Re: [PATCH] printk: Add caller information to printk() output.

From: Michael Ellerman
Date: Wed Mar 20 2019 - 23:00:00 EST


Hi Tetsuo,

Thanks for implementing this, it's really helpful.

Tetsuo Handa <penguin-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
...
> From 91f85d2bd494df2f73c605d8b4747e8cc0a61ae2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
> From: Tetsuo Handa <penguin-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2018 05:53:04 +0900
> Subject: [PATCH] printk: Add caller information to printk() output.
>
> Sometimes we want to print a series of printk() messages to consoles
> without being disturbed by concurrent printk() from interrupts and/or
> other threads. But we can't enforce printk() callers to use their local
> buffers because we need to ask them to make too much changes. Also, even
> buffering up to one line inside printk() might cause failing to emit
> an important clue under critical situation.
>
> Therefore, instead of trying to help buffering, let's try to help
> reconstructing messages by saving caller information as of calling
> log_store() and adding it as "[T$thread_id]" or "[C$processor_id]"
> upon printing to consoles.
>
> Some examples for console output:
>
> [ 1.222773][ T1] x86: Booting SMP configuration:
> [ 2.779635][ T1] pci 0000:00:01.0: PCI bridge to [bus 01]
> [ 5.069193][ T268] Fusion MPT base driver 3.04.20
> [ 9.316504][ C2] random: fast init done
> [ 13.413336][ T3355] Initialized host personality
>
> Some examples for /dev/kmsg output:
>
> 6,496,1222773,-,caller=T1;x86: Booting SMP configuration:
> 6,968,2779635,-,caller=T1;pci 0000:00:01.0: PCI bridge to [bus 01]
> SUBSYSTEM=pci
> DEVICE=+pci:0000:00:01.0
> 6,1353,5069193,-,caller=T268;Fusion MPT base driver 3.04.20
> 5,1526,9316504,-,caller=C2;random: fast init done
> 6,1575,13413336,-,caller=T3355;Initialized host personality
>
> Note that this patch changes max length of messages which can be printed
> by printk() or written to /dev/kmsg interface from 992 bytes to 976 bytes,
> based on an assumption that userspace won't try to write messages hitting
> that border line to /dev/kmsg interface.

Do you have any plans to update dmesg or other userspace tools to show
the caller information?

cheers