ftrace introduces instability into kernel 2.6.27(-rc2,-rc3)

[Eran Liberty]

Steven Rostedt wrote:
> Eran Liberty wrote:
>> After compiling a kernel with ftrace I started to experience all 
>> sorts of crashes.
>
> Just to make sure...
>
> ftrace enables markers too, and RCU has tracing with the markers. This 
> may not be the problem, but I just want to eliminate as many variables 
> as possible.
> Could you disable ftrace, but keep the markers on too.  Also, could 
> you enable ftrace again and turn on the FTRACE_STARTUP_TEST.

for the fun of it I took out all my propriety modules; so now its a non 
tainted kernel.

Here is the matrix:

!FTRACE x !MARKERS => stable
!FTRACE x MARKERS => stable
FTRACE x !MARKERS => n/a (FTRACE forces MARKERS)
FTRACE x MARKERS => unstable
FTRACE x FTRACE_STARTUP_TEST x MARKERS => unstable + tests passed

Testing tracer sched_switch: PASSED
Testing tracer ftrace: PASSED
Testing dynamic ftrace: PASSED

Oops: Exception in kernel mode, sig: 11 [#1]
Exsw1600
Modules linked in:
NIP: c00bbb20 LR: c00bbb20 CTR: 00000000
REGS: dd5b1c50 TRAP: 0700   Not tainted  (2.6.27-rc2)
MSR: 00029000 <EE,ME>  CR: 24082282  XER: 20000000
TASK = ddcce060[1707] 'find' THREAD: dd5b0000
GPR00: 00000000 dd5b1d00 ddcce060 dd801180 dd5b1d68 dd5b1d58 dd80125b 
100234ec
GPR08: c0800000 00019330 0000ffff dd5b1d20 24000288 100ad874 100936f8 
1008a1d0
GPR16: 10083f80 dd5b1e2c dd5b1d68 fffffff4 c0380000 dd5b1d60 dd5b1d58 
dd802084
GPR24: dc3d7700 dd802018 dd5b1d68 c0380000 dd801180 dd5b1d68 00000000 
dd5b1d00
NIP [c00bbb20] d_lookup+0x40/0x90
LR [c00bbb20] d_lookup+0x40/0x90
Call Trace:
[dd5b1d00] [dd5b1d58] 0xdd5b1d58 (unreliable)
[dd5b1d20] [c00aebc4] do_lookup+0xe8/0x220
[dd5b1d50] [c00b0a80] __link_path_walk+0x5a4/0xd54
[dd5b1dc0] [c00b1288] path_walk+0x58/0xe0
[dd5b1df0] [c00b13f8] do_path_lookup+0x78/0x13c
[dd5b1e20] [c00b20f4] user_path_at+0x64/0xac
[dd5b1e90] [c00a9028] vfs_lstat_fd+0x34/0x74
[dd5b1ec0] [c00a90fc] vfs_lstat+0x30/0x48
[dd5b1ed0] [c00a9144] sys_lstat64+0x30/0x5c
[dd5b1f40] [c0010554] ret_from_syscall+0x0/0x3c
Instruction dump:
7c0802a6 bf61000c 3f60c038 7c3f0b78 90010024 7c7c1b78 7c9d2378 83db32a0
73c00001 7f83e378 7fa4eb78 4082002f <00000000> 2f830000 409e0030 801b32a0
---[ end trace 1eb8fd7adac2bb65 ]---

Liberty