Setting up Perf for performance evaluation of your code

OK--some quick notes on setting up and running linux tools performance profiling (perf):

sudo apt-get install libelf-dev binutils-dev

wget http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.0/linux-3.0.4.tar.gz

tar xvfz linux-3.0.4.tar.gz

cd linux-3.0.4/tools/perf/

make

scp /usr/lib/libelf.so.1 [to-target-system]
scp /usr/lib/libbfd-2.20.1-system.20100303.so [to-target-system]


# sudo /opt/bin/perf 

usage: perf [--version] [--help] COMMAND [ARGS]

The most commonly used perf commands are:
annotate        Read perf.data (created by perf record) and display annotated code
archive         Create archive with object files with build-ids found in perf.data file
bench           General framework for benchmark suites
buildid-cache   Manage build-id cache.
buildid-list    List the buildids in a perf.data file
diff            Read two perf.data files and display the differential profile
evlist          List the event names in a perf.data file
inject          Filter to augment the events stream with additional information
kmem            Tool to trace/measure kernel memory(slab) properties
kvm             Tool to trace/measure kvm guest os
list            List all symbolic event types
lock            Analyze lock events
probe           Define new dynamic tracepoints
record          Run a command and record its profile into perf.data
report          Read perf.data (created by perf record) and display the profile
sched           Tool to trace/measure scheduler properties (latencies)
script          Read perf.data (created by perf record) and display trace output
stat            Run a command and gather performance counter statistics
test            Runs sanity tests.
timechart       Tool to visualize total system behavior during a workload
top             System profiling tool.

See 'perf help COMMAND' for more information on a specific command.



to run (C specifies which CPU, and p specifies which process to attach to):

sudo /opt/bin/perf record  -p 4040 -C 5
sudo /opt/bin/perf report -i perf.data