[PATCH 6/6] Documentation: tracing: Add the startup timing of boot-time tracing

From: Masami Hiramatsu
Date: Thu Sep 10 2020 - 08:44:06 EST


Add the note about when to start the boot-time tracing.
This will be needed for the people who wants to trace
earlier boot sequence.

Signed-off-by: Masami Hiramatsu <mhiramat@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
Documentation/trace/boottime-trace.rst | 14 ++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 14 insertions(+)

diff --git a/Documentation/trace/boottime-trace.rst b/Documentation/trace/boottime-trace.rst
index c216f5695ae2..3931b43f902c 100644
--- a/Documentation/trace/boottime-trace.rst
+++ b/Documentation/trace/boottime-trace.rst
@@ -120,6 +120,20 @@ instance node, but those are also visible from other instances. So please
take care for event name conflict.


+When to Start
+=============
+
+All boot-time tracing options starting with ``ftrace`` will be enabled at the
+end of core_initcall. This means you can trace the events from postcore_initcall.
+Most of the subsystems and architecture dependent drivers will be initialized
+after that (arch_initcall or subsys_initcall). Thus, you can trace those with
+boot-time tracing.
+If you want to trace events before core_initcall, you can use the options
+starting with ``kernel``. Some of them will be enabled eariler than the initcall
+processing (for example,. ``kernel.ftrace=function`` and ``kernel.trace_event``
+will start before the initcall.)
+
+
Examples
========