[PATCH v5 5/5] perf evlist: Improve default event for s390

From: Ian Rogers

Date: Tue Mar 17 2026 - 01:56:24 EST


Frame pointer callchains are not supported on s390 and dwarf
callchains are only supported on software events.

Switch the default event from cycles to cpu-clock or task-clock on
s390 if callchains are enabled.

If frame pointer callchains are requested on s390 show a
warning. Modify the '-g' option of `perf top` and `perf record` to
default to dwarf callchains on s390.

Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
tools/perf/builtin-record.c | 8 ++++++--
tools/perf/builtin-top.c | 5 +++--
tools/perf/tests/event_update.c | 4 +++-
tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c | 4 +++-
tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c | 7 +++++--
tools/perf/tests/topology.c | 4 +++-
tools/perf/util/evlist.c | 32 +++++++++++++++++++++-----------
tools/perf/util/evlist.h | 2 +-
tools/perf/util/evsel.c | 5 +++++
9 files changed, 50 insertions(+), 21 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index af1fe6b7c65c..ef97c7a54088 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
#include "asm/bug.h"
#include "perf.h"
#include "cputopo.h"
+#include "dwarf-regs.h"

#include <errno.h>
#include <inttypes.h>
@@ -2986,7 +2987,9 @@ static int record_callchain_opt(const struct option *opt,
const char *arg __maybe_unused,
int unset)
{
- return record_opts__parse_callchain(opt->value, &callchain_param, "fp", unset);
+ return record_opts__parse_callchain(opt->value, &callchain_param,
+ EM_HOST != EM_S390 ? "fp" : "dwarf",
+ unset);
}


@@ -4265,7 +4268,8 @@ int cmd_record(int argc, const char **argv)
record.opts.tail_synthesize = true;

if (rec->evlist->core.nr_entries == 0) {
- struct evlist *def_evlist = evlist__new_default();
+ struct evlist *def_evlist = evlist__new_default(&rec->opts.target,
+ callchain_param.enabled);

if (!def_evlist)
goto out;
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index 2a949d956d0b..84211a78977e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@
#include "util/debug.h"
#include "util/ordered-events.h"
#include "util/pfm.h"
+#include "dwarf-regs.h"

#include <assert.h>
#include <elf.h>
@@ -1409,7 +1410,7 @@ parse_callchain_opt(const struct option *opt, const char *arg, int unset)
static int
callchain_opt(const struct option *opt, const char *arg __maybe_unused, int unset)
{
- return parse_callchain_opt(opt, "fp", unset);
+ return parse_callchain_opt(opt, EM_HOST != EM_S390 ? "fp" : "dwarf", unset);
}


@@ -1695,7 +1696,7 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
goto out_delete_evlist;

if (!top.evlist->core.nr_entries) {
- struct evlist *def_evlist = evlist__new_default();
+ struct evlist *def_evlist = evlist__new_default(target, callchain_param.enabled);

if (!def_evlist)
goto out_delete_evlist;
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c b/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c
index cb9e6de2e033..facc65e29f20 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
#include "header.h"
#include "machine.h"
#include "util/synthetic-events.h"
+#include "target.h"
#include "tool.h"
#include "tests.h"
#include "debug.h"
@@ -81,7 +82,8 @@ static int test__event_update(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtes
{
struct evsel *evsel;
struct event_name tmp;
- struct evlist *evlist = evlist__new_default();
+ struct target target = {};
+ struct evlist *evlist = evlist__new_default(&target, /*sample_callchains=*/false);

TEST_ASSERT_VAL("failed to get evlist", evlist);

diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c b/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c
index c7b32a220ca1..dd547f2f77cc 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
#include "parse-events.h"
#include "pmu-events/pmu-events.h"
#include "pfm.h"
+#include "target.h"
#include <subcmd/parse-options.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
@@ -99,7 +100,8 @@ out: for (i = 0; i < nr_events; i++)
static int expand_default_events(void)
{
int ret;
- struct evlist *evlist = evlist__new_default();
+ struct target target = {};
+ struct evlist *evlist = evlist__new_default(&target, /*sample_callchains=*/false);

