Why can't I find hardware cache event in my perf list?

Question

I have a problem in using linux perf on a newly bought laptop: there is no available hardware cache effect in my perf list!!! Well, this is really all important information that I wish to sample!! Here is my perf list:

List of pre-defined events (to be used in -e):
cpu-cycles OR cycles                               [Hardware event]
instructions                                       [Hardware event]
cache-references                                   [Hardware event]
cache-misses                                       [Hardware event]
branch-instructions OR branches                    [Hardware event]
branch-misses                                      [Hardware event]
bus-cycles                                         [Hardware event]
ref-cycles                                         [Hardware event]

cpu-clock                                          [Software event]
task-clock                                         [Software event]
page-faults OR faults                              [Software event]
context-switches OR cs                             [Software event]
cpu-migrations OR migrations                       [Software event]
minor-faults                                       [Software event]
major-faults                                       [Software event]
alignment-faults                                   [Software event]
emulation-faults                                   [Software event]
dummy                                              [Software event]

branch-instructions OR cpu/branch-instructions/    [Kernel PMU event]
branch-misses OR cpu/branch-misses/                [Kernel PMU event]
bus-cycles OR cpu/bus-cycles/                      [Kernel PMU event]
cache-misses OR cpu/cache-misses/                  [Kernel PMU event]
cache-references OR cpu/cache-references/          [Kernel PMU event]
cpu-cycles OR cpu/cpu-cycles/                      [Kernel PMU event]
instructions OR cpu/instructions/                  [Kernel PMU event]
power/energy-cores/                                [Kernel PMU event]
power/energy-gpu/                                  [Kernel PMU event]
power/energy-pkg/                                  [Kernel PMU event]
power/energy-ram/                                  [Kernel PMU event]
ref-cycles OR cpu/ref-cycles/                      [Kernel PMU event]

rNNN                                               [Raw hardware event descriptor]
cpu/t1=v1[,t2=v2,t3 ...]/modifier                  [Raw hardware event descriptor]
(see 'man perf-list' on how to encode it)

mem:<addr>[:access]                                [Hardware breakpoint]

[ Tracepoints not available: Permission denied ]

while this is the perf list I used to see: https://perf.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Tutorial#Events.

What I used to do is:

sudo perf stat -e L1-dcache-loads,L1-dcache-load-misses,LLC-loads,LLC-load-misses -a --append -o perf.txt [some command to run a file]

but this does not work on my new machine. How can I collect data I want in this case?

I am using Ubuntu 14.04, with kernel <3.19.0-56>. Perf version <3.19.8-ckt15>.

---

update

I installed the papi-tools library, and papi_native_avail gives me

Available native events and hardware information.

PAPI Version             : 5.3.0.0
Vendor string and code   : GenuineIntel (1)
Model string and code    : Intel(R) Core(TM) M-5Y71 CPU @ 1.20GHz (61)
CPU Revision             : 4.000000
CPUID Info               : Family: 6  Model: 61  Stepping: 4
CPU Max Megahertz        : 2900
CPU Min Megahertz        : 500
Hdw Threads per core     : 1
Cores per Socket         : 2
Sockets                  : 2
NUMA Nodes               : 1
CPUs per Node            : 4
Total CPUs               : 4
Running in a VM          : no
Number Hardware Counters : 0
Max Multiplex Counters   : 64

Solution 1

First of all, check if the processor has even the hardware counters. Intel Haswell architecture stopped to provide hardware counters in recent processors (for some reason).

Second of all, I would check if you can see hardware event through, for example papi. The command papi_native_avail should list you native events, if Ubuntu provides recent enough databases.

The third possibility is that the events are here, but not supported by the old perf. Yes, Ubuntu 14.04 is two years old and the kernel/tools might not support current processors fully.

Solution 2

Also worth noting is that perf list can give you different output depending on whether or not it's running as root. (Perhaps there's some configuration setting that makes root not be the deciding factor; I'm not sure.)

On my Linux Mint 18.1 box, running a 4.8.0-34-generic kernel:

$ perf list cache

List of pre-defined events (to be used in -e):

$ sudo perf list cache

List of pre-defined events (to be used in -e):

  L1-dcache-load-misses                              [Hardware cache event]
  L1-dcache-loads                                    [Hardware cache event]
  L1-dcache-stores                                   [Hardware cache event]
  L1-icache-load-misses                              [Hardware cache event]
  LLC-load-misses                                    [Hardware cache event]
  LLC-loads                                          [Hardware cache event]
  LLC-store-misses                                   [Hardware cache event]
  LLC-stores                                         [Hardware cache event]
  branch-load-misses                                 [Hardware cache event]
  branch-loads                                       [Hardware cache event]
  dTLB-load-misses                                   [Hardware cache event]
  dTLB-loads                                         [Hardware cache event]
  dTLB-store-misses                                  [Hardware cache event]
  dTLB-stores                                        [Hardware cache event]
  iTLB-load-misses                                   [Hardware cache event]
  iTLB-loads                                         [Hardware cache event]
  node-load-misses                                   [Hardware cache event]
  node-loads                                         [Hardware cache event]
  node-store-misses                                  [Hardware cache event]
  node-stores                                        [Hardware cache event]

Comments

[Zheyuan Li]

Thank you. Please see my update. I have put on the output of papi_native_avail. I see that the number of hardware counters is 0.

[Zheyuan Li]

Are the first point and the second the same thing?

[Zheyuan Li]

Well, if Intel stops providing hardware event counter.... Ah, let me make a guess. Does intel want people to use his own tool: Intel PCM or Intel VTune instead?

[Jakuje]

Basically yes. But it is the easiest way to "verify" the first point :) I tried to search for some data-sheet, but I have no success on their pages. I don't know about Intel PCM nor Intel VTune, but if there are no hardware counters, there is no way to get any information about performance.

[Zheyuan Li]

Well, that is really bad news... in the future there is no way to get cache statistics...

[AdamKalisz]

Kind of stupid distinction to give a different list with sudo and without but ok, helped me anyway :-)