel with:: 69 + 70 + CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y 71 + 72 + Customization 73 + ============= 74 + 75 + The default CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG setting covers kernel space objects for 76 + AutoFDO builds. One can, however, enable or disable AutoFDO build for 77 + individual files and directories by adding a line similar to the following 78 + to the respective kernel Makefile: 79 + 80 + - For enabling a single file (e.g. foo.o) :: 81 + 82 + AUTOFDO_PROFILE_foo.o := y 83 + 84 + - For enabling all files in one directory :: 85 + 86 + AUTOFDO_PROFILE := y 87 + 88 + - For disabling one file :: 89 + 90 + AUTOFDO_PROFILE_foo.o := n 91 + 92 + - For disabling all files in one directory :: 93 + 94 + AUTOFDO_PROFILE := n 95 + 96 + Workflow 97 + ======== 98 + 99 + Here is an example workflow for AutoFDO kernel: 100 + 101 + 1) Build the kernel on the host machine with LLVM enabled, 102 + for example, :: 103 + 104 + $ make menuconfig LLVM=1 105 + 106 + Turn on AutoFDO build config:: 107 + 108 + CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG=y 109 + 110 + With a configuration that with LLVM enabled, use the following command:: 111 + 112 + $ scripts/config -e AUTOFDO_CLANG 113 + 114 + After getting the config, build with :: 115 + 116 + $ make LLVM=1 117 + 118 + 2) Install the kernel on the test machine. 119 + 120 + 3) Run the load tests. The '-c' option in perf specifies the sample 121 + event period. We suggest using a suitable prime number, like 500009, 122 + for this purpose. 123 + 124 + - For Intel platforms:: 125 + 126 + $ perf record -e BR_INST_RETIRED.NEAR_TAKEN:k -a -N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest> 127 + 128 + - For AMD platforms: 129 + 130 + The supported systems are: Zen3 with BRS, or Zen4 with amd_lbr_v2. To check, 131 + 132 + For Zen3:: 133 + 134 + $ cat proc/cpuinfo | grep " brs" 135 + 136 + For Zen4:: 137 + 138 + $ cat proc/cpuinfo | grep amd_lbr_v2 139 + 140 + The following command generated the perf data file:: 141 + 142 + $ perf record --pfm-events RETIRED_TAKEN_BRANCH_INSTRUCTIONS:k -a -N -b -c <count> -o <perf_file> -- <loadtest> 143 + 144 + 4) (Optional) Download the raw perf file to the host machine. 145 + 146 + 5) To generate an AutoFDO profile, two offline tools are available: 147 + create_llvm_prof and llvm_profgen. The create_llvm_prof tool is part 148 + of the AutoFDO project and can be found on GitHub 149 + (https://github.com/google/autofdo), version v0.30.1 or later. 150 + The llvm_profgen tool is included in the LLVM compiler itself. It's 151 + important to note that the version of llvm_profgen doesn't need to match 152 + the version of Clang. It needs to be the LLVM 19 release of Clang 153 + or later, or just from the LLVM trunk. :: 154 + 155 + $ llvm-profgen --kernel --binary=<vmlinux> --perfdata=<perf_file> -o <profile_file> 156 + 157 + or :: 158 + 159 + $ create_llvm_prof --binary=<vmlinux> --profile=<perf_file> --format=extbinary --out=<profile_file> 160 + 161 + Note that multiple AutoFDO profile files can be merged into one via:: 162 + 163 + $ llvm-profdata merge -o <profile_file> <profile_1> <profile_2> ... <profile_n> 164 + 165 + 6) Rebuild the kernel using the AutoFDO profile file with the same config as step 1, 166 + (Note CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG needs to be enabled):: 167 + 168 + $ make LLVM=1 CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE=<profile_file>
+1
Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst
··· 34 34 ktap 35 35 checkuapi 36 36 gpio-sloppy-logic-analyzer 37 + autofdo 37 38 38 39 39 40 .. only:: subproject and html
+7
MAINTAINERS
