[PATCH v1] perf stat: Additional verbose details for <not supported> events
From: Ian Rogers
Date: Sun Oct 05 2025 - 14:14:37 EST
If an event shows as "<not supported>" in perf stat output, in verbose
mode add the strerror output to help diagnose the issue.
Consider:
```
$ perf stat -e cycles,data_read,instructions true
Performance counter stats for 'true':
357,457 cycles:u
<not supported> MiB data_read:u
156,182 instructions:u # 0.44 insn per cycle
0.001250315 seconds time elapsed
0.001283000 seconds user
0.000000000 seconds sys
```
To understand why the data_read uncore event failed, with this change:
```
$ perf stat -v -e cycles,data_read,instructions true
Using CPUID GenuineIntel-6-8D-1
cycles -> cpu/cycles/
data_read -> uncore_imc_free_running_0/data_read/
data_read -> uncore_imc_free_running_1/data_read/
instructions -> cpu/instructions/
Control descriptor is not initialized
Warning:
kernel.perf_event_paranoid=2, trying to fall back to excluding kernel and hypervisor samples
Warning:
kernel.perf_event_paranoid=2, trying to fall back to excluding kernel and hypervisor samples
Warning:
kernel.perf_event_paranoid=2, trying to fall back to excluding kernel and hypervisor samples
Warning:
data_read:u event is not supported by the kernel.
Invalid event (data_read:u) in per-thread mode, enable system wide with '-a'.
Warning:
kernel.perf_event_paranoid=2, trying to fall back to excluding kernel and hypervisor samples
Warning:
data_read:u event is not supported by the kernel.
Invalid event (data_read:u) in per-thread mode, enable system wide with '-a'.
cycles:u: 351621 362833 362833
failed to read counter data_read:u
failed to read counter data_read:u
instructions:u: 156184 362833 362833
Performance counter stats for 'true':
351,621 cycles:u
<not supported> MiB data_read:u
156,184 instructions:u # 0.44 insn per cycle
0.001584472 seconds time elapsed
0.001811000 seconds user
0.000000000 seconds sys
```
where without this change only "data_read:u event is not supported by
the kernel." is shown.
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
tools/perf/builtin-stat.c | 12 +++++++-----
1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
index 7006f848f87a..84e06ec09cc2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
@@ -624,8 +624,9 @@ static enum counter_recovery stat_handle_error(struct evsel *counter, int err)
*/
if (err == EINVAL || err == ENOSYS || err == ENOENT || err == ENXIO) {
if (verbose > 0) {
- ui__warning("%s event is not supported by the kernel.\n",
- evsel__name(counter));
+ evsel__open_strerror(counter, &target, err, msg, sizeof(msg));
+ ui__warning("%s event is not supported by the kernel.\n%s\n",
+ evsel__name(counter), msg);
}
return COUNTER_SKIP;
}
@@ -649,10 +650,11 @@ static enum counter_recovery stat_handle_error(struct evsel *counter, int err)
}
}
if (verbose > 0) {
+ evsel__open_strerror(counter, &target, err, msg, sizeof(msg));
ui__warning(err == EOPNOTSUPP
- ? "%s event is not supported by the kernel.\n"
- : "skipping event %s that kernel failed to open.\n",
- evsel__name(counter));
+ ? "%s event is not supported by the kernel.\n%s\n"
+ : "skipping event %s that kernel failed to open.\n%s\n",
+ evsel__name(counter), msg);
}
return COUNTER_SKIP;
}
--
2.51.0.618.g983fd99d29-goog