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Update documentation and release notes for llvm-profgen COFF support (#…
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…84864)

This change:
- Updates the existing Clang User's Manual section on SPGO so that it
describes how to use llvm-profgen to perform SPGO on Windows. This is
new functionality implemented in #83972.
- Fixes a minor typo in the existing llvm-profgen invocation example.
- Adds an LLVM release note on this new functionality in llvm-profgen.
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tcreech-intel committed Mar 26, 2024
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60 changes: 47 additions & 13 deletions clang/docs/UsersManual.rst
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -2441,20 +2441,39 @@ usual build cycle when using sample profilers for optimization:

1. Build the code with source line table information. You can use all the
usual build flags that you always build your application with. The only
requirement is that you add ``-gline-tables-only`` or ``-g`` to the
command line. This is important for the profiler to be able to map
instructions back to source line locations.
requirement is that DWARF debug info including source line information is
generated. This DWARF information is important for the profiler to be able
to map instructions back to source line locations.

On Linux, ``-g`` or just ``-gline-tables-only`` is sufficient:

.. code-block:: console
$ clang++ -O2 -gline-tables-only code.cc -o code
While MSVC-style targets default to CodeView debug information, DWARF debug
information is required to generate source-level LLVM profiles. Use
``-gdwarf`` to include DWARF debug information:

.. code-block:: console
$ clang-cl -O2 -gdwarf -gline-tables-only coff-profile.cpp -fuse-ld=lld -link -debug:dwarf
2. Run the executable under a sampling profiler. The specific profiler
you use does not really matter, as long as its output can be converted
into the format that the LLVM optimizer understands. Currently, there
exists a conversion tool for the Linux Perf profiler
(https://perf.wiki.kernel.org/), so these examples assume that you
are using Linux Perf to profile your code.
into the format that the LLVM optimizer understands.

Two such profilers are the the Linux Perf profiler
(https://perf.wiki.kernel.org/) and Intel's Sampling Enabling Product (SEP),
available as part of `Intel VTune
<https://software.intel.com/content/www/us/en/develop/tools/oneapi/components/vtune-profiler.html>`_.
While Perf is Linux-specific, SEP can be used on Linux, Windows, and FreeBSD.

The LLVM tool ``llvm-profgen`` can convert output of either Perf or SEP. An
external project, `AutoFDO <https://github.com/google/autofdo>`_, also
provides a ``create_llvm_prof`` tool which supports Linux Perf output.

When using Perf:

.. code-block:: console
Expand All @@ -2465,11 +2484,19 @@ usual build cycle when using sample profilers for optimization:
it provides better call information, which improves the accuracy of
the profile data.

3. Convert the collected profile data to LLVM's sample profile format.
This is currently supported via the AutoFDO converter ``create_llvm_prof``.
It is available at https://github.com/google/autofdo. Once built and
installed, you can convert the ``perf.data`` file to LLVM using
the command:
When using SEP:

.. code-block:: console
$ sep -start -out code.tb7 -ec BR_INST_RETIRED.NEAR_TAKEN:precise=yes:pdir -lbr no_filter:usr -perf-script brstack -app ./code
This produces a ``code.perf.data.script`` output which can be used with
``llvm-profgen``'s ``--perfscript`` input option.

3. Convert the collected profile data to LLVM's sample profile format. This is
currently supported via the `AutoFDO <https://github.com/google/autofdo>`_
converter ``create_llvm_prof``. Once built and installed, you can convert
the ``perf.data`` file to LLVM using the command:

.. code-block:: console
Expand All @@ -2485,7 +2512,14 @@ usual build cycle when using sample profilers for optimization:

.. code-block:: console
$ llvm-profgen --binary=./code --output=code.prof--perfdata=perf.data
$ llvm-profgen --binary=./code --output=code.prof --perfdata=perf.data
When using SEP the output is in the textual format corresponding to
``llvm-profgen --perfscript``. For example:

.. code-block:: console
$ llvm-profgen --binary=./code --output=code.prof --perfscript=code.perf.data.script
4. Build the code again using the collected profile. This step feeds
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5 changes: 5 additions & 0 deletions llvm/docs/ReleaseNotes.rst
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -181,6 +181,11 @@ Changes to the LLVM tools
for ELF input to skip the specified symbols when executing other options
that can change a symbol's name, binding or visibility.

* llvm-profgen now supports COFF+DWARF binaries. This enables Sample-based PGO
on Windows using Intel VTune's SEP. For details on usage, see the `end-user
documentation for SPGO
<https://clang.llvm.org/docs/UsersManual.html#using-sampling-profilers>`_.

Changes to LLDB
---------------------------------

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