··· 3665 3665 F: lib/*audit.c 3666 3666 K: \baudit_[a-z_0-9]\+\b 3667 3667 3668 + AUTOFDO BUILD 3669 + M: Rong Xu <xur@google.com> 3670 + M: Han Shen <shenhan@google.com> 3671 + S: Supported 3672 + F: Documentation/dev-tools/autofdo.rst 3673 + F: scripts/Makefile.autofdo 3674 + 3668 3675 AUXILIARY BUS DRIVER 3669 3676 M: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org> 3670 3677 R: Dave Ertman <david.m.ertman@intel.com>
+1
Makefile
··· 1023 1023 include-$(CONFIG_UBSAN) += scripts/Makefile.ubsan 1024 1024 include-$(CONFIG_KCOV) += scripts/Makefile.kcov 1025 1025 include-$(CONFIG_RANDSTRUCT) += scripts/Makefile.randstruct 1026 + include-$(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG) += scripts/Makefile.autofdo 1026 1027 include-$(CONFIG_GCC_PLUGINS) += scripts/Makefile.gcc-plugins 1027 1028 1028 1029 include $(addprefix $(srctree)/, $(include-y))
+20
arch/Kconfig
··· 811 811 If unsure, say Y. 812 812 endchoice 813 813 814 + config ARCH_SUPPORTS_AUTOFDO_CLANG 815 + bool 816 + 817 + config AUTOFDO_CLANG 818 + bool "Enable Clang's AutoFDO build (EXPERIMENTAL)" 819 + depends on ARCH_SUPPORTS_AUTOFDO_CLANG 820 + depends on CC_IS_CLANG && CLANG_VERSION >= 170000 821 + help 822 + This option enables Clang’s AutoFDO build. When 823 + an AutoFDO profile is specified in variable 824 + CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE during the build process, 825 + Clang uses the profile to optimize the kernel. 826 + 827 + If no profile is specified, AutoFDO options are 828 + still passed to Clang to facilitate the collection 829 + of perf data for creating an AutoFDO profile in 830 + subsequent builds. 831 + 832 + If unsure, say N. 833 + 814 834 config ARCH_SUPPORTS_CFI_CLANG 815 835 bool 816 836 help
+1
arch/x86/Kconfig
··· 126 126 select ARCH_SUPPORTS_LTO_CLANG 127 127 select ARCH_SUPPORTS_LTO_CLANG_THIN 128 128 select ARCH_SUPPORTS_RT 129 + select ARCH_SUPPORTS_AUTOFDO_CLANG 129 130 select ARCH_USE_BUILTIN_BSWAP 130 131 select ARCH_USE_CMPXCHG_LOCKREF if X86_CMPXCHG64 131 132 select ARCH_USE_MEMTEST
+22
scripts/Makefile.autofdo
··· 1 + # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 2 + 3 + # Enable available and selected Clang AutoFDO features. 4 + 5 + CFLAGS_AUTOFDO_CLANG := -fdebug-info-for-profiling -mllvm -enable-fs-discriminator=true -mllvm -improved-fs-discriminator=true 6 + 7 + ifndef CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO 8 + CFLAGS_AUTOFDO_CLANG += -gmlt 9 + endif 10 + 11 + ifdef CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE 12 + CFLAGS_AUTOFDO_CLANG += -fprofile-sample-use=$(CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE) 13 + endif 14 + 15 + ifdef CONFIG_LTO_CLANG_THIN 16 + ifdef CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE 17 + KBUILD_LDFLAGS += --lto-sample-profile=$(CLANG_AUTOFDO_PROFILE) 18 + endif 19 + KBUILD_LDFLAGS += --mllvm=-enable-fs-discriminator=true --mllvm=-improved-fs-discriminator=true -plugin-opt=thinlto 20 + endif 21 + 22 + export CFLAGS_AUTOFDO_CLANG
+10
scripts/Makefile.lib
··· 191 191 -D__KCSAN_INSTRUMENT_BARRIERS__) 192 192 endif 193 193 194 + # 195 + # Enable AutoFDO build flags except some files or directories we don't want to 196 + # enable (depends on variables AUTOFDO_PROFILE_obj.o and AUTOFDO_PROFILE). 197 + # 198 + ifeq ($(CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG),y) 199 + _c_flags += $(if $(patsubst n%,, \ 200 + $(AUTOFDO_PROFILE_$(target-stem).o)$(AUTOFDO_PROFILE)$(is-kernel-object)), \ 201 + $(CFLAGS_AUTOFDO_CLANG)) 202 + endif 203 + 194 204 # $(src) for including checkin headers from generated source files 195 205 # $(obj) for including generated headers from checkin source files 196 206 ifeq ($(KBUILD_EXTMOD),)
+1
tools/objtool/check.c
··· 4557 4557 !strcmp(sec->name, "__jump_table") || 4558 4558 !strcmp(sec->name, "__mcount_loc") || 4559 4559 !strcmp(sec->name, ".kcfi_traps") || 4560 + !strcmp(sec->name, ".llvm.call-graph-profile") || 4560 4561 strstr(sec->name, "__patchable_function_entries")) 4561 4562 continue; 4562 4563