TEST_ASSERT_VAL("failed to get evlist", evlist);

diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c b/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c
index efbd9cd60c63..c6e31ab8a6b8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c
@@ -84,8 +84,11 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
CPU_ZERO_S(cpu_mask_size, cpu_mask);

perf_sample__init(&sample, /*all=*/false);
- if (evlist == NULL) /* Fallback for kernels lacking PERF_COUNT_SW_DUMMY */
- evlist = evlist__new_default();
+ if (evlist == NULL) { /* Fallback for kernels lacking PERF_COUNT_SW_DUMMY */
+ struct target target = {};
+
+ evlist = evlist__new_default(&target, /*sample_callchains=*/false);
+ }

if (evlist == NULL) {
pr_debug("Not enough memory to create evlist\n");
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/topology.c b/tools/perf/tests/topology.c
index ec01150d208d..a34a7ab19a80 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/topology.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/topology.c
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
#include "evlist.h"
#include "debug.h"
#include "pmus.h"
+#include "target.h"
#include <linux/err.h>

#define TEMPL "/tmp/perf-test-XXXXXX"
@@ -37,11 +38,12 @@ static int session_write_header(char *path)
.path = path,
.mode = PERF_DATA_MODE_WRITE,
};
+ struct target target = {};

session = perf_session__new(&data, NULL);
TEST_ASSERT_VAL("can't get session", !IS_ERR(session));

- session->evlist = evlist__new_default();
+ session->evlist = evlist__new_default(&target, /*sample_callchains=*/false);
TEST_ASSERT_VAL("can't get evlist", session->evlist);
session->evlist->session = session;

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index 591bdf0b3e2a..c702741a9173 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
#include "util/mmap.h"
#include "thread_map.h"
#include "target.h"
+#include "dwarf-regs.h"
#include "evlist.h"
#include "evsel.h"
#include "record.h"
@@ -98,38 +99,47 @@ struct evlist *evlist__new(void)
return evlist;
}

-struct evlist *evlist__new_default(void)
+struct evlist *evlist__new_default(const struct target *target, bool sample_callchains)
{
struct evlist *evlist = evlist__new();
bool can_profile_kernel;
struct perf_pmu *pmu = NULL;
+ struct evsel *evsel;
+ char buf[256];
+ int err;

if (!evlist)
return NULL;

can_profile_kernel = perf_event_paranoid_check(1);

- while ((pmu = perf_pmus__scan_core(pmu)) != NULL) {
- char buf[256];
- int err;
-
- snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%s/cycles/%s", pmu->name,
+ if (EM_HOST == EM_S390 && sample_callchains) {
+ snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "software/%s/%s",
+ target__has_cpu(target) ? "cpu-clock" : "task-clock",
can_profile_kernel ? "P" : "Pu");
err = parse_event(evlist, buf);
- if (err) {
- evlist__delete(evlist);
- return NULL;
+ if (err)
+ goto out_err;
+ } else {
+ while ((pmu = perf_pmus__scan_core(pmu)) != NULL) {
+ snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%s/cycles/%s", pmu->name,
+ can_profile_kernel ? "P" : "Pu");
+ err = parse_event(evlist, buf);
+ if (err)
+ goto out_err;
}
}

+ /* If there is only 1 event a sample identifier isn't necessary. */
if (evlist->core.nr_entries > 1) {
- struct evsel *evsel;
-
evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel)
evsel__set_sample_id(evsel, /*can_sample_identifier=*/false);
}

return evlist;
+out_err:
+ evlist__delete(evlist);
+ return NULL;
}

struct evlist *evlist__new_dummy(void)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
index d17c3b57a409..e507f5f20ef6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ struct evsel_str_handler {
};

struct evlist *evlist__new(void);
-struct evlist *evlist__new_default(void);
+struct evlist *evlist__new_default(const struct target *target, bool sample_callchains);
struct evlist *evlist__new_dummy(void);
void evlist__init(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_cpu_map *cpus,
struct perf_thread_map *threads);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index 54c8922a8e47..5a294595a677 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -1021,6 +1021,11 @@ static void __evsel__config_callchain(struct evsel *evsel, const struct record_o
bool function = evsel__is_function_event(evsel);
struct perf_event_attr *attr = &evsel->core.attr;

+ if (EM_HOST == EM_S390 && param->record_mode == CALLCHAIN_FP) {
+ pr_warning_once(
+ "Framepointer unwinding lacks kernel support. Use '--call-graph dwarf'\n");
+ }
+
evsel__set_sample_bit(evsel, CALLCHAIN);

attr->sample_max_stack = param->max_stack;
--
2.53.0.851.ga537e3e6e9-goog